Exile in Guyville: How a Punk-Rock Redneck Faggot Texan Moved to West Hollywood And Refused to Be Shiny And Happy

Book Description

Here's the diary of a man who in mid-life found himself uprooted and dumped into West Hollywood, an unfamiliar place not exactly known for stability. White explores his neighborhood ? "queens: 6 percent; cranky 70-year-old Russians who give you the evil eye when you walk past: 2 percent; blonde girls with big, round, hard fakeys who think Jennifer Anniston just got lucky: 10 percent; miscellaneous cool kids, hustlers, and actual crazy people: 5 percent."

White gets gigs as a freelance writer, goes to the grocery store where his Russian neighbors ask him questions because they think he's from the old country; and encounters Sara Gilbert at the Laundromat, Leonard Maltin at the movies, and Ben Affleck driving a Rolls-Royce so ridiculously conspicuous he might as well be driving Chitty-Chitty, Bang-Bang.

What began as weekly diaries emailed to out-of-state family and friends evolved into a blog called "Dave White Knows" and in 2003 became a monthly column in Instinct called "Exile in Guyville." Alyson Books now presents White's blogs in expanded form with loads of new material that will be even more irritating to the Instinct readers who didn't like his column. "They requested more fashion and skin-care features in its place, which makes me kind of proud."

Dave White is a freelance journalist specializing in music. His reviews and features have been seen in E! Online, IFILM, LA Weekly, Dallas Observer, Instinct, The Advocate, Glue, Cybersocket, Total Movie, Unzipped, and Frontiers. White lives in West Hollywood with his boyfriend, the Morocco Mole, and is locally esteemed as the "King of Pancakes."

Customer Reviews:

Very Funny take on Moving to LA!!.......2007-06-21

As a native Angeleno, I was ready to take offense at Dave's experience of Los Angeles, but I was laughing too hard. He's had some pretty interesting experiences of LA. A very light, fun read.

Please sir, can I have some more?.......2007-06-12

I loved this book, I loved Dave's unapologetic ranting and whining about LA and its inhabitants (a**holes!!). I loved his special brand of 'gayness' and his queeny categorisations of the OTHER brands of gayness he is forced to interact with in rainbow flagged West Hollywood. For all the other non-shinyhappy people who inhabit (yes they do!!!) anywhere out of the LA geographical area, this book is a refreshing take on the whole stereotypical celeb seething wannabe clusterf*** that is 'reality' for anyone LIVING in LA and earning less than mega squillions a year. If you enjoy reading books like "Chorewhore", or relate to the hispanic domestics everpresent in the background in any LA-based flick, you'll also enjoy Exile in Guyville.

It'd be great to see a follow up, or even a collection of Dave's columns. His observations of his grudgingly adopted home town resonate at the same frequency as Henry Rollins occasionally do: they both live there because they have to but they aren't going down without a fight goddarnit! These are witnesses to the flabbergasting proliferation of acceptable a**holeness which is flourishing in places like LA: road rage, blithe and rampant consumerism, self-centredness, rudeness and downright unfriendliness. Dave observes the LA reactions to his natural Texan inclination to greet a stranger or passer-by with a wave or a smile and he comments also that the people of LA regard themselves, and not the sun, as the centre of the universe.

I like that people like Dave and Henry are documenting and commenting. And congratulations Dave, you did it stylishly and with humour. It'd be good to see some more.

Brilliant.......2007-03-28

White's brilliance lies in the fact that the review by "Aniston Obsessed" is a compliment to "Exile."

Funniest Book I've Read Recently.......2007-03-08

Homophobes stay away - as one should gather from the title. That being said - this book had me laughing out loud. It's a must buy. I've already bought a copy for one of my friends.

Hilarious! .......2007-01-06

I discovered Dave White because he writes an American Idol blog which I look forward to each and every week.

Exile in Guyville did not disappoint. Dave chronicles his first year in the hell that is LA. Despite that fact that he has serious trouble adjusting, he never loses his keen sense of humor. There are many many laugh out loud moments.

I loved it!

Obviously, this book isn't for everybody. So if the title offends you, move along. But if you consider whining a hobby, and other people's crabbiness makes you laugh, you will love Exile in Guyville!

Nicole Del Sesto, author of All Encompassing Trip

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The hegira of European intellectuals/novelists/film folk and others to the Golden State enriched our culture
Fleeing Europe for Hollywood
If your a little leary, read this review
Fascinating lives...

Exiles in Hollywood
David Wallace
Manufacturer: Limelight Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0879103299

Book Description

Fleeing Nazi persecution, half of Europe's creative talents, including screen legend Greta Garbo and composer Igor Stravinsky, were, in Arnold Schoenberg's words, "driven into paradise," settling in Los Angeles. It was the greatest flight of European cultural and intellectual talent in history, and for a time made Los Angeles a cultural capital. Their presence, enabling the evolution of film noir, also changed American movies forever. In Exiles in Hollywood, David Wallace, author of the national bestseller Lost Hollywood and whom columnist Liz Smith has called "the maestro of entertainment history," tells their dramatic stories. His profiles of refugees include filmmaker Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann, the screenwriter Salka Viertel and her controversial relationship with Greta Garbo, the deeply conflicted actor Charles Laughton, and many more. The result is a rich, page-turning look at an era, its triumphs and tragedies, its gossip and hidden facts, and its colorful personalities.

Customer Reviews:

The hegira of European intellectuals/novelists/film folk and others to the Golden State enriched our culture.......2007-03-07

Hooray for Hollywood in this concise and overpriced little gem of a book. David Wallace gives us thumnbnail sketches of some of the European notables who fled to Hollywood following the rise to power of the horrible Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. As the swastika spread its black talons across the continent an influential group of European expatriates made the long trip across the sea to Hollywood. You may not consider Hollywood a mecca for a high level of culture but as Wallace shows this is a misconception.
Consider::
Film directors of note such as Viennesse Jew Billy Wilder and the German Fritz Lang made fine films in the movie capital. Otto Preminger was another German refugee who made fine films. The cold as an icecube Thomas Mann the author of "The Magic Mountain"; "Buddenbrooks"; "Death in Venice" and excellent short stories lived in Hollywood participating in the community of exiles who socialized a good deal in the film colony.
Innovative playwright Bertolt Brech spent time in Los Angeles.
World renowned composers such as Russian Igor Stravinksy and his countryman Serge Rachmaninoff spent significant time in Hollywood. The scholarly German Jew Bruno Walter and the enigmatic and mentally disturbed Otto Klemperer also spent time in Hollywood in the World War II era. Frenchmen directors are also given a survey of their careers. Such luminaries as Jean Renoir; Rene Clair and Max Ophuls are discussed.
The most interesting chapter is the one on Hedy Lamarr. She began in a pornographic film being one of the first actresses photographed in the nude; she became a legendary screen beauty at MGM and even invented a device which was a precursor of the modern cell phone! What a dame!
As a fan of Alfred Hitchcock I especially enjoyed the chapter on this cherubic genius of world cinema. He loved the sun, food and wine of California.
This book will appeal to film buffs of the Golden Age of the Hollywood studio system. It is also a fun read for those who enjoy learning about the famous people who are profiled by Wallace. There are several vintage and little seen photographs of the celebrities discussed in the text.
A good book to while away a few hours on a weekend!

Fleeing Europe for Hollywood.......2006-08-18

The Germans lose their wars because of arrogance, pride, and over confidence. Among their other traits are their desires to get rid of any of the people they don't like.

The story of the contributions of the atomic scientists is well known. Einstein and Szilard writing the letter to Roosevelt. Bohr and Fermi constructing the atomic pile in Chicago, and many more.

This book, however is on Hollywood. Hollowood got its share of Exiles as well. It consists of chapters on some of the most famous people of the movies from just before World War II until well after: Billy Wilder, Fritz Lang, Alfred Hitchcock (OK so he wasn't German), Bertolt Brecht, Otto Preminger and many more.

One chapter is on Hedy Lamarr, perhaps the most beautiful actress ever. She was also a German Jew and an electrical engineer, holding the patent on the frequency hopping spread spectrum technology used in a great deal of modern communications devices.

If your a little leary, read this review.......2006-08-04

In the Aug/Sept issue of Moving Pictures Magazine there is a review and summary of the book. It gives great detail and is well written. So if you're not sure you want to read the book you might want to check out the review and summary first.

Fascinating lives..........2006-07-26

This book is packed with history and incredible lives. Wallace offers brief yet revealing biographies on dozens of Hollywood personalities - actors, composers, writers, etc. including Alfred Hitchcock, Thomas Mann, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Hedy Lamarr, and more. All 'exiles to Hollywood' for various reasons, they had tremendous impacts on art and life. Did you know Hedy Lamarr patented a frequency hopping device during World War II that is now used for celluar phones? This is such a fun book.

Hollywood Exile, or How I Learned to Love the Blacklist (Texas Film and Media Studies Series)

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How an avowed communist dealt with the Blacklist
Nostalgic
Workers of the world unite!
Complaint
Hollywood Exile

Hollywood Exile, or How I Learned to Love the Blacklist (Texas Film and Media Studies Series)
Bernard Gordon
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0292728336

Book Description

"Bernard Gordon was the writer behind some of my favorite movies (but I never knew it). Now, he tells his most riveting story--that of his own colorful career. . . . Fascinating!" --Joe Dante, director "As a blacklisted screenwriter, Bernard Gordon was never completely silenced, but it is still thrilling to hear him have his say in a memoir of Hollywood's darkest era. . . . Gordon's story is a testament to the everlasting vitality of creativity in the face of scare tactics and coercion." --Kirkus Reviews "Gordon's book is . . . a remarkable story of how he not only survived, but lived a high life in Europe as a much-in-demand writer--although denied recognition [for] his craft--until 50 years later by both [writers'] guilds and the Academy." --Variety "His portraits of the brilliant Philip Yordan and Samuel Bronston, the producer-financier duo that virtually created the 'runaway' (offshore) production game, are unforgettable, as are his accounts of making, among a dozen other films, 55 Days at Peking, The Thin Red Line, Krakatoa East of Java, Day of the Triffids, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers and Horror Express. . . . His adventures as a writer and producer sparkle in this generous, well-illustrated account." --Foreword "A born storyteller, [Gordon] writes with warmth and humor, and there's an emotional edge to his razor-sharp recall." --Publishers Weekly The Hollywood blacklist, which began in the late 1940s and ran well into the 1960s, ended or curtailed the careers of hundreds of people accused of having ties to the Communist Party. Bernard Gordon was one of them. In this highly readable memoir, he tells a engrossing insider's story of what it was like to be blacklisted and how he and others continued to work uncredited behind the scenes, writing and producing many box office hits of the era. Gordon describes how the blacklist cut short his screenwriting career in Hollywood and forced him to work in Europe. Ironically, though, his is a success story that includes the films El Cid, 55 Days at Peking, The Thin Red Line, Krakatoa East of Java, Day of the Triffids, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, Horror Express, and many others. He recounts the making of many movies for which he was the writer and/or producer, with wonderful anecdotes about stars such as Charlton Heston, David Niven, Sophia Loren, Ava Gardner, and James Mason; directors Nicholas Ray, Frank Capra, and Anthony Mann; and the producer-studio head team of Philip Yordan and Samuel Bronston.

Customer Reviews:

How an avowed communist dealt with the Blacklist.......2000-06-13

I read this book to understand more about communism in America mid-century, how America could castigate some citizens and how some citizens could "worship" another country's ideals while living here. I was pleased and somewhat let down.

The book has two distinct parts but needs a third. First, he quickly explains why he was a member of the communist party. I still believe this fascination was a liberal viewpoint which was carried to an extreme given the recent depression. This section discussing life in Hollywood under fear of subpeona was very interesting and compelling as written from a struggling screenwriter.

Section 2 then deals with his life as a screenwriter working mainly in Spain and Paris. This section really didn't deal with the politics of the time but instead is a personal memoir into his life in the business. I learned a lot of the movie business from a different perspective but actually found this part to run a little long. His description of his side trips in Europe was also very interesting.

There are two important pieces I felt were left out. A more in-depth discussion of his involvement with communism and his current feelings. When he came back to America he talks of how pleasing the return was but he never closes the chapter on what his current feelings are about communism. I think anyone that condemns this man's thoughts without listening are short-sighted. But I also think that he should more fully explain his thoughts, how they have developed and what his thinking is now since that was the premise for the book.

The final item left out of the book were the last 20? years of his life. Since I invested this much time reading about him, at least he could have given a short description of what he has been doing once he left the business. What's happened in the last few years. He mentions what his daughter is doing. What about him? He does mention his wife dying and I was very touched as they seem to have had a very good marriage in a business where there are so few.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It taught me and showed me a life with which I was not familiar. It also addressed some of my unanswered questions as to the fascination with Communism in the mid-century. But it also left some questions unanswered. If the Author reads this review, I wish he would contact me and explain some of his beliefs in further depth than the book.

Nostalgic.......2000-01-21

Gordon's book brought back memories of the old glory days of the gulag archipelago, Kolyma, midnight knocks at the door and the tank treads red with the blood of pulped hungarians. Though Gordon spent much time suspiciously in Franco's Spain, it is obvious that he is still an old comrade at heart. A wonderful book that should be forced reading in today's schools.

Workers of the world unite!.......2000-01-21

A masterwork of progressive thought. Beria and Father Stalin would be proud. All unenlightened thinking must be purged. All counter-revolutionaries must be liquidated. You can't have an omelette without breaking eggs. Hail freedom of approved speech!

Complaint.......2000-01-12

This is not really a review. I am the author of the book and wish to call to your atfention that you are running the Janis review twice. That is exactly a repetition of the original review. Since Janis is clearly political opponent with an axe to grind, one version of his vitriol should suffice. Please eliminate the duplication. Thank you.

Hollywood Exile.......2000-01-06

This book is a wonderful surprise. Although it deals with very serious matters, it is vastly entertaining, plum full of tasty anecdotes about people whose names we know, people we wish to know. Movie makers and movie stars are dealt with without fear of favour. Among them are Ronald and Nancy (Davis) Reagan. Ronnie denied there was a blacklist although when president of the Screen Actors Guild, he was secretly and treacherously supplying the FBI with the names of his members he considered radicals; Gordon, while blacklisted, was secretly writing love scenes for Ronnie and Nancy in the film, Hellcats of the Navy. This became one of the First Couple's favourite films and was run repeatedly at the White House.They never knew who had put the words in their mouths.

Read about David Niven, Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner (not so good); Telly Savalas, Robert Shaw, James Mason (good) and many others. Most of all, read how Gordon, laughing much of the way, turned the tables, built a fascinating career and refused to be destroyed by the blacklist.

Customer Reviews:

Odd. Magnificent, but Odd........2003-05-28

William Kotzwinkle is and always has been an astonishingly talented writer. From the early days of "Swimmer in the Secret Sea" through to this book, Kotzwinkle has gone from genre to genre and strength to strength, apparently without anyone much ever really noticing.

This is a pity. Kotzwinkle deserves to be noticed, and feted, and buried in large denomination bills, for one very simple reason. Kotzwinkle is one of the best and most consistent literary talents that the world has at present, and this book, "THE EXILE" is no exception.

The story is simple enough. (And I will not spoil it here) A major Hollywood film star starts hallucinating. He hates it, and tries to keep it a secret from the people around him. The hallucinations get worse, and more detailed, and soon the fabric of reality itself starts to fray, even by Hollywood standards.

The interesting thing with this book though is the way that a really rather conventional story is treated by the writer. There is practically no blood or violence and no histrionics or "drama." Just the inescapable feeling that the main character is trapped like a bug on flypaper. If Stephen King had written this book, (and he could have) it would have scared the beejeezus out of the average reader, who would then have felt that they had "got good value for money" before promptly forgetting that they had read it. Kotzwinkle's unique voice makes "The Exile" something far greater, and far more rare. "The Exile" is one of those books that will live on in your mind, and continue to deliver that same dreamlike fear years after you have read it.

This book is a good starter to Kotzwinkle's ouvre, and a perfect example of why some books are classics and the vast majority a waste of paper. It isn't the subject matter.

It's the story teller.

Simply magnificent.

Best Novel Yet.......1999-06-17

This is definetly his best book yet. Dr. Rat is his funniest, but this is his best. The ending is awsome, and an unexpected twist. Definetly five stars!

Surprise.......1998-07-09

I really like this author. I cannot exactly determine why, but he touches me. Until lately, I have not known about this book and have not read it (it was first published in 1987). It consists of a combination of humor, romance and horror - a groove thing.

Exiles in Hollywood: Major European Film Directors in America

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Exiles in Hollywood: Major European Film Directors in America
Gene D. Phillips
Manufacturer: Lehigh University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0934223491

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Hollywood Exiles
John Baxter
Manufacturer: M Grumbacher
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Kati Marton and Richard Holbrooke on 'Jewish Identity and Exile' at the 92nd Street Y

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Kati Marton and Richard Holbrooke on 'Jewish Identity and Exile' at the 92nd Street Y
Holbrooke, Kati, Richard Marton
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B000OV13U6

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Native State: A Memoir
Tony Cohan
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B000QBYC7A

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English Exile in Hollywood
Moorcock
Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton General Division
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0450060667

Book Description

Visitors to Colorado's famous ski resorts embrace alpine adventures, luxurious amenities, and a glamorous nightlife, all against a backdrop of towering mountains and high-drifted snow. Wherever they go in search of fresh powder, one thing is certain: skiing has become a major part of recreational sport and culture and, in the process, dramatically altered America's social, physical, economic, and imaginative landscapes.

Annie Coleman has written the first cultural history of skiing in the United States, telling how this European sport evolved into an American industry combining recreation, tourism, consumption, and wilderness-along with a solid dose of exhilaration and a dash of celebrity. She reveals how the meaning of skiing changed over the twentieth century, how sport and leisure in America came to be about status and style as much as about physical activity, and how modern consumer culture merged the mythic West with real western places.

Coleman traces skiing from its Norse roots and Alpine influences through the utility of ski travel in the winter Rockies to the rise of Colorado resorts. Much more than a history of the sport, her work explains how the recreation industry sold the experience of skiing and created mythic mountain landscapes with real problems-and a ski culture that exalts celebrity and status over the physical act of skiing.

Along the way, Coleman looks at bums, bunnies, betties, and everyone else who uses the sport to define who they are and how they fit in. Today's skiers are more diverse than they were half a century ago (though chances are they're wealthier), and even snowboarders have joined the very culture they once opposed-reviving places like Aspen through a subversive youth culture gone mainstream.

The allure of white powder at high altitudes, manicured ski runs designed to frame picture-perfect views, the illusion of danger-the American skiing experience is all of this and more. Extensively researched and engagingly written, Ski Style puts readers on the slopes-and in the lodges-to show what it's really all about.

This book is part of the CultureAmerica series.

Customer Reviews:

The Book Explains America's Love Affair with Skiing.......2005-09-12

I often ask myself why I am so obsessed with skiing. Is it the physical act of making turns on a snow-covered slope? The opportunity skiing gives me to experience nature during the winter? The chance to spend some quality time with friends and family? The sport's fascinating technology, clothing, and gear? A nice meal at a resort restaurant? Or sitting by a warm fire in a slopeside condo watching the snow come down? Annie Gilbert Coleman tries to get to the essence of why Americans love the sport so much in her new cultural history of skiing, Ski Style.

Coleman possesses all the right credentials to be one of the sport's "deep" thinkers: she grew up in New Hampshire, competed on the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and now teaches history and American studies at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, Indiana. As both a "new school" skier and scholar, Coleman has written more than a traditional history of the sport. This is the first book to seriously delve into skiing's collective beliefs, internal norms, and the underlying practices of the hobby. So what does that mean? It means that Coleman is interested in who skis, why they do it, and how they perceive themselves.

Her approach combines the methods of anthropology, museum studies, sociology, and history, and the book's sources include ski brochures, interviews, artifacts, old photos, and back issues of Ski Magazine. It's an avalanche of information, but the material is always well presented and meaningful.

The book begins by digging into the sport's late 19th and early 20th century roots in Colorado, looking at such pioneers as skiing mailmen, miners, and Norse ski jumpers. She also discusses the significance of ski clubs in developing the sport. Associations like the Colorado Mountain Club not only organized ski trips, but recruited Austrian instructors to teach its members the latest European techniques, and helped cut and maintain trails. Surprisingly, the U.S. Army is partly to blame for the sport's growth in America. During World War II, it taught an entire division of troops how to ski, and while this division, the 10th Mountain, hardly used its skis in Italy, it veterans returned home with a life-long appreciation for the sport.

Members of the 10th Mountain Division who visited Alpine ski centers in Europe also came home with a determination to develop similar resorts in America and transfer the "the cosmopolitan and social image of European resort culture to Colorado." This trend continues to the present day at Vail, where visitors can stroll through an ersatz Bavarian Village, eat at an authentic Wienerstube, or ride the Vista Bahn up the mountain.

But other resorts, notably Steamboat Springs, tried to cultivate a uniquely Western chic in their marketing and advertising. In 1970, the resort hired Olympian Billy Kidd (a native of Vermont) to dress up in a Stetson hat and turn the place into the Wild West. According to the author, "Kidd allowed Steamboat to publicize its ranching past and develop its image as a historic and wild cow town, thereby plugging the resort into a long tradition of Wild West iconography that tourists recognized and welcomed."

As Steamboat and Vail's quests to become instant tourist attractions illustrate, skiing, for some, is more about style, spectacle, and status than nature, physical experience, and sport. To expand from being an esoteric hobby of a few hundred club members to a sport that now boasts over 57 million skier/snowboarder visits per year, skiing had to become accessible to the masses and also offer activities beyond skiing.

Coleman does an excellent job of explaining the technologies that made skiing easier for average Americans, beginning with the chairlift and ending with shaped skis. She describes how in the early days of skiing, club members lovingly maintained slopes by boot packing runs, and filling sitzmarks where skiers had fallen. As the sport increased in popularity after World War II, people stopped accepting individual responsibility for trail maintenance and slopes started to bump up and become un-skiable for novices. Steve Bradley of Winter Park solved the problem of moguls by designing snow-grooming equipment. Ski Patrol members originally pulled his "Bradley Parker" contraption behind them to smooth snow. Ten years later, Loveland Basin introduced a grooming machine pulled by a snow-cat.

Lifts, as we know, were a critical innovation for the sport, but just as important were Marker safety bindings, plastic boots, and intermediate slopes. Anyone who has skied Vermont knows that the trails developed in the 1930s by ski clubs and the Civilian Conservation Corps tend to be narrow, steep, and filled with difficult terrain features. These trails proved excellent for the tough club skiers who originally enjoyed them but the masses needed easier terrain. After World War II, therefore, resort developers concentrated most of their efforts on developing artificially contoured, intermediate slopes that avoided steep pitches, chutes, cliffs, and other obstacles. With the backhoe, the grooming machine, the chairlift, and snow gun, ski resorts tamed landscapes of rock, snow, and ice for large numbers of novice skiers. The call of the wild, as Coleman put it, became the "call of the mild."

With the advent of skiing for the masses came other diversions ranging from shopping to restaurants, to warm weather activities such as golf and tennis. Droves of people who had little if any interest in skiing began arriving at ski resorts to soak up the atmosphere and relax in the serenity of the mountains. They appreciated the amenities these resorts had to offer and the glamour of the people who frequented them, especially the movie stars but also the ski bums. Coleman points out that one of the things that made skiing so appealing between 1950 and 1980 was that the person waiting your table generally enjoyed skiing as much as you and probably came from the same socio-economic background. Ski bums gave resorts a campy feel and spared visitors the race and class divides they often experienced dealing with service workers in cities.

Of course, as the sport continued to grow in the 1990s and more and more labor was required to operate resorts like Vail and Aspen, management had difficulty attracting enough bums to run all operations. Increasingly, immigrant workers who have no interest in skiing perform much of the menial labor at resorts while classic "bums" handle more elite jobs such as ski instructor positions, bar tenders, realtors, etc. Coleman laments the fact that the ski industry has done a poor job of attracting minority groups to the sport. For example, while black skiers now spend over $200 million a year on the sport, ski resorts still rarely display African-American skiers in their brochures.

Coleman's last chapter addresses some of the current pitfalls of the sport. She elaborates on the environmentalist critique that resorts have over-expanded and damaged sensitive wilderness areas. Interestingly enough, however, she's sympathetic towards the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) in this debate. While the Forest Service certainly encouraged the growth of ski resort development in the years following World War II, since the early 1970s, it has been more of a thorn in the side of the industry than its staunch ally. Resorts must now wait years to secure permits to use Forest Service lands for skiing and these permits are no longer guaranteed. Increasingly, the Forest Service has seen itself more as an arbitrator between the competing interests of ski resorts, local citizens, hunters, loggers, and environmental organizations rather than an unwitting ally of any one particular interest group.

The author is neutral about the future of the sport. "Today a place like Aspen can be simultaneously disgusting and appealing," she writes. Skiing has certainly evolved well beyond the sport to include almost all aspects of consumer culture, ranging from shopping to real estate ventures. "But we need not lament that Americans care only about image," she argues. In the end, it is the "combination" of sport and style that makes skiing so interesting and appealing.

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