recent press
- “Schrand’s deeply textured memoir of life in a small Idaho town boasts a rich palette of glittering iridescent hues, somber earth tones, and delicate, evocative washes. . . . Schrand’s memoir sings, stirring the senses as much as the soul.”—Whitney Scott, Booklist (starred review).
- The Enders Hotel is “[a]n evocative account of a man coming to terms with his youth.”–Kirkus Reviews.
- “Schrand. . . proves himself a top-notch yarn spinner with this richly described, poignant memoir.” –Jenny Shank, NewWest.com.
- “Schrand’s personal story reflects larger cultural truths: The transitory lives of his grandfather and stepfather mirror those of the down-on-their luck drifters who gravitate to the hotel. . . Schrand’s memoir breaks new ground. . . [and] makes Soda Springs and towns like it finally matter.” –High Country News.
- Schrand “has written a book that underscores the promises and pitfalls of Western boomtown life.–Tucson Citizen.
- “Schrand has never met his father, and his mother and stepfather are alcoholics on an unsteady quest to keep body and soul together. So it’s no surprise that the young Schrand would find his first sense of home under the perpetually leaky roof of the old Enders Hotel in Soda Springs, Idaho. . . As Schrand loses the only home he has known, he begins to fall into the trap scripted for such kids: small delinquencies that grow into larger acts of cruelty and rage. If he’s to be saved, he must save himself. His success is a triumph of determination.”–Barnes & Noble Review, Summer 2008 Discover Great New Writers Selection.
Volume 33 Number 3
Fall/Winter 2006
Triannual
“Confessions of a Telemarketer.” Reviewed by newpages.com
Brandon Schrand’s essay about his experience as a telemarketer for six years is unparalleled. “Confessions of a Telemarketer” takes us into the world of outbound call centers, and gives us the feel and vocabulary of a place we often only imagine as we answer our telephones. Like any good nonfiction, though, the telemarketing world is only part of the story. Schrand is much more interested in exploring the kind of person he becomes while he works the phones, one who sees “contacts as contacts and never people” and “time zones as sale zones rather than places rife with communities and neighborhoods.” His essay is riveting because we can see ourselves in his decisions, and we understand the damage that can be done when people are reduced to numbers.
Entire review at NewPages.
