For ‘Bite’ author Bill Schutt, it’s biographies and horror stories
20th century who wrote these terrific biographies including my all-time favorite, “good night, sweet Prince,” which is about the actor John Barrymore.
BOOKS: What makes for a good biography in your opinion?
SCHUTT: You need to be entertaining. if it’s dry, forget about it. i also want to read about the absurdities and the mistakes people make. i like books that make them more human.
BOOKS: do you have a favorite biography of a scientist?
SCHUTT: i taught college for about 25 years, and i would give my teaching assistants either a copy of Edward o. Wilson’s memoir “naturalist” or stephen Jay gould’s “Wonderful life.” That’s not really a biography, but that has the science writing i strive for. it’s entertaining and paints the big picture without using the jargon.
BOOKS: What did you read for your book that you would recommend? SCHUTT: one is “The smile stealers” by Richard Barnett. it’s chock full of photos and illustrations that showed me what a horror early dentistry was. it’s chilling.
BOOKS: do you read horror novels? SCHUTT: dan simmons’s “summer of night” is one of my favorites. so is John ajvide lindquist’s “let the Right one in.” of course, stephen King, though i’m particular with him. “salem’s lot” is brilliant and so is “11/22/63. i’m not always thrilled with the endings of his books but the ending of “11/22/63 is the best part of it.
BOOKS: What kind of reader were you as a kid?
SCHUTT: i’ve been an avid reader probably since fifth grade. i was reading adult books when i was in elementary school. i remember my parents snagging two books away from me. one was gerold Frank’s “The Boston strangler” and the other was E.M. nathanson’s “The dirty dozen.” i was also a Kennedy assassination buff. i still have my copy of the Warren commission Report that i bought. The pages are orange now. it cost $1. it came out in ‘64. i was like 9.
BOOKS: Were your parents worried about this?
SCHUTT: uh, yeah.
BOOKS: What books do you feel guilty about not reading?
SCHUTT: i’ve read a lot of books about charles darwin, and i’ve written about him, but i’ve never read “The origin of species.” i’ll get slapped around if that gets out. i have it right in front of me. it’s sitting next to his “The Voyage of the Beagle,” which i also haven’t read. i’m a terrible evolutionary biologist.