I’m surprised Googling “apocalyptic ennui” didn’t deliver much, just a few quirky blogs and song lyrics. Maybe that means it’s a really meaningful connection of the two words. I realized when writing my review of “Boys Adrift” that apocalyptic ennui is a significant part of my psychology and inevitably my politics at the moment. Growing up in the 60’s (fear or nuclear war) then switching to “hippie” fears (global cooling, nuclear war, the draft, American culture generally, unhealthy food and religion) was exhausting enough. I wasn’t ready to get on the next bandwagon: global warming, global capitalism, American culture–especially overseas, antibiotics in food leading to new killer bacteria, killer viruses like Ebola, terrorism at home and abroad, destruction of species, inequality of wealth–leading to revolutions, crash of the dollar, depletion of oil, ethanol destroying the food supplies, and the inevitable Islamic takeover of Europe–perhaps leading to an imminent crash of the West. Read More »
For me one of the problems with this book is that it’s too broad a complaint. It dilutes energy. For starters, I have my doubts about the video game demonization (that’s a whole other discussion that includes how comic books, rock music and once upon a time novels were considered serious social problems). Two of the five bullet points, the ADHD drug discussion and the more exotic “endocrine disrupters,” locate the author in the somewhat fringey environmental movement. On the drugs, it could be true, but it’s an issue that parents and doctors, etc. have to monitor very closely. It’s typical of this kind of “expert” that he falls himself into the devaluation of parents–they’re not all Homer Simpsons. He could also be “right” about the endocrine thing, but it’s exotic, and distracting, and global. More apocalyptic than helpful. I do FULLY AGREE with him on devaluation of masculinity and feminization of education, though even here there is a “South Park” backlash in play where the boys are insulating themselves from the most deleterious effects by tribalizing around video games (!), sports and yes, defensive cynicism. Watch “Knocked Up” and “Superbad” for evidence of this reaction. But if Mr. Leonard Sax concentrated on the education thing and the devaluation of masculinity, my sense is he could be much more effective.
The biggest issue I had with the book was the author’s relationship to the “literal” Catholicism of his main character, Scobie. Was Scobie a true believer or was he already so deeply wounded (by the loss of his child, I suspect) that his religion is a legalistic “shell” he lives inside of. In this sense he “believes” the Church’s teachings but not so much with his HEART (title reference) but with this HEAD. Read More »
So finally I find this incredible writer. How did I find her, I’m not even sure now. Oh, I remember, I was looking into “literary thriller” lists on the net and her name came up. Since Hitchcock did her “Strangers on a Train” I thought it would be fun to read it, then see the movie. Read More »
He could be Bowles’ twin. I can’t say evil twin because the two of them are Nietszche-boys: showing us a world beyond good and evil. Makes you want to stay home and pet your rabbit. J G Ballard // Super Cannes
I took her class at Southampton. She’s very funny and a great storyteller. I have the sense she could just talk out these stories all night and they’d all be clever and funny and never repeat. Melissa Bank // The Wonder Spot
If the man wrote one book and then became a food writer for the Portland Monitor or Portland Inquirer (or whatever they call their paper) he could still die happy. But he wouldn’t of course because, dammit, he’s mad as hell and…no, not that. Yes, that. He’s mad as hell and gonna take all of us with him. Chuck Palaniuk // Fight Club
This island: I want to go. Even though it would mean death and madness, I still want to go there. Fowles knows something most people don’t, and you could read this over and over and you’d never really understand what he’s trying to say. If you had one book to take to a desert island… stop me now! Fowles // The Magus
He seems to know a lot about contemporary men, and don’t despair, there’s a tiny slice of hope somewhere in there. And he seems to believe men can change, get better, and despite the urban myth that this is a marketing ploy to get women to read his books, so what? Be brave, read them anyway. Nick Hornby // About a Boy
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