Andrew Reilly (1)Critiques

I liked the majority of the stories in this collection, however I think it would be better as an audio book as they were all originally written to be read out loud.

There is a lot of reasonably good stuff here, and this was a fun and quick read, but I couldn't help but think that something is lost when one reads something that was crafted as a performance piece for a public and interactive space. I enjoyed this, sure, but I think that you get more bang for your storytime listening to recordings from second story, or from The Moth than reading them.

Review based on ARC.

Unfortunately for me, the title story was the first story, and I didn't like it. I imagine if you liked that story, then the whole book is set up for you. But for me, it was kind of going nowhere, kind of depressing, kind of just blah. I've heard so many of that story, from so many perspectives, and this one fell flat for me. I say unfortunately because it made me avoid reading (altogether) for a while, because I didn't want more of "that."

When I finally DID pick the book back up and bear down to geterdone, I was very pleasantly surprised. No, I did not love all the stories - I felt that some were self-gratifying.. "look how RAW I am" kind of tone. But on the whole, there was a lot of good stories, a lot of good telling, and some pretty good writing.

I particularly liked Push Kick Coast because it accomplished the "raw," harsh reality, without being so self-aware. It was just. So. Well. Done. Loved it.

And Why I Hate Strawberries... Well, I hated the story because of why she hates strawberries, but it was well told and I appreciated her courage.

Overall, I was pleased with the opportunity, but it felt a bit weighty to be put all together like that... I know that not all of the stories were sad, but they were all dark, weighty, lessoned.

I also enjoyed being brought back to Chicago -- having lived there for about a decade, the stories brought me back to my first adult home, and I enjoyed the nostalgia.

Overall, 3 1/2 stars because some were just excellent, some were okay, and a couple were really blasé. (if you would like the full review, including a reaction-blurb of each individual story, see my blog at http://theirstoriesmythoughts.blogspot.com/)½

Briefly Knocked Unconscious By a Low-Flying Duck has a fantastic premise of stories that are told aloud to an audience, which are real events in the storytellers' lives. The introduction to the book has a wonderful take on the age-old question, "What is real?" I was immediately drawn to this book, which used stories as ways for people to connect, and ways for people to find themselves in stories from other lives.

What followed was a series of 23 stories from many different walks of life, and my enjoyment of the stories was almost as varied. The first story, the book's namesake, is a powerful story, as is the closing story. While some stories are powerful, though, others fall flat in self-pity or regret from which nothing was learned. A woman describes her family as co-conspirators in her grandfather's chronic molestation of children, but there is no sense that the storyteller has learned anything or grown in any way. Many of the stories have sad endings with a very powerful note, such as "Push, Kick, Coast," or "Super K," but many of the stories have endings that are attempts to be powerful moments, but just fizzle out, such as "Xena, Cardboard Princess."

I think where the book suffers most is 1) in its language. I'm generalizing when I say this, but these stories largely do not read like stories that are told aloud. They read like stories that are READ aloud, which to me takes away a good deal of sincerity for the storyteller. 2) There was a distracting level of typos, which i hope are fixed by the next printing.

I was extremely excited about this book, and several of the stories were exactly what I was hoping the whole book would be.

In the past year or so, I've been exposed to the pleasures of live storytelling. I've been listening to podcasts from This American Life, a radio show produced by Chicago Public Media that features stories around a weekly theme; The Moth, a nonprofit storytelling radio station & live theater group; and about three weeks ago, was lucky enough to see a master storyteller live, Carmen Agra Deedy. These experiences all reinforced how different listening to a storyteller is than reading a story.

Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck is an amazing collection of short stories. If I hadn't had the experience of listening to storytellers, I would have given this book 5 stars. The stories are captivating and reflect raw experiences that are absolutely gripping. But I kept wanting to hear them told live, because I knew the live performances would be that much more real. They would have moved me to gasping laughter or tears rather than chuckles and a slight lump in my throat. In fact, I had heard two of the stories before ("Foundationanalyis" and "Dirty Dancing," probably through This American Life), and those stories were more vivid because I remembered the oral telling of it.

Every story in the book is worth reading. In the presentation I went to with Ms. Deedy, she explained the best thing a writer can do is to tell and retell his or her stories out loud, because that is how to hone the timing, plot, and details of the story. It is clear that these stories went through that polishing process.

Fair warning: one of the stories ("A Prostitute Comparison" by Molly Each), while enjoyable, is quite graphic, and will leave an indelible X-rated image burned into your brain that is not pleasant.½

The premise of this collection is that each story presented was first performed in front of an audience live. There's more to it than that, but that's the 5-cent explanation. Further, all the stories are based on fact (with one exception discussed in the intro). And another thing - they're all good. Some really good, some just good - which if you're familiar with reading story collections is a rarity. Although there were some problems with editing here and there (some misspelling or even letters missing from a word) they didn't occur often enough to take away significantly from my enjoyment of the stories. Funny coincidence was that this book arrived the day before I had to leave for a trip to Chicago and I finished it as my flight was landing back in New York and even though the authors are all Chicago-based, I think the stories will resonate with people from East coast to West.

One of my favourite reading genres is the short story, and this one does not disappoint. Every chapter fills a need from humour to pathos. The only letdown was the brevity of the book itself. I look forward to subsequent publications.

I think we would have a lot more talented writers in this world if they were forced to read their work out loud for an audience. Hearing honest laughter, intense silence, or halfhearted boredom as a direct reaction to your work must do wonders. The short stories of Briefly Knocked Unconscious By a Low-Flying Duck are the result of fine-tuning, hard work, and a true appreciation of the audience. I was genuinely enthralled by each story - and they were all VERY different. Well done to the authors/performers, as well as their editors and directors. My only complaint is very small - most of the stories start with a funny statement that takes place in the middle of the story to grab your attention, then back up to explain it to you from the beginning. I don't mind this as a literary device at all. It was just used often enough that I noticed it. Regardless, I highly recommend this as a read. I'm from Chicago and I can't believe I've never heard of 2nd Story. You can be assured I'm looking up their upcoming performances now.½

A delightful book of short stories, I was really surprised at how good they all were. Told from the heart, the stories were rich, colorful, sad, happy, and real. I would have loved being there to hear the stories live. This book was a great idea and I would recommend it to everyone.

This is a fantastic book. It really captured that unique, hard to describe, vibe of listening to someone tell a story in Chicago. I was concerned that that intangible live performance whatever-it-is wouldn't translate to a written collection of essays, but they nailed it. The essays are well balanced and all deliver that necessary punch, whether it's laughter or a tear. They never stray into diary-like material, but are extremely well told. "Push Kick Coast" practically knocks you over. I enjoyed every single story. It's a very big win.

I generally don't read essay collections, but I knew I had to request this book from the Early Reviewers just because of the title. When I got the book, I sat down to read it, not entirely sure what to expect. On the one hand, collection of non-fiction personal essays... not really my thing. On the other hand, that title... hilarious.

The book opens with a short intro explaining what 2nd Story is (a Chicago-based storytelling/community building club-thing) and how it evolved. Then they just drop you right into the stories. And I must say, reading every single one of them feels like having a conversation with a friend you didn't know you had. All are compelling, insightful, and deeply, deeply personal. The stated mission of the book/club is to share stories that tap into universal human truths, and they have succeeded. However, that said, most of the truths explored here revolve around either death or sex... which I guess is about as basically universal as you can get. Even so, each story has it's own voice, it's own pace, it's own little quirks that let you feel like you're having a conversation, not just reading a story. I found myself constantly sitting, staring blankly at the wall, book-in-lap, trying to think my way around what the author was saying.

Overall, I thought it was very good, but if it had recieved a less enticing title, I can honestly say I would never have picked it up.

" Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-flying Duck"

This book is a gift to all who do not live in Chicago. In her essay on pages ix-xiv Amanda Delheimer Dimond gives readers a description of the birth of the twenty-three stories to follow. They were presented to live audiences who had time to react. As I read them I often paused and put myself into the room. Several of the stories did resonate for me, but my most interesting moment was when I read one (opened at random) aloud to my husband and found it related to his life at two important junctions.

Following the stories is a page that pictures all the storytellers. They vary in age and gender: I wish I could have been at their presentations.
Five pages of bios further interests me.They are busy people involved in many activities who yet found time to prepare and participate in this project.

"A Reader's Guide" has an interview with director, Megan Stielstra, a set of questions for discussion, and a list of additional resources for educators. There's a website too: www.2ndstory.com.

This book is a "keeper." I'll certainly reread and expect to find even more resonance and stimulation.

A collection of stories, all verbally relayed at one point, makes for an interesting volume. It is critical to read the introduction and to understand the way that 2nd Story works. There are a wide variety of tales, actual stories that are at times cute, heartbreaking, or just plain sad. Not what I expected, however, they make you think and true to 2nd Story's mission -- will certainly cause additional discussion