'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?': Joyce Carol Oates (Women Writers: Texts and Contexts)

I bought this book for my literature class - it was excellent, my first time reading Oates and I most definately recommend her if you are interested in literature (or even if you're not - the background of her short story is interesting - based on a real-life serial killer in Arizona). The critical essays in the back of the book are invaluable, so if you are looking to write a research paper this is a fanstastic purchase!

There must be a lot of people, who became Oates'fans after they read "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" Typically, Teenagers tend to disobey adults like their parents and teachers and to be self-centered. Heroine Connie is such a girl. Connie's charactor will arouse sympathy from readers. There must be many points that we used to think and behave like her when we were teenagers. Connie is a self-centered girl. She is not chummy with her family and always resists her mother. She does not go to a church, does not help her mother, is not interested in family matters, and looks down on people. She cares her appearance, hangs out with her friends, likes shopping, and listens to rock'n rolls. She is, so-called, a typical rebellious teenager. One day, a mysterious guy shows up and causes something wired for her. Joyce Carol Oates, the author of this novel, has been recieved many awards. This work was made into the movie, retitled for "Smooth Talk." This book will attract you and is worth reading. I think you will like it.

Just compare Ms Oates with any other story writer: she started her career early, age 19, and keeps going on and on and on.... through novels and articles and more more stories. Arnold Friend is an unforgettable character. The vendor: a used book my copy precisely matched the description. I've just ordered another collection of Oates' work. If you don't know her work, start with this earliest collection. You won't be sorry. Not many writing craftspersons were creating what she was creating, at such a level of excellence, as a teenager.

I read the book for a class on Joyce Carol Oates, but found it hard to get through a I didn't like any of the characters and the subject matter didn't appeal to me.

I really like Joyce Carol Oates and this is one of, if not her first book so it's hard to find being published over 50 years ago. It came promptly and it good condition. I like my used books cheap, but some are so hard to find that you just take what you can get. It's a good deal if you enjoy Oates' work. I really do.

The price is a little bit much for this short story that you can find online, but otherwise still a really compelling coming-of-age story.What this book offers, however, is just a couple of papers of critique on the book and what Oates meant by some of the events in the book.I needed this for a class, but I don't mind keeping it. Still a good buy.

A couple of years ago, I saw the story of Charles Schmid, Jr., “The Pied Piper of Tucson” on ID Channel. Earlier this year I read a book by the same title by Harold Schechter; a must-read if you want a written version. A few days ago, I read “I, a Squealer” by Richard Bruns, who was a close friend and minor accomplice of “Smitty’s”. Although it did have a couple of pictures and bits of information I hadn’t previously been exposed to, overall, it’s like an afterthought. Read it after Mr. Schechter’s book, or heck, not at all. You wouldn’t be missing much. Somehow, I came across this book. I’d heard of Joyce Carol Oates, and of this short story, but didn’t know until a few days ago that it was based on Schmid. Of course, I had to read it. I couldn’t find it anywhere for less than $12 for a physical copy (my local library didn’t even have it!), so I bit the bullet and bought the Kindle version for $14.95 so I could start on it immediately. Know what else started immediately? My disappointment.I will be honest: I only partially read the introduction, as I rarely ever read book introductions. It was 98% about Oates, and the 2% that was about Schmid – what I was interested in – was grievously abridged & wrong. And it was ridiculously long! (About 30 pages on an iPhone Kindle) I read the chronology of Oates’ life and found it interesting. Then I read the story. This was by an award-winning writer? Was award criteria very lax in those days? By Oates’ own admission, she never read the entire magazine article about Schmid, so she wouldn’t be “distracted by too much detail”. This would explain why the story is so bad! The writing is not good, rambling in some places, stilted in others. Her “protagonist” is Connie, a 15 year old girl who is extremely unlikeable. Oates herself described her as “shallow, vain, silly, hopeful…” She’s also lazy and disrespectful, so how is anyone supposed to feel any type of sympathy for her? Two out of three of Schmid’s victims were not like this girl. Arnold Friend is apparently some 30 year old pedophile with a 40 year old (or so Connie thinks) best friend who’s been stalking Connie, and knows a disturbing amount about her entire life. Schmid was only a few years out of high school – 23 when he was caught – and his 2 male accomplices were 19. And at no point did Schmid ever go to anyone’s house, tell them that he planned to have his way with them, and threaten to kill their entire family and burn down their house if they didn’t cooperate. I guess Oates wanted to make her bad guy as bad as she could imagine. Even worse? There is absolutely no resolve to the story. There is no ending; we don’t know what happened to or with Connie, or if she even walks out the door. It only alludes to it. The fact that this was the end of the story and yet, the story is so highly revered, is mind boggling to me.Next is the “background to the story”, which is a chapter taken from a book about the Schmid case by Don Moser. This was annoying because so many facts were either wrong or completely left out. The next chapter is Oates discussing the short story and the movie based on it, “Smooth Talk”. She admits that there’s no suggestion in her story that Arnold Friend has “seduced and murdered other young girls, or that he necessarily intends to murder Connie.” She states that the story “defines itself as allegorical in its conclusion: Death…has come for the maiden.” What a bunch of bull. After this chapter is 9 critical essays all about the short story. I was definitely not interested in any of them. I didn’t care anymore, I was too upset about my $14.95 I spent on this drivel.

picked up as a reading for my Contemporary Literature class. I like having the extra writing/essays to review. Bought used-got a great buy and book in excellent shape

He comprado este libro para el curso de inglés. Tiene un CD con las historias grabadas. Todo bien y correcto.

Todo räpido y eficaz. Antes de lo que esperaba. Volvere al mismo lugar a comprar. sin duda alguna lo hare

Compre 2 unidades puesto que son para un curso y compre para otro compañero. Pues solo uno de los libros venia con e CD.. el otro solo con el pegamento en la solapa, pero sin disco.