Book Review: Straight Up & Dirty by Stephanie Klein

Following the current trend in the literary world of morphing the ramblings of bloggers into those old-fashioned, low-tech items called “books” is Straight Up & Dirty by new Austinite Stephanie Klein. Featured previously on Austinist, this much anticipated book-from-blog has transformed the high-traffic and ultra-personal chronicles of the heroine of Greek Tragedy into a wickedly honest memoir.

A consistent comparison of Klein’s blog is made to the HBO sitcom, Sex & The City. Deservedly so, as it is the online musings of one single gal about life, love and shoe food worship while living in Manhattan. Given the masses of loyal fans still mourning the end of the HBO series, and the mega traffic at Klein’s blog (ranked by Technorati at 2132 out of millions in 2005), book sale success should be guaranteed with not one but two built in audiences.

As rabid fans of the show know, three of the four fabulous females were under constant scrutiny by their columnist friend, Carrie. Her pointed analysis of single life for modern women always seemed to carry a more objective approach when guided away from herself and toward her three friends. Klein’s book takes the dare on a 180-degree turn. Straight Up & Dirty is the raw, exposing story one could write upon finding Carrie’s handwritten journal shoved between the mattresses.

In stream-of-consciousness style, Klein weaves musings about the day-to-day in crosscutting fashion with the subconscious turmoil of a woman newly divorced. Like an over-filled martini glass, her acerbic wit spills forth on bad first dates, reminders of the “Wasband,” rantings about her worst fears as a single woman, and retrospectives on the challenges of her marriage.

A satisfying confection of a poolside read, the title alone sparks interesting conversations with strangers. NBC is developing the book into a half-hour sitcom. The readily available sequel online--in the form of her continuing blog--offers the ability to post comments to the author and read up on her dramatically different life as a transplant in Austin.