Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Reading is Fun...damental
Due to my hiatus, I haven't been able to fill you in on what I'm reading. Here's the latest book report:
Tom Wolfe-I Am Charlotte Simmons
This year I’ve been trying to read a lot more, and I’ve found a great love for books. I used to stick pretty strictly to non-fiction and biographies and what not, but this year I’ve read quite a few novels and I’ve gained a greater appreciation for story telling. Apparently, Tom Wolfe is one of the great writers of our time. I saw documentary on Marshall McLuhan that he hosted and I liked what he had to say. I’ve never had the pleasure reading Wolfe, so I thought I’d start with his latest: I am Charlotte Simmons (all 676 pages of it).
This book is basically a detailed survey of what life is like on the campus of an elite, big time American university (think Duke). Even though I’m a recent graduate of a big-time Canadian University, movies like Animal House, Van Wilder and Old School have assured me that it is a completely different reality from anything I experienced.
The difference between those movies and this book is that those movies are hilarious and celebrate the supposed best 4-7 years of your life. I Am Charlotte Simmons took another view; that the moral decay on the modern University campus is indicative of the greater erosion of societal values. That’s fair enough; I don’t think that Wolfe came to any earth-shattering conclusions. It is pretty common knowledge that college students binge drink, swear profusely, have promiscuous sex, experiment with drugs, cheat on schoolwork, listen to objectionable (?) music and crave popularity or some combination of any or all of the above. But 676 pages of it? Ironically, the best part about reading the book is that Wolfe has an incredible talent for description, and his descriptive, literary techniques stretch the book out farther then it needs to be. But also keep the reader’s interest and keeps the reader’ eyes glued to the page. He also challenges the reader with his impressive vocabulary and idiosyncratic word choice.
One beef I had with I Am Charlotte Simmons is that it is supposed too be very accurate, based on research that Wolfe did at a handful of American Universities (Stanford, Michigan, UNC, Penn), but one of his markers of moral decay is rap music. He continually brings up this preposterous caricature of a fictional rapper named Dr. Dis who everybody on campus listens to. And the even more preposterous lyric that recurs no fewer than 6 times: ‘Suck on my testiculls like a popsicle.’ I mean c’mon there is some very bad Hip Hop out there, and I’m sure that Wolfe could have used a real-life example. But the truth is that as bad as rap music can be sometimes no rapper that is that obscene is as ubiquitous as Dr. Dis was in the book. I think it just underscores the fraudulent perception that rap music is the reason for moral decay in our society. I also thought it was kind of weird since Wolfe freely employed real life examples of Britney Spears, Ben Harper, Dave Mathews and OAR throughout the book. Had he replaced Dr. Dis with someone like Ludacris the reaction would have been ‘hey Ludacris’ lyrics really aren’t that offensive.’ Had he replaced Dr. Dis with an equally obscene rapper like Necro the reaction would have been ‘c’mon nobody listens to Necro.’ Is it an example of Wolfe’s inability to hide his conservative bias or is it simply that he (like most middle aged white adults) is out of touch with youth culture when it comes to music?
Anyways, the book was just okay, some parts were as cheesy as a harlequin novel and some parts were such an enthralling read that you couldn’t put the book down. By the time I realised that it wasn’t a great book I was already 400 pages in and I had to finish it. I wasn’t going to wait a year and a half for the movie to come out. (They are making a movie out of the book due for release in 2007.) The truth is that a movie of this book will be a fucking disaster (but hey Wolfe got 5 million for the rights to the book).
Books are almost without fail superior to the movie adaptations (Da Vinci Code anyone? Edit: I read the book but won’t even bother with the movie). And a movie of I am Charlotte Simmons will be whack as hell and entirely ineffective. I’m assuming that it will be marketed as a warning to incoming naïve college freshman about the ‘realities’ of university life. But the truth is that the movie won’t even be for 17-19 year olds, it will really be for parents to get worried about what really goes on when they ship junior off to university. It will be as sappy as a teen movie but will have too many ‘mature themes’ that an R rating will keep its intended audience 17-18 year olds out of the theatre. And 19-22 year old will be too broke and disinterested to bother going to see it. I think that I should have skipped Charlotte Simmons and gone straight to the Electric Kool Aid and Acid Test.
Here’s a boring interview with Tom Wolfe and John Stewart on the Daily Show.
http://video.lisarein.com/dailyshow/nov2004/nov102004/
I've heard a lot about Mumia and his case (thanks to RATM). But the truth is I didn't know much about the man himself and I wanted to learn about him from his own words. For those of you who don't know Mumia is a journalist who is on death row for a crime that he most likely didn't commit. The claims are that he made so
many political enemies due to his association with the Black Panther Party and MOVE that he was framed through COINTELPRO. He's been on death row for over 25 years and his appeal for a fair trial has become an international cause. But that's not what Death Blossoms is about.
Death Blossoms is a collection of short essays about race, politics, the media, poverty injustice in America, faith, family, redemption and introspection. These vignettes are truly an amazing read. Its incredible how someone who is about to be sne t to death can write with such lucidity and an honesty that a free man could never write with.
Mumia's writtings really makes you think about the world around you and how you conceptualize it. Even the title Death Blossoms speaks to this: that out of imminent death his thoughts have bloomed into something truly beautiful. He writes his prose with poetic language that is neither pretentious, nor verbose. Here's an excerpt that I enjoyed:
"At first, the differences between a mighty oak and the tiny green acorn seem humongous. But upon reflection, one sees that the only real difference between them is time. You are living acorns in the forest of life, with all the potential, all the powers of the most massive oak tree that ever grew. You are in the process of becoming."
So yeah that is my book review for now. I'm already digging into a seminal classic with Zinn. This one's about 750+ pages so I'll fill you in on that, when I'm done.
Tom Wolfe-I Am Charlotte Simmons
This year I’ve been trying to read a lot more, and I’ve found a great love for books. I used to stick pretty strictly to non-fiction and biographies and what not, but this year I’ve read quite a few novels and I’ve gained a greater appreciation for story telling. Apparently, Tom Wolfe is one of the great writers of our time. I saw documentary on Marshall McLuhan that he hosted and I liked what he had to say. I’ve never had the pleasure reading Wolfe, so I thought I’d start with his latest: I am Charlotte Simmons (all 676 pages of it).
This book is basically a detailed survey of what life is like on the campus of an elite, big time American university (think Duke). Even though I’m a recent graduate of a big-time Canadian University, movies like Animal House, Van Wilder and Old School have assured me that it is a completely different reality from anything I experienced.The difference between those movies and this book is that those movies are hilarious and celebrate the supposed best 4-7 years of your life. I Am Charlotte Simmons took another view; that the moral decay on the modern University campus is indicative of the greater erosion of societal values. That’s fair enough; I don’t think that Wolfe came to any earth-shattering conclusions. It is pretty common knowledge that college students binge drink, swear profusely, have promiscuous sex, experiment with drugs, cheat on schoolwork, listen to objectionable (?) music and crave popularity or some combination of any or all of the above. But 676 pages of it? Ironically, the best part about reading the book is that Wolfe has an incredible talent for description, and his descriptive, literary techniques stretch the book out farther then it needs to be. But also keep the reader’s interest and keeps the reader’ eyes glued to the page. He also challenges the reader with his impressive vocabulary and idiosyncratic word choice.
One beef I had with I Am Charlotte Simmons is that it is supposed too be very accurate, based on research that Wolfe did at a handful of American Universities (Stanford, Michigan, UNC, Penn), but one of his markers of moral decay is rap music. He continually brings up this preposterous caricature of a fictional rapper named Dr. Dis who everybody on campus listens to. And the even more preposterous lyric that recurs no fewer than 6 times: ‘Suck on my testiculls like a popsicle.’ I mean c’mon there is some very bad Hip Hop out there, and I’m sure that Wolfe could have used a real-life example. But the truth is that as bad as rap music can be sometimes no rapper that is that obscene is as ubiquitous as Dr. Dis was in the book. I think it just underscores the fraudulent perception that rap music is the reason for moral decay in our society. I also thought it was kind of weird since Wolfe freely employed real life examples of Britney Spears, Ben Harper, Dave Mathews and OAR throughout the book. Had he replaced Dr. Dis with someone like Ludacris the reaction would have been ‘hey Ludacris’ lyrics really aren’t that offensive.’ Had he replaced Dr. Dis with an equally obscene rapper like Necro the reaction would have been ‘c’mon nobody listens to Necro.’ Is it an example of Wolfe’s inability to hide his conservative bias or is it simply that he (like most middle aged white adults) is out of touch with youth culture when it comes to music?
Anyways, the book was just okay, some parts were as cheesy as a harlequin novel and some parts were such an enthralling read that you couldn’t put the book down. By the time I realised that it wasn’t a great book I was already 400 pages in and I had to finish it. I wasn’t going to wait a year and a half for the movie to come out. (They are making a movie out of the book due for release in 2007.) The truth is that a movie of this book will be a fucking disaster (but hey Wolfe got 5 million for the rights to the book).
Books are almost without fail superior to the movie adaptations (Da Vinci Code anyone? Edit: I read the book but won’t even bother with the movie). And a movie of I am Charlotte Simmons will be whack as hell and entirely ineffective. I’m assuming that it will be marketed as a warning to incoming naïve college freshman about the ‘realities’ of university life. But the truth is that the movie won’t even be for 17-19 year olds, it will really be for parents to get worried about what really goes on when they ship junior off to university. It will be as sappy as a teen movie but will have too many ‘mature themes’ that an R rating will keep its intended audience 17-18 year olds out of the theatre. And 19-22 year old will be too broke and disinterested to bother going to see it. I think that I should have skipped Charlotte Simmons and gone straight to the Electric Kool Aid and Acid Test.
Here’s a boring interview with Tom Wolfe and John Stewart on the Daily Show.
http://video.lisarein.com/dailyshow/nov2004/nov102004/
Sam Smith-The Jordan Rules
I won't get to in depth about this book because unless you are an armchair jock like myself you won't find it too interesting. This is a great book about what really went on with the 1991 NBA Champ Chicago Bulls. Beyond all the glory and champagne, Smith does a great job of describing what really happens behind the curtains of the production that is pro basketball. The reader learns that although Jordan is the greatest player of all time, his competitiveness drives him so far as to insult his teamates and even punch Will Perdue in the face in the middle of a practice. Sports is one of my hobbies so its always great to learn about what happens in the locker room and what drives pro athletes. This book garnered major national attention when it was released and was a huge hurdle for the Bulls in the 1992 season, it was great to read it and get the backstory. All first hand accounts so you know it was legit. And Michael Jordan punched Will Perdue in the face!!!!
I've heard a lot about Mumia and his case (thanks to RATM). But the truth is I didn't know much about the man himself and I wanted to learn about him from his own words. For those of you who don't know Mumia is a journalist who is on death row for a crime that he most likely didn't commit. The claims are that he made so
many political enemies due to his association with the Black Panther Party and MOVE that he was framed through COINTELPRO. He's been on death row for over 25 years and his appeal for a fair trial has become an international cause. But that's not what Death Blossoms is about.Death Blossoms is a collection of short essays about race, politics, the media, poverty injustice in America, faith, family, redemption and introspection. These vignettes are truly an amazing read. Its incredible how someone who is about to be sne t to death can write with such lucidity and an honesty that a free man could never write with.
Mumia's writtings really makes you think about the world around you and how you conceptualize it. Even the title Death Blossoms speaks to this: that out of imminent death his thoughts have bloomed into something truly beautiful. He writes his prose with poetic language that is neither pretentious, nor verbose. Here's an excerpt that I enjoyed:
"At first, the differences between a mighty oak and the tiny green acorn seem humongous. But upon reflection, one sees that the only real difference between them is time. You are living acorns in the forest of life, with all the potential, all the powers of the most massive oak tree that ever grew. You are in the process of becoming."
So yeah that is my book review for now. I'm already digging into a seminal classic with Zinn. This one's about 750+ pages so I'll fill you in on that, when I'm done.
# posted by Chief @ 11:44 p.m. 
