If my Geography is correct Mile Marker Zero in Key West Florida marks the southernmost point of the United States. Next stop Cuba.. Key West also happens to be the place where some of the finest writers in literary history chose to bivouac themselves in a quest for peace, inspiration, good times, or maybe all of the above.
I began reading Mile Marker Zero with the Hunter S. Thompson connection in mind. That idea quickly dissolved within a few pages. It would be a shame to neglect the other artists that this book envelops.
For me it is difficult to write about this book without sounding trite. After all it does “star” most of my favorite writers. Among them HST (obviously) Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, (I’m remembering with laughter a story in the book about an eyebrow pencil and a excellently defused situation) and Hemingway. Even Blackbeard shows his face. Thompson’s appearance in the book is far from scant. McKeen told me Hunter arrived late on the scene, but he gets a full chapter — about half of which is adapted from Outlaw [Journalist]. He shows up in a few other places near the end of the book. Several new anecdotes, including a story from his funeral. For me a reason in itself to buy this book.
One of the things that struck me about this book was the amount of writers, preformers and artists covered in it. Tackling a book, covering so many (20+), centered around one area? I’d have thought it difficult to keep clutter at bay. Obviously McKeen didn’t have that problem here, no surprise given his talent for informing and putting these things together. They came to party and stayed to heal. Some just came to heal, some just came to party. Some benefited and some suffered. One thing is for sure. We the receivers of their work are the winners and McKeen brought this home for me.
I mentioned in my write-up Margaret Harrell’s Keep This Quiet that I love learning something new when reading a book. I’ve learned a lot with this one. It’s entertaining too. McKeen’s turn of phrase is relaxing and drawing. He has done his homework and it shows. This is a readers book, I reckon you’ll be hard-pushed to find a seasoned reader who won’t like it. It’s hard to believe this small two-by-four-mile piece of land has done so much in helping to churn out some of the finest works we read, reread and will read for some time to come.
I could go on and on about this. It covers so much. Suffice to say McKeen nailed it. If you have any respect yourself as a reader, you’ll buy it.
Get it here, here and here from October 4. Dont forget Margaret Harrell’s Keep This Quiet is out now.
