The Galveston Daily News from Galveston, Texas • Page 34

CIO SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1997 GA1VESTON COUNTY, TEXAS sto Autobiography Of A Face By Lucy Grealy HarperPerennial, -1995 223 pages, $12 (PB) By MELVYN H. SCHRBBER When Lucy Grealy was 9 years old, she developed a swelling in her jaw which proved to be a malignant tumor, a Swing's sarcoma. The tumor was excised, and she submitted to radiation treatments and chemotherapy. As you can imagine, she missed a lot of school, sometimes because she was recuperating from yet another operation (she had nearly 30 of them), sometimes because she was sick from the treatment. When she went to school, she often wished she had not, for she suffered there the cruel taunts and jibes of her classmates.

In this age of political correctness, it's hard to imagine one person teasing another because she is ugly, but eals her thouehtftil inner beau hen I tried to imagine being beautiful I could only imagine living without the perpetual fear of being alone, without the great burden of isolation, which is what feeling ugly felt like." Prom off Face' BOOK REVIEW that's what Lucy Grealy contended with for most of her school years. While most of us remember wishing to be handsome and hoping to be smart, Lucy merely hoped to be loved for who she was, and while good looks were not an option, secretly she wanted to be perfect. This unfortunate young woman, now an award-winning poet, hfts written an engrossing book, full of wit, intelligence, and spirit. She tells us what it means to be rejected by ones peers and how delicious it is, finally, to be loved for oneself. "I spent 5 years of my life being treated for cancer, but since then I have spent 15 years being treated for nothing other than looking different from everyone else.

It was the pain from that, from feeling ugly, that I always viewed as the great tragedy of my life. The fact that I had cancer seemed minor in comparison." While few of us will have suffered the facial mutilation Lucy did, wager not one of us will fail to recog- nize, in a personal way, what she is talking about. Who has not felt or known oneself to be physically deficient in some way? Who would not wish never to be injured or scarred, never to lose a part of ourselves, either physically or emotionally? (' None of us is a stranger to shame and self-doubt, and all will understand and recognize this heroic young woman's plight, Lucy Grealy is talking to every one of us in this remarkably unsentimental memoir. books for anyone who In a world that Bometimes measures a woman's worth by her looks, Grealy was obliged to confront the consequences of her deformity. 'There was a moment when I knew definitely that I would never have a boyfriend, that no one would ever be interested in me in that way.

suppose I had learned this already from the boys at school, but never had I actually formed the inner sentence, expressed it in real terms to myself." "When I tried to imagine being beautiful, I could only imagine living without the perpetual fear of being alone, without the great burden of isolation, which is what feeling ugly felt like." The author humbles us with her valor and the resiliency of her imagj- nation. She is a gifted writer, showing us, in the elegance of her prose, what a beautiful person she really is. Dt Schrafcar a phyrictan who ives and woffcs in Gatvecton. the rase The Associated Press Some useful books to help you keep your home in shape: "New Fix-It-Yourself Manual" (Reader's Digest, $35 hardcover) will be a revelation to the if-it-goes-on-the- blink-throw-it-out generation. The book covers not only major systems and appliances in your home (plumbing, central air and heating, electrical systems) but the small ones like your telephone, CD player, hair dryer, toaster, typewriter, et al.

A major section of the book is devoted to furniture repairing and maintenance. And there even are instructions for repairing toys, jewelry, china, lamps, bikes, skates, boats and other things around the house, garage, or yard. Though the book is a guide to making repairs yourself, it also can serve as a troubleshooter for jobs you'd rather hire out. Repair and maintenance of your home's major systems are covered in "The New Encyclopedia of Home Repair" (Key Porter Books, $29.95 hardcover), by Julian Worthington and Bob Pennycook. The authors provide overviews and detailed instructions for heating and cooling systems, wiring, plumbing, walls and floors, driveways and sidewalks, and other concerns.

You're probably hearing a lot about lead hazard in paints, since new federal regulations for disclosing its presence in your home to a potential buyer recently went into effect. Andrew N. Davis, an environmental lawyer, and Paul E. Schaffman, an environmental engineer, lay out this and many other possible problem spots in "The Home Environmental Source- book" (Owl Books, $19.95 paperback). The authors look at the legal, legislative and health impact involved in lead paints, asbestos, contaminated drinking water, radons, PCBs and other hazards at home and toxic waste dumps, airports, dry cleaners, gas stations, mines, industry and farms nearby.

"In carpentry, a hammer the same tool that raised the topless towers of TliuTn and rebuilt Hiroshima, cousin to the fist axe that was humankind's first tool will require something more of you than a trigger finger. You will pay in the coin of sweat, sore muscles, and calluses." Jeff Taylor, a carpenter, considers tools, the building professions, and mankind in a collection of essays, "Tools of the Trade" (Chronicle Books, $25 hardcover). The essays are peopled by the teach- ers and colleagues in his profession as he focuses on such as the transit, stringline, trowel, pipe wrench, and the hand drill, which he calls "The Original Cordless." Making the best use of the space you have is the key to storage problems, and "Storage Projects You Can Build" (Chapters Publishing, $18.95 paperback), by David and Jeanie Stiles, includes plans and instructions for all sorts of space makers for the home, office, garage and yard. The Stileses offer dozens of ideas for shelving, boxes, and racks for housing entertainment, cooking, sports and utility equipment. One of the most original is then- hose house, which looks like a cousin to a shingled birdhouse; mounted on an exterior wall near the spigot, it keeps coiled garden hose essentially out of sight when not being used.

Men go to Mars in alternate-history novel One place in your house that may not be living up to its potential is the basement. Playroom? Root cellar? Extra bathroom? "The Basement Book" (Chapters Publishing, $18.95 paperback), by carpenters Tom Carpenter and Jeff Taylor, guides you through the things you need to know about construction down under, including plumbing and controlling damp. The earliest builders probably got started by the irresistible urge to stack stones in useful piles. The art isn't lost, as Charles Long demonstrates in "The Backyard Stonebuilder" (Firefly Books, $16.95 paperback). Long explains the basics of masonry and offers instructions for projects like patios, gates, porches, planters, mud- rooms, barbecues and "super hibachis." The Associated Press It was only fitting that former President John F.

Kennedy be on hand to see the first manned flight to Mars lift off in March 1985. After all, it was the influence exerted by the retired, wheelchair-bound Kennedy who had barely survived the assassination attempt that had kept the program alive. The premise of Stephen Baxter's "Voyage" (HarperPrism, $23) is what might have been if Kennedy had survived. The book is a narrowly focused alternate history of an America similar in most respects to our own. But anyone who has thought about or dreamed about an America in which those six seconds in Dallas did not lead to a dispiriting foreign war and cultural upheaval will find no such speculation here.

Baxter's story is instead a detailed account of the challenges of gaining political support for a Mars mission and of the technical solutions for such a mission. Readers will learn also in more detail than many will care to know how astronauts in space dispose of human waste, the costs and benefits of manned vs. unmanned flights, and the geology of Mars. In our world, as in Baxter's novel, the United States landed on the moon and then withdrew. And in our world, the United States gave up space stations and the manned exploration of space in favor of the space shuttle.

But in Baxter's novel, America eventually aimed for Mars, thanks to "dear old Jack Kennedy, speaking like a ghost from his study in New England, quietly telling Americans that they were better than their pessimistic vision of themselves." Space buffs will appreciate the novel for its close look at NASA operations. But it will disappoint those who wonder whether Kennedy might have chosen a path different from Lyndon Johnson's. THE BEST VALUE IN SATELLITE TV! Bank of Galveston's Automatic Teller Machine Get your ATM card at the branch or main bank! La maquina automatica para sacar dinero del- Banco" de Galveston Reciba su tarjeta gratis hoy! There is no issue or monthly fee, and it only takes a moment to have your personalized card ready. 24-hour walk-up ATM convenience at our Seawall Branch Make withdrawals on your Bank of Galveston accounts- checking and savings No transaction fee when used at the Bank of Gatveston's ATM Use your ATM card at thousands of locations nationwide 24-hour ATM lighted walk-up service at our Seawall Branch-another great reason for being a Bank of Galveston customer! Bank of Galveston 5881,850000000001, Reciba su tarjeta de ATM en cualcniiera de nuestros 2 bancos! Absolutamente gratis solo se toma unos minutos Nuestra maquina esta abierta 24 horas Puede sacar dinero de su cuenta de oahorros Cuando la usa en nuestra raaquina no le cuesta nada Puede usarsu tarjeta en casi toda la nacion Bank of Galveston's ATM accepts: La ATM del Banco de Galveston acepta: Main Bute Lobby Drive-In 9.00- 600 Friday 936- Nooi Sataday Seawall Braatfi 9:00 Mon-Ttur Friday Closed Saturday MooFri 9rtO Noon Saturday Mon-Thqr 7:30 Friday Bank of Galveston NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Ions of CD ONLY PRIMESTAR' OFFERS YOU THE OPTION TO RENT OR BUY! RENT and get tons ot channels starting at a hi HI i 1 a C.ct a FRIT. MONTH ot programming fl' tJ And gel S50 OFF INSTALLATION mm -dish tor uith ilu punJuist; ot MH sniv on SN9' With PRIMESTAR, youll enjoy crystal-clear digital picture and CD-quality sound on every channel.

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