Palimpsest
Gore Vidal
Penguin Publishing Group
This explosively entertaining memoir abounds in gossip, satire, historical apercus, and trenchant observations. Vidal's compelling narrative weaves back and forth in time, providing a whole view of the author's celebrated life, from his birth in 1925 to today, and features a cast of memorable characters&#8212;including the Kennedy family, Marlon Brando, Anais Nin, and Eleanor Roosevelt.