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Summary: Some people write as therapy
Review: Born Bad is a collection of short stories and plays and works-in-progress. In his introduction, Vachss tells us, "I may not be a good writer, but I write for a good reason. And if that reason isn't apparent by the time you've finished this collection, I didn't get the job done." Vachss is an attorney whose practice is limited to children and youth. Before becoming a lawyer, he was a federal VD investigator, a social caseworker, and director of a maximum security prison for youths. Vachss has seen our society from below the bottom. That kind of experience changes people. Vachss writes with conviction about the seamiest side of life: whores, pimps, pushers, hit-men, and other night creatures. The subject matter of this volume is disturbing, to say the least. I'll store this volume up on a high shelf, well out of the reach of my thirteen year-old son. Don't start this one unless you're well grounded in reality, or you have a guide you trust. And don't be surprised if you recognize some components of yourself in Vachss' gritty underworld.
Rating:
Summary: Some people write as therapy
Review: Born Bad is a collection of short stories and plays and works-in-progress. In his introduction, Vachss tells us, "I may not be a good writer, but I write for a good reason. And if that reason isn't apparent by the time you've finished this collection, I didn't get the job done."
Vachss is an attorney whose practice is limited to children and youth. Before becoming a lawyer, he was a federal VD investigator, a social caseworker, and director of a maximum security prison for youths. Vachss has seen our society from below the bottom. That kind of experience changes people. Vachss writes with conviction about the seamiest side of life: whores, pimps, pushers, hit-men, and other night creatures. The subject matter of this volume is disturbing, to say the least. I'll store this volume up on a high shelf, well out of the reach of my thirteen year-old son. Don't start this one unless you're well grounded in reality, or you have a guide you trust. And don't be surprised if you recognize some components of yourself in Vachss' gritty underworld.
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Summary: Streetwise horror stories
Review: Andrew Vachss is a mystery writer whose work often times reads more like horror. Therefore, it is not surprising that his collection of short stories has the punch of classic short horror fiction. These are dark stroies dredged up from the depths of Vachss's fertile imagination. Usually, they deal with the worst impulses of man, especially the sexual predator. They are not for the faint of heart, but are powerful in their own way.
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Summary: Streetwise horror stories
Review: Andrew Vachss is a mystery writer whose work often times reads more like horror. Therefore, it is not surprising that his collection of short stories has the punch of classic short horror fiction. These are dark stroies dredged up from the depths of Vachss's fertile imagination. Usually, they deal with the worst impulses of man, especially the sexual predator. They are not for the faint of heart, but are powerful in their own way.
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Summary: This book hurt. Period.
Review: Born Bad was a book ripped from the pain of Vachss' soul. This book and the stories had to be painful to write, but they were true. It's not just his pain, it's the pain of the children, something he knows all about. This particlar book should be read by everyone who thinks that no one is truly evil. Vachss knows what children feel in their pain, and what people are like in geneeral. They can be bad. This book hurts to read, but there's no reason that it should be passed by. Read it
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Summary: multiple punches to the gut and heart at once
Review: If you have read any of Vachss' novels with criminal-cum-savior Burke as protagonist, you should allow yourself the honor of feasting on his short stories. The title is a play on the world's take of how children are bad seeds, i.e., born with a bad streak, prone to be losers, and addled with overripe genes for destruction; this book is a one-man treatise on why that is, summarily, not true and it's done with the usual minimalist and spare style prose Vachss is by now famous for. My preference is for his short stories, and the why of that is simple: it's a shorter, more rapid, and much more heart-wrenching path to the much-welcomed truth that only Vachss seems willing to tell. For me, he is the male counterpart of the Greek mythological character Cassandra--he comes bearing the truth that no one really wants to hear, but the fact is, once heard, you can't take your eyes or ears off of him. For a nonstop, nonpareil ride into the gloom and doom of what child abuse is, where it emanates from, and possibly the solutions to fix its ugly cast upon the world, read these stories; you will weep and you will cry with joy at the sheer simplicity of it, right along with the cutting-edge prose that digs in and plants its tentacles into your heart.
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Summary: Excellent, one of vachss best,
Review: If you like Vachss "Burk Books" you will definitly like Born Bad. Verry descriptive and right on target about what life is really like out there
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Summary: A powerfully written collection of noir!!!
Review: In his Born Bad collection of short stories, and three plays, Andrew Vachss takes the reader through an underworld which can be found in every major city, around the world. Yet is all too often, ignored by most of society. In this collection of ultra violent descriptive noir, some no more than three pages, Vachss's stories are some of the most powerful you will ever read. His prose hits you like a burst of gun fire, and it will leave many of its readers uncomfortable. Which is exactly what Vachss wants. As in all of his books, Vachss wants the reader to not only learn of, but to feel what a horrible subculture has developed in our nations cities. To feel the pain that many of our children feel, and to experience the horrors, and nightmare world in in which they live. Born Bad will do this and then some. For those who are already familiar with Vachss' books, it is a must read. And for others who are new to noir, or want to take a tour of the underbelly of the urban jungle, or "junkyard" as Vachss calls it. I recommend that you get a copy of Born Bad. This collection will not only make you stop and think, but you will never look at life and people the same way again. This year Vachss has published his latest novel Safe House. An excellent read, and I look forward to more books in the Burke series, and perhaps a Born Bad Collection 2. Vachss ranks with Raymond Chandler, James Ellroy, David Goodis, and Thomas Harris as a master of the noir genre.
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Summary: what's with the "ball peen hammer" references???
Review: Is there something particularly painful about a ball peen hammer versus, say, a claw hammer? I don't work at Home Depot, but I'd guess that they'd probably do about the same amount of damage to one's head... although the claw portion appears more menacing than the "peen" (or is it the "ball"???).
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Summary: Vachss, Andrew Vachss
Review: Oooh, I freakin' love this guy. I've read most of Vachss' books, but Born Bad was my introduction to him back in high school(thank you Mr. Piddington) and still remains one of my favorites. Like the title says, it's short stories here. Some are extremely short and play out like single scenes that could come from a kickazz action film. Vachss is not a razzle dazzle wordsmith like Clive Barker, but there's no need to be poetic here. He's more interested in getting down to the nitty gritty, and that's the way he writes. Vachss has knowledge of the things he writes about, he knows the criminal language and throws in enough classic one-liners for twenty Tarantino flicks. The first batch of stories are varying topics, the next batch follow a mercenary called Cross and his crew. Then we get some cool stories about a post-apocalyptic underground society, followed by more mixed topics. This book is a good introduction to Vachss. Most of his books are Burke novels, and you can start with that series if you want, but Born Bad is a great place to start to really get a good taste of Vachss' style. If you dig it, go ahead and try Burke, but if you can't get enough of Cross and the Underground, pick up Everybody Pays which is basically like Born Bad 2.
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