Penn Magazine November 2017

“Terse and funny and dry as a
dead Iowa corn snake baking in
the sun. Palecek delivers a quick,
deadpan slap to reactionary, mindless,
post-911 America. The sting
is delightful.
— Mark Morford, San Francisco
Chronicle
[Iowa Terror]
“If you want to know the truth about America, you’ve
got to read your Palecek novels ...
... because he’s got certain information, man.”
“Mike Palecek reminds me of
Socrates the gadfly who asked
unwelcome questions, Diogenes
with his lantern looking in vain for
an honest man, Chekhov with the
hammer challenging the complacent
family to share their meal,
Kerouac the ever on the move,
somehwat hysterical searcher, and
he reminds me of many Americans
who as children were so blasted
with propaganda that they’re
devoting the rest of their lives to
challenging the lies and all who tell
them. In this land where babies are
brought by storks and buildings
collapse due to unpatriotic bricks,
we need the gadfly because no
leader, preacher, guru or saint will
wake us up, though the Doomsday
Clock is ticking close to twelve.”
— DAVID RAY, American Poet
I’ve read JFK assassination fiction
by Don Delillo and Norman Mailer,
and can tell you that this new
novel [Johnny Moon] not only
is Mike’s best book yet, it’s much
better than Delillo’s and Mailer’s
efforts to do justice to the most
important event in U.S. history.”
— Dr. KEVIN BARRETT
Mike Palecek writes with passion,
wit, and alway with a strong social
conscience.
— HOWARD ZINN
[Above, cover by Allison M. Healy;
at right, cover by Keith McHenry]
62/Penn Magazine/November 2017