"A fascinating portrait of one of the world's most complex and misunderstood cities. With the keen eye of an American-born son of Jewish refugees, Wortsman captures Berlin in vignettes that are enlightening, moving, and darkly funny."
Tony Perrottet, author of Pagan Holiday and The Sinner's Grand Tour Praise for Peter Wortsman: "I was particularly struck by the account of ... Read morethe visit to Auschwitz [in "Snapshots and Souvenirs"]. The behavior of the people was wonderfully human and moving
the sort of thing even the best writers find it almost impossible to invent. The unexpected in human behavior is difficult to take out of the air, as opposed to the usual, which anyone can invent. So that it is precisely these unforeseen details which establish the authenticity of the text, and which give it its literary values... The Auschwitz piece is excellent."
Paul Bowles, author of The Sheltering Sky and other books "A Modern Way to Die is a fantastic book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have never read anything quite like this, but my enjoyment was due to more than just novelty, it was a response to marvelous writing, wonderful craft, and the breath of imagination... [Wortsman] succeeded so well in his craft and art that it reads 'artless' and 'spontaneous,' which to me is the highest of compliments."
Hubert Selby, Jr., author of Last Exist to Brooklyn and other books "Wortsman hangs with the masters."
A. Scott Cardwell, The Boston Phoenix "His work reminded me some of E. B. White's New Yorker stuff
observations turned into little reads but with a modernist twist."
Ruth Lopez, The New Mexican "Wortsman achieves a level of spontaneity and accessibility ... to which most writers can only aspire."
David Ulin, The Los Angeles Reader Show Less