Noel Polk (Mississippi State University), noted Faulkner scholar, offered his take on Choking Dead Chickens. "Marc, I retrieved your manuscript from the office about 2 today, brought it home and sat down to skim a few pages to see what was up. 3 hours later, I turned the last page. Damn, Marc, it's a fine piece of writing-sharp, funny, interesting, infuriating, extremely well-written and crafted-the best read I've had from a colleague in a long time. As fiction, it's the beginning of as sharp and clear a satire on university life as any I know; as non-fiction, it's devastating and entirely believable (I can only assume I would have heard if there had been a car bomb and arrests [i.e., DID I MISS THE CAR BOMB REPORT ON TV?], though I do remember the dog attack. So, I enjoyed reading it a lot. (I'm sending this on my aol account, as you can see, not the university email, which I usually use!) Cheers. Noel" I didn't know Noel Polk except by reputation. Dr. Frank Howell offered the following comment. "Fantastic read...but oh-so valid rendition of many campuses! I ran across the author's notation of his new novel in the Chronicle of Higher Education and knew I had to read it. I did over the next two days. It's a great, great plot...not used in other "ivory tower" novels that I've read ... but one rooted in validity. Dr. Frank M. Howell" I didn't know Frank Howell either. Brief Bio: My experience includes: tenured full professor; publications in the areas of logic, ethics, finance, law, operations research, and accounting; infantry officer (captain), U.S. Marine Corps. My doctorate was interdisciplinary including philosophy--primarily logic, philosophy of science, and ethics--and business and accounting. Another novel is also completed. It is set in Kentucky bluegrass country at a time in the not-so-distant future when genetically modified tobacco is intentionally unleashed in the environment to destroy the cigarette industry. The short-term consequences are horrific. Other novels are in process. Chauncey Marcellous (Marc) DePree, Jr., DBA. Editor, usmnews.net. marcdepree@gmail.com 601-297-3404.
