Most tattoo books are collections of full-color images and body shots, exploring how individuals interpret what it is to be tattooed. This book has these elements, but no pictures for a change. Edited by Kim Addonizio and Cheryl Dumesnil, both tattooed, this is a written depiction of tattooing. The collection includes fiction, personal memoirs, poetry and anecdotes on the physical experience and lifestyle choice to have skin art. The title comes from the historical fact that writer Dorothy Parker had a star permanently inked on one arm.
The excerpt from Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man" will be remembered as familiar and formative to many tattoo fans. Artists write about what it was like to learn to tattoo and related various ink-related adventures with a wide array of wild customers. Concentration camp survivor Paul Steinberg describes his involuntary tattoo experience. Mastectomy survivor Deena Metzger's tattoo falls at the other end of the ink spectrum as part of her chosen healing process. There are tales of joy, sorrow, smart choices, drunken moments, good ink and bad.
The short lengths of the pieces makes reading this on transit or during those short breaks during the day easy, and the subject matter is a great distraction from the mundane. A definite book for the collection of those who write about tattooing, or are looking for some more historical perspective.
