Post #406562 by bigbrotiki on Sun, Sep 7, 2008 11:49 PM

To me this is a fascinating example of how subjective ANYBODY'S account of history -be it a person's or of a place or events- ultimately are.

Damon Devine, as intelligent and well-read as he seems to be, is so close to the issue that he obviously cannot be objective, while the book's author, Nick L., might have benefitted from some of that inside view. But I as a writer understand that one shies away from individuals who identify with a subject matter to such a degree that any hint of criticism is taken as a painful insult. No living being is perfect, and part of the flair of Miss Sumac is that she was a temperamental and tempestuous performer. This invariably must have led to conflicts, and then to conflicting accounts of these, the views of which will certainly differ. But that is the nature of things and has to be accepted. I am weary of one-sided adulation of a person (such as in the Don The Beachcomber books, for example), yet on the other hand I am not for mean-spirited dirt slinging either, and rather expect a certain degree of respect and tact when writing about a person -which, common sense tells me, anybody who goes to such lengths with a project as the above mentioned book must possess for his subject.

So I can only hope that the untruths and fact crimes committed in the book are not as dramatic as perceived by Mr Devine, and that Yma in her last days will be able, unknowingly or not, to add this work as another jewel of appreciation to her crown, which I am certain it is intended to be.