No false notes: Books that grip and twist and stay true are Andre Dubus' specialty. Townie, his memoir, is a story of survival, but also inter-connectedness. In a cynical world, Andre Dubus drives us straight into the emotional center of his life, omitting detours, often without seat belts. Transcending the urge to punch a bully in the face -- often sending him to the hospital -- Andre Dubus learned the verbal powers of persuasion: Knives were dropped, fists were lowered, and a tentative inner peace emerged. For anyone who has experienced anger management issues, this reckoning will resonate. It is one man's story of gaining mastery, awareness, self-control and access to his native talents. It's about tuning into becoming a vessel for creativity and intuition so as to channel characters, their drives and dreams and realizations of truth & lies. The writer knows what it means to be human; from boxing, loss, & living without, to deciphering what's real. We come away stronger for it.