https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/04/21/jenny-annie-fanny-addie-fiction-adam-levin
Two things about this struck me. Although I have written from the male POV many times, I always assume the protagonist is the same sex as the author. Not here though. Also, I often mishear the lyrics of songs as what happens in this tale. In this song, by THE BAND, I misheard it too.And I assumed two words were running together.
A 13 year old girl is groped by a boy, which leads to his banishment from the camp they are attending. Also there is a long discussion of who deserves humiliation in these circumstances.
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Yes, misheard lyrics is a real thing, like John Fogerty's Creedence lyrics, "There's a bad moon on the rise" heard as "there's a bathroom on the right." I even heard Fogerty sing it that way in concert once, as a joke. Or Jimi Hendrix supposedly singing "'Scuse me while I kiss this guy" rather than "kiss the sky." In fact, I had a book illustrating dozens of misheard lyrics, that was a lot of fun. The Hendrix thing was on the cover and in the title - 'SCUSE ME WHILE I KISS THIS GUY: AND OTHER MISHEARD LYRICS by Gavin Edwards and Chris Kalb.
But I digress. Short stories, then. I've been reading more novels and fewer stories the last couple of weeks. I'm reading Marcia Talley's WITH LOVE, MAJORIE ANN. The best story so far was the fun "Too Many Cooks" (2002), which won the Agatha and Anthony Awards and was nominated for the Macavity Award. In concerns the three Weird sisters - yes, their last name is Weird - and their interactions with the Macbeths.
Also the problem of misread words when you're reading beyond you eight- year old self. I thought the name was Step hen for years before it was corrected in school to my humiliation.
I remember hearing about the "W.E.B. DuBois Club" and hearing "The Boys Club" - until I went to college and read DuBois's THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK.
It is interesting when an author writes from another POV (whether it's another sex, background, etc..). And you're not the only one who mishears lyrics...
I think i misheard more than my share. Even with hearing aids!
I have had problems mishearing lyrics all my life. This story sounds good, I need to catch up on some stories in the New Yorker.
It struck me as pretty good...also read the author's explication, which is perhaps even too explicit: https://archive.ph/lbPAb
I might try to finish my overly ambitious essay by Friday...have a good trip, Patti!
I recall mispronouncing "Nova Scotia" in fifth grade, as I read a passage aloud in class one day...I had never seen it in print previously.
In something like two weeks. Some sadness around here that has me off my not terribly impressive usual game.
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