Now maybe it’s just the circumstances under which I read it, but Notes from a Small Island was the first and best Bryson book I’ve read and ever since then I’ve been reading his other books in a futile attempt to find one that’s as good. The Lost Continent had occasional brilliant spots and longer passages that were as featureless as the terrain through which he describes travelling, and there’s really no excuse for the fatphobia (especially since Bryson describes himself as “overweight” in the book—but only fat women really deserve scorn for their size, I guess) and the racism. He captures the despair of realizing that America all looks pretty much the same (good), but then ends on an update “well, isn’t it such a nice country?” note (wtf?)

Unless you’re a true fan, read Blue Highways instead.

There doesn’t seem to be much here for people who already know something about the Internet. I threw down the book in disgust when I came to the phrase “in a netshell”.

I was most of the way through it, but then I realized I didn’t give a shit about the plot or any of the characters, so I stopped.

I wouldn’t have guessed that a movie of such emotional depth would have been made about Donkey Kong.

I’m not sure whether this book is brilliant or reactionary. Towards the end Kipnis asks, about Andrea Dworkin, “Is she making a political argument, or describing the eternal female condition?” The same question could be posed about her. It’s hard to tell which statements are meant as statements of eternal truths and which are meant to mock the conventional wisdom. When you think it’s meant one way, she’ll turn around and tell you it’s the other. Sometimes the mocking tone works, other times it comes off as watered-down David Foster Wallace.

Central 305.42 K57f 2006 DUE 12-06-07
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Central 613.9071 L965w 2006 DUE 12-07-07

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