By Ronald Sitton

NORTH LITTLE ROCK (Dec. 20) - My recent down time for gall bladder surgery gave me an opportunity to read UAM English professor Mark Wegley's copy of "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman following Wegley's showering praise of the book and the author, who spoke at a conference at the University of Central Arkansas this fall.

I spend so much time reading texts and literary journalism that I seldom make time for fiction. "American Gods" justifies taking a break from the norm.

The book starts with a prisoner, Shadow, who's waiting to get out of jail. The warden stops by to let Shadow know he can go home early. Seems like a good sign? Not really. Shadow finds out his wife and best friend died on the way to pick him up from jail. At the funeral, he finds out his wife caused the wreck because she was performing fellatio on his best friend. Shadow discusses the incident with his dead wife the night after her funeral. Things get interesting from there.

The general theme behind "American Gods" suggests immigrants brought their gods to America and then forgot about them. Without continual belief and ritual, the gods lose power. Mr. Wednesday, who happens to be rounding up the old gods for an apocalyptic battle with newer gods, gives Shadow a job as bodyguard. Shadow must decide what he believes while he practices coin tricks to pass the time.

Though Gaiman does a good job describing some of the older deities, I never understood the reasoning behind why one god would be more powerful than another. Nor does Gaiman confront any current deities except to point out where victors of a battle would do their best to wipe out belief in the old deities, including assuming the holy days for their own deities. However, it made me want to pick up Bulfinch's Mythology.

Gaiman's book flows such that you don't really realize where time goes as you pick it up and put it down. For the college crowd, it's a nice break from the mundane.

Grade: B+

Notes oF INTEREST
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Save the Internet

The National Conference for Media Reform

I'm planning to attend this conference in January, though I still need to find a hotel. Confirmed speakers include:
# Jonathan Adelstein, FCC Commissioner
# Ben Bagdikian, author, "The Media Monopoly"
# Eric Boehlert, author and journalist
# David Brancaccio, PBS
# David Brock, Media Matters for America
# Adrienne Maree Brown, Ruckus Society
# Jeff Chester, Center for Digital Democracy
# Rosa Clemente, R.E.A.C.Hip-Hop
# Jeff Cohen, writer and media critic
# Flavia Colgan, MSNBC commentator
# Mark Cooper, Consumer Federation of America
# Michael Copps, FCC Commissioner
# Malkia Cyril, Youth Media Council
# Davey D, DJ and Hip Hop Activist
# Phil Donahue, Television Host
# Laura Flanders, radio host
# Linda Foley, Newspaper Guild-CWA
# Jane Fonda, Actor and Co-Founder, Women's Media Center
# Kim Gandy, President, National Organization for Women
# Dan Gillmor, Center for Citizen Media
# Juan Gonzalez, New York Daily News
# Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
# Robert Greenwald, Producer and Director
# Maurice Hinchey, U.S. Representative
# Ben Hooks, Civil Rights Leader
# Janine Jackson, FAIR
# Rev. Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader
# Van Jones, ColorofChange.org and Ella Baker Center
# Gene Kimmelman, Consumers Union
# Mark Lloyd, Center for American Progress
# Rev. Tim MacDonald, Civil Rights Leader
# Robert McChesney, President, Free Press
# Bill Moyers, Journalist and Author
# John Nichols, Journalist
# Alex Nogales, National Hispanic Media Coalition
# Anthony Riddle, Alliance for Community Media
# Paul Rieckhoff, Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America
# Andrew Jay Schwartzman, Media Access Project
# Gigi Sohn, Public Knowledge
# Matt Stoller, MyDD.com
# Makani Themba-Nixon, the Praxis Project
# Helen Thomas, Hearst Newspapers
# Gloria Tristani, Benton Foundation
# Cenk Ugyur, The Young Turks
# Katrina Vanden Heuvel, The Nation
# Noah Winer, MoveOn
# Rev. Lenox Yearwood, Hip-Hop Caucus