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Quitter: Good Luck Not Dying
This is a collection of the first six issues of the zine Quitter, written in various lengths of time between 2005 and 2012 by Trace Ramsey. Good Luck Not Dying can be purchased directly from the publisher - http://pioneerspress.com/products/qui...
- GenresNonfiction
61 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
200 people want to read
About the author
Trace Ramsey
2 books31 followersTrace Ramsey is a recipient of the 2017-2018 North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship in Literature, the 2015 Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artists Award in Literature, a 2015 contributor in non-fiction at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and winner of the 2016 Alex Albright Creative Nonfiction Prize from the North Carolina Literary Review. Trace’s recent publications include essays in At Length Magazine, Hippocampus Magazine and I Don’t Know How to Help You, a compilation zine from Pioneers Press. In December 2014 Trace received a certificate in documentary arts in nonfiction writing from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. Trace lives in Durham, N.C., with his partner and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 28, 2013
Oh look, I get to give my own book 5 stars.
December 9, 2017
Quitter is a meditative collection of personal zines covering a variety of topics - growing up in poverty, the hollowness of life and work in late capitalism, and the yearning for some kind of spiritual connection with a rapidly deteriorating earth when you know you are part of the cause of ecological ruin and not its solution. Beautifully written and necessary.
December 17, 2020
This book literally shook me out of a lonely depression spell. It's brilliant. If you have ever struggled with your mental health, having someone to relate to can make a huge difference in your recovery. I have given several copies of this book as gifts to my friends and they all have fell in love with the literary beauty of Trace Ramsey.
August 15, 2015
A window view into life in poverty, enclosure in capitalism, and just personal stories of his life and childhood. Actually Second time reading it, but still just as good.
September 8, 2015
Wow. What a writer! This little collection of zines is one of the best things I've read lately.
February 16, 2016
I received a copy of this book in exchange an honest review.
Here it is.
I had a really hard time getting into this book and would find it hard to recommend it.
Here it is.
I had a really hard time getting into this book and would find it hard to recommend it.
August 21, 2015
A while back I sent Trace a message to see if he wanted to trade zines. He agreed to trade with me and pretty soon I had Quitter 7, 8 & 9 in my possession. I read through them all in a day or two and loved them. I started to write a review, because I really try to say SOMETHING about all the zines and indie books that I read, but my computer crashed and it was gone. I never got around to rewriting it because I was already falling behind in my writing. However, when I was putting together my order with Pioneer’s Press a while later, I knew I had to get my hands on “Good Luck Not Dying.” As much as I loved Trace’s zines, it took me a while to get to the book because I got so much amazing reading material from Pioneer’s Press. I’m still working my way through it and trying to get it all read so I can order more stuff from my wish list.
Well a couple nights ago I read through the book in its entirety before falling asleep. First off, this is a big statement in and of itself because I always fall asleep reading, have to wake up later, set my book or zine on the nightstand and turn out the light. Trace is an amazing wordsmith! He writes about working and about quitting, about growing up, about getting in trouble. He writes about his body and his heath. At times he writes about things that would seem mundane, but those things are more like a catalyst to a somber exploration of self than the actual subject matter. In doing so, he punches holes in the ‘reality’ we take for granted.
“The sanest thing you can do, the quickest way to a shovel, is to be a loser, become a quitter, ask yourself how to dig out of it all. The world needs only so many accountants and curators. Why strive to be one?”
Perhaps it just strikes a chord with me because I’ve thought so much about being a quitter recently. All the ‘winners’ are going to crash. Who wants to be a winner?
I think Trace could probably write about pretty much anything and get me to read it. He’s just got a way with words that makes me want to keep reading. It’s dark, but it’s not hopeless. He’s got a way of looking at life that I’m glad he’s sharing with the rest of us.
Get a copy here: http://pioneerspress.com/catalog/book...
Well a couple nights ago I read through the book in its entirety before falling asleep. First off, this is a big statement in and of itself because I always fall asleep reading, have to wake up later, set my book or zine on the nightstand and turn out the light. Trace is an amazing wordsmith! He writes about working and about quitting, about growing up, about getting in trouble. He writes about his body and his heath. At times he writes about things that would seem mundane, but those things are more like a catalyst to a somber exploration of self than the actual subject matter. In doing so, he punches holes in the ‘reality’ we take for granted.
“The sanest thing you can do, the quickest way to a shovel, is to be a loser, become a quitter, ask yourself how to dig out of it all. The world needs only so many accountants and curators. Why strive to be one?”
Perhaps it just strikes a chord with me because I’ve thought so much about being a quitter recently. All the ‘winners’ are going to crash. Who wants to be a winner?
I think Trace could probably write about pretty much anything and get me to read it. He’s just got a way with words that makes me want to keep reading. It’s dark, but it’s not hopeless. He’s got a way of looking at life that I’m glad he’s sharing with the rest of us.
Get a copy here: http://pioneerspress.com/catalog/book...
December 10, 2014
I really wanted to like this book. Towards the end, I did. The first half of the book (Quitter #1-3) is really just a collection of short stagnant scenes, really just descriptions of times in the author's life. None of them really go anywhere, nor are they connected, but the prose is nice enough that they're an enjoyable, though depressing, read. Worth noting is a vague and naive short about how machines are awful, a little silly since I'm pretty sure this collection was typed and printed on any number of machines.
The second half of the book makes up for it. It's a lot less depressing and more darkly funny than the first half. The stories contain more substance and a feeling of plot, rather than just vague sad description. This may have something to do that the author shifts focus to writing about his childhood adventures, rather than his feelings on working any of his various dead-end jobs.
All in all, it was just okay. If you're a fan of Pioneers Press, it's worth getting for the last few stories. After reading this, I'm considering investing in Quitter #7 and 8 to see if they're just as enjoyable as the last few stories in the book.
The second half of the book makes up for it. It's a lot less depressing and more darkly funny than the first half. The stories contain more substance and a feeling of plot, rather than just vague sad description. This may have something to do that the author shifts focus to writing about his childhood adventures, rather than his feelings on working any of his various dead-end jobs.
All in all, it was just okay. If you're a fan of Pioneers Press, it's worth getting for the last few stories. After reading this, I'm considering investing in Quitter #7 and 8 to see if they're just as enjoyable as the last few stories in the book.
January 27, 2022
The good - I really loved the writing style of this book. There were almost no wasted words, and the prose felt very rich and dense.
I struggled to relate to the sentiment of the book at times. To me, it painted a pessimistic view of human life. That being said, I enjoyed the writing style so much that I am plannig to pick up the sequel and continue down this journey.
I struggled to relate to the sentiment of the book at times. To me, it painted a pessimistic view of human life. That being said, I enjoyed the writing style so much that I am plannig to pick up the sequel and continue down this journey.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews