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Misguided Behavior:: Tales of Poor Life Choices
Nomadic stories of sex, love, drugs, restlessness, and tragedy. A life lived.
244 pages, Paperback
Published September 11, 2019
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About the author
Leah Mueller
45 books12 followersLeah Mueller has been writing poetry for as long as she can remember. From 1996-2001, she was co-host of the popular open mike "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" in Tacoma, Washington, which was featured numerous times at Tacoma's annual First Night celebration. She has appeared at countless open mikes and featured reader gigs, and was the poetry slam winner at the International Women’s Day event in Portland, Oregon, in 2004. Leah divides her time between Chicago, IL and the Pacific Northwest, having considerable trouble determining which of the two is really home.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 25, 2019
Leah Mueller's book is billed as fiction, but it is fiction of a life lived, so when reading it I have the feeling it is a linked-story memoir. I know this writer, our paths first crossed on Facebook, she hosts a closed poetry page that provides prompts weekly, and daily during poetry month in April. I've participated in April's daily writing for at least three years. I went to one of her readings and have read her memoir about finding her real father.
Each story in "Misguided Behavior: is a blast of real life: terrible jobs, psychic fairs, third rate strip joints, jail, and a Bisbee beer hall; other places she brings us are Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, New Orleans, Texas, Detroit, and Ypsilanti, Michigan.
My favorite story is "Cities Where You've Lived, As Boyfriends." She mainly focuses on four cities creating persona profiles, then she has a one-line zinger to end the piece. Here is a brief entry into these ever-so-true metaphors she created:
"Portland is your hipster boyfriend with a tongue ring, the one who is always stoned, the guy who can't be counted on for a commitment."
"Kalamazoo is the boyfriend who gets drunk, smashes your possessions, and steals your laptop so he can sell it to buy crack."
"Chicago was your first boyfriend. He's still standing in the yard of his four-flat, grilling something." "Tacoma is smarter than he looks, and that is a big part of his appeal."
"Seattle won't even answer your calls."
This is an excellent read. The subtitle gives the story: "Tales of Poor Life Choices," but this author has used every ounce of experience to bring to the page juicy slices of learning from these choices. There is much wisdom laden in her words and she is a survivor despite and perhaps because of these choices. These stories reveal slices of a true America, not some dream life paradise, but real lives from someone who survived by hook or crook. I am glad she is writing and getting published.
Each story in "Misguided Behavior: is a blast of real life: terrible jobs, psychic fairs, third rate strip joints, jail, and a Bisbee beer hall; other places she brings us are Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, New Orleans, Texas, Detroit, and Ypsilanti, Michigan.
My favorite story is "Cities Where You've Lived, As Boyfriends." She mainly focuses on four cities creating persona profiles, then she has a one-line zinger to end the piece. Here is a brief entry into these ever-so-true metaphors she created:
"Portland is your hipster boyfriend with a tongue ring, the one who is always stoned, the guy who can't be counted on for a commitment."
"Kalamazoo is the boyfriend who gets drunk, smashes your possessions, and steals your laptop so he can sell it to buy crack."
"Chicago was your first boyfriend. He's still standing in the yard of his four-flat, grilling something." "Tacoma is smarter than he looks, and that is a big part of his appeal."
"Seattle won't even answer your calls."
This is an excellent read. The subtitle gives the story: "Tales of Poor Life Choices," but this author has used every ounce of experience to bring to the page juicy slices of learning from these choices. There is much wisdom laden in her words and she is a survivor despite and perhaps because of these choices. These stories reveal slices of a true America, not some dream life paradise, but real lives from someone who survived by hook or crook. I am glad she is writing and getting published.
April 21, 2020
This book Misguided Behavior- Tales of Poor Life Choices by Leah Mueller to me is an excellent book. It is a collection of short stories which ranged in topics from sex, love drugs, edginess and calamity of events. These stories could have happened to anyone. It has conflict, danger, love gone wrong, a mish mash of characters. All these ingredients made an excellent stories to read. I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews