Framing the Dialogue

Posts Tagged ‘wizard of oz’

Out of Oz

I think that Gregory Maguire has saved his best for last.  His fourth and final book in the Wicked Years saga, Out of Oz may be my favorite.  Pitched against the backdrop of war, Maguire brings back many favorites to conclude the series.   The story centers around Elphaba’s granddaughter as she matures and faces the consequences of her ancestors’ actions.  Even Dorothy make a return visit to Oz. 

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The Age of the Unthinkable

I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.

Dorothy Gale

As I thought about how to describe this book by author Joshua Cooper Ramo an image of The Wizard of Oz movie flashed into my mind.  I hope that I don’t do this book a tremendous disservice with my analogy, but I think it fits on a very superficial level.  Like Frank L. Baum, Ramo exposes our quaint life to tremendous upheaval into a world we don’t know and frankly want no part of.  A journey begins as we explore the new reality of this world as we look toward leaders who can save us.  Only our leaders like the Wizard are really just men with fancy titles, degrees, and curtains that shouldn’t be explored.

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Barack’s Christmas List Discovered

Emboldened by the folks who released the data and e-mails creating the Climategate scandal (except for the United States) someone has accessed White House computers and has found President Barack Obama’s Christmas List.  Rumor is that Obama is still a Christian even thought he had to be guilted into putting up the White House nativity Magic Obamaballscene.  The list was partially released to The Garlic web site who leaked only one of the items on his list. 

Based on recent Rasmussen presidential polls, most Americans are thinking he is more naughy than nice so the jury is still out on whether he will get this gift. 

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A Lion Among Men

In his third book offering different and darker views of the characters in Frank L Baum’s beloved Oz series, Gregory Maguire features the Cowardly Lion.  Maguire’s “Wicked” writings are intertwined with familiar folks like Dorothy, Glinda, Elphaba, Scarecrow, and, of course, the Wizard of Oz.

A Lion Among Men recounts the misadventures of the Lion.  In this episode, Oz and Munchkinland are warring over water.  The lion is sent on a mission to find out about the Elphaba’s (Wicked Witch of the West) magic book, the Grimmerie.  As he questions an oracle, she turns the tables on him and we find out about his troubled past. 

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