From the Beauty Parlor to the Barricades!

As we were leaving the park Landvik said she was on her way that evening to do a reading in Woodbury. I brought up the fact that her books are probably pretty popular in suburban book clubs, and that a lot of those suburban women might have Bush stickers on their SUVs.

"Nah," she said. "I find that most of the book groups tend to be liberal. In fact, most people who read tend to be liberal. I think that's the definition of a liberal worldview, when you're exposed to all kinds of people different from yourself. I think the ability to imagine people very different from yourself and to think about what their lives are like, that's a very liberal way to think. Like Atticus Finch says, 'If we just walked a mile in another man's skin....'"

Diana Watters

In 1996, Lorna Landvik had a dream that she was Gorbachev's temp during a nuclear crisis. Not long after, she set off on a nine-month, cross-country disarmament march with her husband and baby.

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Landvik's eyes crinkle again behind her sunglasses. "Wow," she says. "There's a platitude for you!"

Twin Cities Reader Summer Books Issue:

The Barnstormer A few years ago, Doug Ohman was a theme-park executive with 600 employees. Today, he photographs barns. What happened?

The Dirty Parts Romance Novelist Connie Brockway Wants to Know Why People Can't Look Past the Unbound Bosom and Love-Swollen Member

Fixing a Leak What happens when a reporter doesn't keep his word to an anonymous source?

From the Beauty Parlor to the Barricades! Her Warmhearted Characters Feel Good About the World. Lorna Landvik Doesn't.

Love and Marriage To Most of Us, Nothing Sounds Worse Than a Loveless Marriage. According to Stephanie Coontz, It Wasn't Always That Way.

Life of Johnson It wasn't fun bringing up the rump of the avant-garde. B.S. Johnson felt compelled to do it anyway.

Review: Joe Coomer: Pocketful of Names