Status Updates From Searching for Harry Chapin'...

Again, I’m finding it hard to get past the idea that there’s no introspection here. In the essay about Dwight “Skip” Johnson, the actual man who inspired the song “Bummer,” it would have been interesting to note the differences between the person and the character. But it seems that’s beyond Pat Fenton’s grasp here. He talks about Chapin being a writer of the people, but he never explores it deeply.

It’s getting better, but as the book took 25 or so years to write, I would love to know when these various essays were written. It could certainly place the conversations into context.

Just some technical details, but aside from the few typos, the writing/editing needs another pass. There’s very little introspection, very little editing for clarity and relevance, and, please, we know his name is Harry Chapin. You don’t have to say the full name each and every time you mention him.