Book Nook Cafe discussion

Elizabeth Wurtzel, 'Prozac Nation' author, dies at 52

Wurtzel rose to fame with the publication of "Prozac Nation," which documented her struggles with depression and substance abuse.

Wurtzel announced in 2015 that she had breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy.

Her husband, Jim Freed, said the breast cancer had metastasized to her brain, according to The Washington Post.

“She put up a valiant fight and we admire her for that," the spokeswoman told NBC News. "We deeply loved her and hope she rests in peace.”

Wurtzel rose to fame with "Prozac Nation," published in 1994. The memoir documented her struggles with depression and substance abuse. The book garnered wide acclaim for sparking a dialogue about clinical depression.

Wurtzel also wrote the essay collection, "Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women" and the memoir "More, Now, Again: A Memoir of Addiction," which were met with less acclaim.

Writer David Samuels, a friend since childhood, told The New York Times, “Lizzie’s literary genius rests not just in her acres of quotable one-liners but in her invention of what was really a new form, which has more or less replaced literary fiction — the memoir by a young person no one has ever heard of before. It was a form that Lizzie fashioned in her own image, because she always needed to be both the character and the author.”

Journalist Ronan Farrow remembered Wurtzel on Monday as "kind and generous."

"I met Lizzie in law school. She started mid-career as I was starting young," Farrow tweeted. "We were both misfits and she was kind and generous and filled spaces that might have otherwise been lonely with her warmth and humor and idiosyncratic voice. She gave a lot to a lot of us. I miss her."

His mother, actress Mia Farrow, said Wurtzel was "brilliant, complex, fascinating, fun and kind."

Others on Twitter praised Wurtzel for her confessional style of writing.

"Elizabeth Wurtzel was a major factor in making personal essay the currency of women writers in the 90s," one Twitter user wrote. "This was a blessing and a curse, both for her and for the rest of us. We all deserved better and to be better, and I'm sad she's gone."

Lindsey Adler, a writer at The Athletic, said: "Elizabeth Wurtzel didn't just change the memoir game. She helped brush back the stigma of psychiatric treatment for mental health issues. Her work did important things and yet, she wasn't always taken seriously because of those issues. She suffered for her candor. RIP"

Journalist Erin Blakemore said it is impossible to convey the impact Wurtzel had in the '90s.

"She was unapologetic, raw, honest. She stood for a very specific form of GenX femininity, confession, rage," Blakemore tweeted. "We learned from her — and from how intensely she was mocked for writing about her own life."



https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...

Prozac Nation-- Elizabeth Wurtzel

A sad loss.

RIP Elizabeth Wurtzel

The book made an impact, although i didn’t read it. There was much talk about it at the time. I also didn’t realize it was considered a new form of memoir. Interesting.

RIP Wurtzel

Buck Henry
1930-2020
Actor, Director and Screen Writer
Probably best known for SNL but did not realize all the movies he was involved in.

I have long had a soft spot for Buck Henry and was sorry to read of his passing. Funny gut with a sharp wit.

RIP Henry

Julie wrote: "Buck Henry
1930-2020
Actor, Director and Screen Writer
Probably best known for SNL but did not realize all the movies he was involved in."

:(

RIP Buck Henry.

Jim Lehrer, legendary PBS NewsHour anchor, has died at age 85
Former PBS NewsHour anchor Jim Lehrer, who co-founded the groundbreaking news show the "MacNeil/Lehrer Report" in 1975 and went on to moderate more presidential debates than anyone in history, has died, Judy Woodruff, the anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour, said. He was 85.

"I'm heartbroken at the loss of someone who was central to my professional life, a mentor to me and someone whose friendship I've cherished for decades," Woodruff said in a statement. "I've looked up to him as the standard for fair, probing and thoughtful journalism and I know countless others who feel the same way."

Lehrer died Thursday in his sleep, PBS said in a release.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jim-lehr...

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PBS-- Remembering Jim Lehrer
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/r...

The MacNeil Lehrer report was one of the best news shows.

RIP Jim Lehrer

He was such a well respected journalist and helped viewers understand issues. This is so much better than knee jerk reactions. Objecting is fine but understanding why enhances positions—makes them your own. And he worked valiantly toward that end.

RIP Lehrer

Author Mary Higgins Clark, dubbed the 'Queen of Suspense,' dead at 92

https://1010wins.radio.com/articles/a...

Mary Higgins Clark
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Wonderful legacy of suspense books.

RIP Mary Higgins Clark

I’ve never read her books but reading about her career both in & out of authorship has me deciding to read one soon.

RIP Clark

Alias Reader wrote: "Author Mary Higgins Clark, dubbed the 'Queen of Suspense,' dead at 92

https://1010wins.radio.com/articles/a......"
I have never read any of her fiction books as far as I can remember but I read her memoir Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir and enjoyed that.

The memoir sounds charming in relating stories about boarders. I hope I can find it online. I’m glad you mentioned it, Julie.

Orson Bean
Actor, Writer, Producer
1928-2020
Shocking death!
https://nypost.com/2020/02/08/veteran...

:(

Robert Conrad, the rugged, contentious actor who starred in the hugely popular 1960s television series "Hawaiian Eye" and "The Wild, Wild West," died Saturday. He was 84.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/obituari...

Back in the ‘60s Orson Bean seemed so refreshing. Teenaged me had quite a crush on him. (My friends &i called him Dallas B, due to his real first name & that we lived in Dallas.) I missed his later career after creating my own life. What a sad ending.

Calling Conrad contentious seems on target to me. I enjoyed TWWW, though!

R.I.P Bean

RIP Conrad

madrano wrote: "Back in the ‘60s Orson Bean seemed so refreshing. Teenaged me had quite a crush on him. (My friends &i called him Dallas B, due to his real first name & that we lived in Dallas.) I missed his later..."
I loved him in Baa, Baa Black Sheep.

RIP Orson Bean
RIP Robert Conrad

Charles Portis
1933-2020
Author - best known for the book True Grit
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/17/us/tru...

After reading his Wiki page bio, i wonder why i haven’t read his books. I suspect my John Wayne dislike prejudiced me. Shameful.

RIP Portis

Julie wrote: "Charles Portis
1933-2020
Author - best known for the book True Grit
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/17/us/tru..."

I never saw the movie but sad to hear the news.

Computer Scientist Who Invented Cut, Copy And Paste Dies Aged 74

Larry Tesler, the computing pioneer behind cut, copy and paste, has died at the age of 74.

The IT whizz was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1945, and later studied computer science at Stanford University in California. Tesler’s prime focus was always human-computer interaction (aka user interface design), putting his skill-set to work at the likes of Amazon, Apple, Yahoo, and the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC).

PARC announced his death on Wednesday, February 19, with the company praising Tesler’s ‘revolutionary ideas’. If you use a computer day-to-day, it’s hard to imagine living without cut, copy and paste.

https://www.unilad.co.uk/technology/c...

Well, i for one, will long be grateful to this man!

R.I.P. Tesler

madrano wrote: "Well, i for one, will long be grateful to this man!

R.I.P. Tesler"

Ditto!

Me too.

RIP Larry Tesler

‘Hidden Figures’ mathematician Katherine Johnson, who broke barriers at NASA, dies at 101

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Hidden Figures

Such an admirable woman.

RIP Katherine Johnson

Philip Leder, Who Helped Decipher the Genetic Code, Dies at 85

Dr. Leder, who also discovered a genetic cause of cancer, said he got his best scientific ideas while listening to classical music.

Philip Leder, a biologist who helped decipher the genetic code and discovered a genetic cause of cancer, died on Feb. 2 at his home in Chestnut Hill, Mass. He was 85.

The cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease, his son Benjamin Z. Leder said.

Dr. Leder helped accomplish the final step in deciphering the genetic code early in his career. In immunology, he went on to help unravel the genetic mechanisms behind the great diversity of antibody molecules. He then discovered that the misregulation of a gene that guides the growth of cells was a major cause of cancer.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/23/sc...

The genetic cause of cancer is a vital breakthrough.

RIP Philip Leder

Alias Reader wrote: "‘Hidden Figures’ mathematician Katherine Johnson, who broke barriers at NASA, dies at 101

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...-..."

I was glad that their story was published before she died.

What a week of deaths of scientists and mathematicians. And what an advance for society that their talents were recognized and nurtured. I’m pleased Johnson was alive when her contributions were made famous.

RIP Johnson
RIP Leder

The file is too big and not a JPEG image so I can't post it here. However, if you look at this link you can see the cartoon tribute for Katherine Johnson by editorial cartoonist, Steve Breen . I thought it was lovely.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...

Clive Cussler, prolific adventure novelist and creator of Dirk Pitt, is dead at 88

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entert...

Clive Cussler


https://www.goodreads.com/author/list...

Alias, what a great cartoon. The talent to create such a graphic statement astounds me. Thank you for sharing that.

I have been aware of Cussler’s name but not read any of his books. He’s been popular and his Wiki bio ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_C... ) spelled it out well. I was totally unaware of his work with underwater exploration, which is fascinating.

RIP Cussler

A wonderful legacy of books

RIP Clive Cussler

madrano wrote: "Alias, what a great cartoon. The talent to create such a graphic statement astounds me. Thank you for sharing that."

You're welcome. I found it quite touching.

Alias Reader wrote: "The file is too big and not a JPEG image so I can't post it here. However, if you look at this link you can see the cartoon tribute for Katherine Johnson by editorial cartoonist, Steve Breen . I th..."

What a nice tribute to her!

Barbara wrote: "A wonderful legacy of books

RIP Clive Cussler"

I am going to have to read something by him - I don't think I have ever read anything of his.

Neat notion! Eeyore was always my favorite. My son once asked why Eeyore went to a birthday party and we had fun discussing that question!

madrano wrote: "Neat notion! Eeyore was always my favorite. My son once asked why Eeyore went to a birthday party and we had fun discussing that question!"

Besides the cool message, for some reason the word shenanigans makes me smile.

Joe Coulombe, founder of popular Trader Joe’s markets, dies

The man who created Trader Joe’s markets with a vision that college-educated but poorly paid young people would buy healthy foods if they could only afford them has died

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireS...

Alias Reader wrote: "Joe Coulombe, founder of popular Trader Joe’s markets, dies

The man who created Trader Joe’s markets with a vision that college-educated but poorly paid young people would buy healthy foods if the..."

I love obits and this was so interesting. I never knew about how this store came about.

Trader Joe's is so great. I wish there was one near me.

RIP Joe Coulombe

Barbara wrote: "Trader Joe's is so great. I wish there was one near me.

RIP Joe Coulombe"

I shop there on most days. It has very good prices on a lot of foods.