The President's Parasite and Other Stories Jim Musgrave Contemporary Instructional Concepts ISBN: 0-9776503-6-7 Fiction, Contemporary Reviewed by Ernest Dempsey

All of Musgrave's stories in this grasping collection are unique in their own regard. What they all share is their cutting edge quality. Musgrave's settings and modes sweep a wide range of human situations from the growing autism of a child to the mystic sensuality of male desire. The author leaves virtually no theme untouched that is not or has not been an issue of import in human life.

As an author, Musgrave exhibits two extraordinarily developed qualities: sharpness of perception, and vivid depiction of human characters.  One feature binding all the stories in The President's Parasite is the urge to realize where the problem lies and the need to work out how to tackle it. In this sense, these stories are a practical guide to wise judgment and use of one's brains. 

With all its quintessence, two points of criticism can be directed at The President's Parasite. First, the eponymous story at the end falls short of the true sense of a short story. Secondly, the photo of George W. Bush on the title cover carries personal and or political overtones.

Musgrave's book is a great joy to read and a significant thought-provoking contribution to contemporary literature.

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