Finding ‘Grace in the Carnage’ with Author Deanne Stillman
Author Deanne Stillman, a widely published, critically acclaimed writer of literary nonfiction joins Tracy on the podcast today. Her latest book, Blood Brothers, won the 2018 Ohioana Book Award for nonfiction, received a starred review in Kirkus, and was excerpted in Newsweek. The book they’ll be discussing today is Deanne’s 2001 work Twentynine Palms, an LA Times bestseller and Best Book of the Year, which Hunter Thompson called “a strange and brilliant story by an important American writer.” Twentynine Palms tells the story of the murders of Mandi Scott and Rosalie Ortega by Marine Valentine Underwood, recently returned from the Gulf War. Through this tragedy, the book takes a deep look at socioeconomic health disparities through the lives of those who choose to call the desert home, living in the shadows of the world’s largest Marine base at the edge of Joshua Tree National Park. Tracy begins the episode by talking about Twentynine Palms’ relevance to healthcare, pointing out its focus on social determinants of health, specifically the poverty that underlies the book’s desert community. She then hands the discussion over to Deanne, who speaks about her lifelong connection to the desert and its status as a sanctuary for many people looking to start their lives over, before setting out the story of Twentynine Palms and how she came across the murders of Mandi and Rosalie. Tracy points out the link between location and health and wellbeing, and Deanne speaks about the fatherless, rootless desert community depicted in her book and how its real focus is America’s working class. She also points out that, just like the desert, the US military provides escape from dire circumstances for people all over the world, including those women who marry into the armed forces. Tracy and Deanne discuss the #MeToo movement, how sexual violence affects women of all classes, and how important it is for everybody to have a voice in society. Deanne also relates the story of the Mandi Scott Scholarship, set up by Mandi’s mother, Debbie, and discusses how even a seemingly small amount of money can make a huge difference to a young person wanting to change their life. Finally, Deanne gives us a look at her new project, Ghost Cats, a book focusing on the last mountain lions of Los Angeles. An important conversation with a truly ‘important American writer’, today’s episode is one you absolutely do not want to miss. You can find 29 Palms via Angel City Press Highlights: - According to a recent Blue Cross Blue Shield survey, zip code predicts up to 60% of our wellbeing and our health. San Bernadino County has California’s highest rate of poverty relating to single mothers. - Deanne’s essays have appeared in Lit Hub, The Independent, The New York Times, LA Times, High Country News, and The LA Review of Books, where she was formerly a columnist. - She found her way into Mandi and Rosalie’s story after a hike in Joshua Tree when she stopped in at a local bar and overheard some gossip about two girls who had been “sliced up” by a Marine. - Mandi’s family came west with the Donner party and managed to survive, settling in California; Rosalie’s family is Filipina, her mother grew up in a shack in the jungles of Batangas, marrying into the military as a means of escape. - Absent or neglectful fathers are a theme that runs through the book, along with the nationwide epidemic of sexual violence against women. - The murders took place on dollar drink night at the local bars, which occurs every two weeks on Marine payday and is a night that violence in town spikes. - Some of the women and girls Deanne...
