Travis Hugh Culley's Books

A Comedy & a Tragedy

A Memoir of Learning how to Read and Write

By: Travis Hugh Culley

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A Comedy & a Tragedy

A Memoir of Learning how to Read and Write

By: Travis Hugh Culley

A Comedy & A Tragedy is the story of one young man's effort to teach himself to read. Complex and many-leveled, this book is also a manifesto about the acquisition of intellectual independence. It is a plea for better understanding of the impact of dysfunctional family dynamics in education, and a passionate indictment of a broken school system that lets so-called problem kids slip through the cracks.

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Page Count

273

Published Date

ISBN 10

0345506162

ISBN 13

9780345506160

The Immortal Class

Bike Messengers and the Cult of Human Power

By: Travis Hugh Culley

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The Immortal Class

Bike Messengers and the Cult of Human Power

By: Travis Hugh Culley

Travis Hugh Culley came to Chicago to work and live as an artist. He knew he'd have to struggle, but he found that his struggle meant more than hard work and a taste for poverty. In becoming a bike messenger, he found a sense of community and fulfillment and a brotherhood of like-minded individualists. He rode like a postmodern cowboy across the city's landscape; he passed like a shadow through its soaring office towers; he soared like a falcon through the roaring chaos of the multilayered streets of Chicago. He became an invisible man in society, yet at the same time its most intimate observer. In one of the most dangerous jobs on dry land, he found freedom. In The Immortal Class, Culley takes us in-side the heart and soul of an urban icon the bicycle messenger. In describing his own history and those of his peers, he evokes a classic American maverick, deeply woven into the fabric of society from the pits of squalor to the highest reaches of power and privilege yet always resolutely, exuberantly outside. And he celebrates a culture that eschews the motorized vehicle: the cult of human power. The Immortal Class, Culley's vivid evocation of a bicycle messenger's experience and philosophy, sheds a compelling light on the way human beings relate to one another and to the cities we inhabit. Travis Hugh Culley's voice is at once earthy and soaringly poetic a Gen-X Tom Joad at hyperspeed. The Immortal Class is a unique personal and political narrative of a cyclist's life on the street.

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Page Count

367

Publisher

Villard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0375506659

ISBN 13

9780375506659

A Comedy & A Tragedy

A Memoir of Learning How to Read and Write

By: Travis Hugh Culley

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A Comedy & A Tragedy

A Memoir of Learning How to Read and Write

By: Travis Hugh Culley

In this powerful memoir, former bicycle messenger and acclaimed author of The Immortal Class recounts his difficult journey to literacy. A Comedy & A Tragedy is the story of one young man’s effort to teach himself to read. Complex and many-leveled, this book is also a manifesto about the acquisition of intellectual independence. It is a plea for better understanding of the impact of dysfunctional family dynamics in education, and a passionate indictment of a broken school system that lets so-called problem kids slip through the cracks. When Travis Hugh Culley moves with his family to Miami in the spring of 1980, the bright six-year-old hopes things will be easier for him. Instead, he is dubbed “Birdbrain” by his older brother and classified by his new teachers as a discipline problem. Travis fakes his way through tests and homework assignments, mimicking his fellow students and pretending to know how to read. When his music teacher suggests that he audition for an acting program, Travis begins an unlikely path toward literacy. The moment Travis begins to perform, he is confronted by his angry father, who is threatened by the transformation in his son. Unsure of how to make sense of what has happened, Travis grabs a pen and writes his experience down. Suddenly, everything can be seen in a new light. Having written, he begins to understand in a new way the relationship between words and actions. When his parents separate and his grades fall, Travis clings to a journal in which he notes the details of his changing life. Having no place else to turn to process his emotions, Travis lays claim to the project of his own emancipation. This troubled student runs away from home but does not drop out of school. With pen in hand, he commits to an education in the theater and begins to fully realize the power and importance of literacy. Travis discovers that only through the mastery of writing can he determine his place in the world. Eventually, he will become an accomplished author—with a triumphant story to tell. A Comedy & A Tragedy is an important and inspired memoir that will touch the hearts of parents, teachers, students, and anyone who has struggled with traumatic experiences in education. It is a work of love, of friendship, and of confidence in one young scholar’s infinite belief in language. Advance praise for A Comedy & A Tragedy “This tale of struggle, survival, and triumph addresses the inner lives of children and the grave responsibility of adults to ensure that their voices are heard. Readers will readily warm to the story of a bright, illiterate boy who is destined to become a lauded writer.”—Publishers Weekly “The story of how writing became a means of healing . . . a testimony to the liberating power of art.”—Kirkus Reviews “A starkly unusual and unusually compelling story.”—Booklist Praise for Travis Hugh Culley’s The Immortal Class “An important new critical voice.”—Library Journal “A truly stunning book, completely original, a mixture of autobiography and philosophical treatise.”—Booklist “An ever-kinetic prose straddling narrative and polemic, with an ear all the while for the small pebbles slipping beneath its feet.”—The Seattle Times

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Page Count

273

Publisher

Ballantine Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0804177554

ISBN 13

9780804177559

The Immortal Class

Bike Messengers and the Cult of Human Power

By: Travis Hugh Culley

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The Immortal Class

Bike Messengers and the Cult of Human Power

By: Travis Hugh Culley

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

367

Publisher

Villard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0375506659

ISBN 13

9780375506659

Book's by Travis Hugh Culley

A Comedy & a Tragedy

A Comedy & a Tragedy

The Immortal Class

The Immortal Class

A Comedy & A Tragedy

A Comedy & A Tragedy

The Immortal Class

The Immortal Class

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