Alternative Fiction


Toni Morrison A gifted African-American female writer--yeah, but I say she's a gifted writer regardless of her color or gender . The imagery in her novels is beautiful--I especially like it when she goes into the other-wordly aspects of things--try out Beloved--that's my favorite.

Ayn Rand You can also check out The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism to better understand what she was getting at in her writings. Atlas Shrugged and the Fountainhead are two books everyone should read just to understand this movement and its place in literature and our nation's culture of that time. Even if you don't agree with the philosophy, you should at least recognize Ayn Rand's cultural place in history.

Tom Robbins There's a whole site called the Afterlife dedicated to this 60's icon--the site seems to be as tripped out as his books--so check it out. I recommend two books in particular --Still Life with Woodpecker and Another Roadside Attraction--but all his books are pretty good--these were just my favorites.

Beat Generation Authors--Allen Ginsberg, William S Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady--On the Road--an American road classic--as defining to its era as Easy Rider--check out Levi Asher's well-done site.