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More About the Author
Product Description
From the Publisher
About the Author
Louise Rafkin earned her B.A. in English from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, and her M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1981. When she is not cleaning houses all over the world or practicing martial arts, Louise Rafkin is writing--fiction, non-fiction, essays, and reviews. She has contributed to numerous magazines, including: "Ladies' Home Journal," "New York Times Magazine," "Boston Phoenix," and "OUT." Her work has appeared in many other publications, including: "The Bay Guardian," "Poets & Writers," "Women's Review of Books," and "Whole Earth Review."
Louise Rafkin earned her B.A. in English from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, and her M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1981. When she is not cleaning houses all over the world or practicing martial arts, Louise Rafkin is writing--fiction, non-fiction, essays, and reviews. She has contributed to numerous magazines, including: "Ladies' Home Journal," "New York Times Magazine," "Boston Phoenix," and "OUT." Her work has appeared in many other publications, including: "The Bay Guardian," "Poets & Writers," "Women's Review of Books," and "Whole Earth Review."
Rafkin has published several books, some of which include: "Different Mothers" (Cleis Press, 1990), "Street Smarts: A Woman's Guide to Personal Safety" (Harper SF, 1995), "The Tiger's Eye, The Bird's Fist: A Beginner's Guide to the Martial Arts" (! Little, Brown, 1997), and "What Do Dogs Dream?" (Andrews and Mcmeel, 1998).
In the past several years, Louise Rafkin has received plenty of awards and recognition for her writing. She has won the San Francisco Cable Car Award for Best Local Writing in 1989, first place in the San Francisco "Bay Guardian"'s fiction competition in 1989, and a Lambda Literary Award in 1991. She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Zimtbaum Foundation Fine Arts Work Center, the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, and a grant from the Ludwig/Vogelstein Foundation.
Rafkin and her partner Susie live in Berkeley, California. "Other People's Dirt" is her first book with Algonquin. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Author
Thanks to all readers...
Wow! Thanks to everyone who read Other People's Dirt -- your comments are interesting and quite varied! Happy cleaning! Stay tuned for the next tell- all.... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Wow! Thanks to everyone who read Other People's Dirt -- your comments are interesting and quite varied! Happy cleaning! Stay tuned for the next tell- all.... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I could hardly put it down. I think the scathing reviews in here can only be those of women or men who have never cleaned homes for a living. Lighten up folks...sheesh!! This was one of the funniest books I've ever read. Though I may not agree with Louise politically, her humor and humanity are wonderful. I have cleaned homes for 5 years. It isn't a "hobby" as some clients would like to think. This made for a delightful evening of laffs. Hey, Louise, when's the video coming? KUDOS, susie melkus
Format:Paperback
It is interesting to read the other reviews of this book. It seems to provoke some EXTREMELY strong reactions, which I didn't think it merited. It was a LITTLE smug, but not nearly as obscene as most of the other readers found it, nor is it the fantastic, comic masterpiece that others think it is. Obviously, it touches some emotional hotspot in some readers. I think that it says something about who we are as Americans that we have such strong reactions one way or another to a look at menial labor. I enjoyed this book, but not enough to read it again, and I read EVERYTHING more than once.
Format:Paperback
Louise Rafkin seems to find nearly everyone except herself below contempt, whether it's a client or a sibling. She doesn't seem terribly fond of friends, and a potential spiritual advisor gives her "vapid" advice, which she fails to follow in the single test she's given. She despises people who aren't as obsessive-compulsive as she is, and shows no integrity in her work. I can't imagine that anyone would dream of hiring her to clean their homes, or write another book, after this dreadful self-aggrandizement of what must be a very sorry life devoid of trust or true intimacy. The time spent reading this book could be spent doing almost anything else; cleaning your own toilet is more amusing, and you won't feel nearly as dirty afterwards
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Witty, funny, clever
Ms. Rafkin is a very smart and funny writer. Who else could take the tedious job of house cleaning and turn it in to such an amusing tale. Read more
Published on 18 Mar 1999
this book is satire at its best
I loved the dry wit Ms. Rafkin brings to our dirty laundry. I've always wondered what house cleaners must think about when they are mopping up other people's mess, and now here it... Read more
Published on 18 Mar 1999
A wry, whimsical look at the housecleaner's life
This book made me laugh out loud more than once. Ms. Rafkin has a mordant sense of humor but she's also getting at sticky issues of class. Read more
Published on 18 Mar 1999
Provocative, funny prose with a lot of edge
This book holds very little back, which is just what I like about it. In exactly the same way everyone knows that women grow facial hair but choose not to talk about it, there is... Read more
Published on 17 Mar 1999
Terrible. Just TERRIBLE!
Just when I was warming to the idea of hiring someone to clean the house, I read this book and it FLAT made up my mind to never, EVER do such a thing! Read more
Published on 11 Mar 1999
Don't waste your money!
Often, while reading a book, I think how I'd like to meet the author and learn more. Not this time. Read more
Published on 11 Feb 1999
After reading it, I was possessed by a sudden urge to clean.
I thought that Ms. Rafkin's book didn't carry any particularly deep messages -- just some amusing stories about former clients, some despised, some not -- and some "Miss... Read more
Published on 21 Jan 1999
Insulting
Rafkin presents herself as superior to everyone she encounters -- while proudly revealing her own behavior which is beneath contempt.
Published on 19 Jan 1999
Inspirational!
I found this book inspirational! What greater incentive could you have to clean your house, and keep it tidy then listening to the complaints of a professional maid... Read more
Published on 4 Nov 1998
Inspirational!
I found this book on tape funny and inspirational... After returning home, I pulled the cassette out of the car stereo, and put it in at home, and proceeded to SCRUB my house! Read more
Published on 4 Nov 1998
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