All Consuming : jasonronbeck

A story about "Mysterious Skin: A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:44:07 GMT

by Scott Heim

The movie adaptation of this book will be playing at SIFF this year so I’m getting ready by reading the novel. So far it’s awesome.

A story about "Wasted : A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:32 GMT

Wasted : A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia

by Marya Hornbacher

trained as a writer and extremely intelligent, hornbacher’s wasted is the best depiction of what it is like to have eating disorders that i’ve ever come across.

the book doesn’t come across as preachy or pathetic because hornbacher understands her disorder thoroughly (she has obviously spent lots of time ruminating over it and that comes across in this book). she doesn’t claim to be “over” her eating disorder, and honestly conveys what it is like to always be haunted by it.

A story about "Gravity's Rainbow (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:32 GMT

Gravity's Rainbow (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

by Thomas Pynchon

this book was absolute hell to read but extremely rewarding when i finished it. i started reading it two years before i started college and it really took me a year to read it, as i finished it like the week before i got to college. although it’s difficult to start, once you get into the thick of this book and stop trying to force yourself to comprehend everything, it gets a lot easier to go through—but, of course, you will miss a lot. i plan to re-read it sometime soon, though last time i started i gave up a few pages into it.

A story about "The Bluest Eye (Oprah's Book Club)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:32 GMT

The Bluest Eye (Oprah's Book Club)

by Toni Morrison

i still like beloved better, but for a first novel, the bluest eye is amazing. although i’ve heard some complain (including morrison herself in the epilogue) about the fragmented style of the story, i think it works. it’s not as sophisticated as morrison’s style in beloved, but still powerful and relevant. and, of course, like any morrison novel, the language and story-telling is superb.

A story about "Glamorama (Vintage Contemporaries)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:32 GMT

Glamorama (Vintage Contemporaries)

by Bret Easton Ellis

while some may write this book off as “just trying to be shocking” or “horridly shallow,” in glamorama ellis weaves a story that is much more complex than one may first notice. while, yes, there is a superfluous amount of brand-naming, that part’s of this book’s charm.

unlike american psycho (ellis’ most well-known book, i would guest), however, which shows what happens when one becomes consumed by brand and image, glamorama goes a step further to explore the construction of reality—do these brands and images reflect the world we live in or do we reflect them? he even takes the brand/image theme a step further by using models-slash-actors to question the distinction between “acting” and living, “real life” and a movie.

ellis masterfully constructs a story that is part-character study, part-spy novel, part-softcore porn, part-shock fiction, part-new york style guide, part-screenplay, part-terrorism how-to… glamorama is by-far ellis’ best work.

A story about "Life Outside - The Signorile Report on Gay Men: Sex, Drugs, Muscles, and the Passages of Life"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:31 GMT

Life Outside - The Signorile Report on Gay Men: Sex, Drugs, Muscles, and the Passages of Life

by Michelangelo Signorile

i have very mixed feelings about this book. while i applaud signorile’s critical look into the contemporary “gay lifestyle” or whatever (and, as a journalist, he does it well and covers a multitude of viewpoints), it still comes across as very preachy, which turned me off a little. he definitely advocates giving up the “ghettoization of homosexuality” (urban living, drugs, gyms, etc.) in order to become more suburban (ie: “normal,” ie: like straight people). although this, as i said, turns me off, at the same time, he provides lots of evidence that maybe such a change is needed, as more people become self-destructive through drugs and unprotected sex. i dunno, in the end, i think there are other solutions and i don’t think living in the suburbs in monogamous relationships are necessarily the answer. a good read, nonetheless.

A story about "The River: A Journey to the Source of HIV and AIDS"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:31 GMT

The River: A Journey to the Source of HIV and AIDS

by Edward Hooper

this book is amazing. it takes a very thorough (almost too thorough, maybe?) look at the origin of hiv/aids and lays it all out there. i wouldn’t go so far as to call this “a quick read,” but it is written in very common terms and easy to get through without a background knowledge of microbiology or virology. it reads more like a history or anthropology text more than anything else—though one that presents more than one view. that’s what i like best about the river—although it does support one theory over the others, it gives serious consideration to lots of origin theories (including “out there” ideas such as biowarfare, extraterrestrial origin, etc.).

A story about "Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:29 GMT

Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution

by Paul Hawken

this book almost made me think like a businessperson, which is a very scary idea. the authors’ argument that capitalism can, and should, be environmentally sound is extremely convincing, even to a quasi-socialist, wannabe-environmentalist like me.

A story about "The Rules of Attraction"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:29 GMT

The Rules of Attraction

by Bret Easton Ellis

my favorite page of this book is the one where it just has lauren’s name on the top and no other text. the best part of the book is when paul and sean each tell about a “date” they had, though the details what happens are totally different. i know that messing around with multiple narrators and demonstrating the subjectivity of reality is nothing terribly new (though very postmodern), i think rules of attraction addresses the issue very well in a causual, real-life way.

A story about "AIDS: Cultural Analysis / Cultural Activism (October Books)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:28 GMT

AIDS: Cultural Analysis / Cultural Activism (October Books)

although i didn’t have time to read all of this book, a lot of the essays in it were fascinating—both in their depth and in their new ways of looking at hiv/aids. my only complaint is that it feels somewhat dated now, but it’s nonetheless interesting to read critical work from a period when hiv/aids was a different reality.

A story about "Black Looks : Race and Representation"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:28 GMT

Black Looks : Race and Representation

by Bell Hooks

this is an amazing work of media criticism/cultural studies that address so many topics—from madonna (learn where “vogue really came from) to “selling hot pussy” to appreciation vs. exploitation… remarkable work on feminist and race studies. if she offends you or you think she’s just angry—get over it and really make an effort at this book.

A story about "The Blind Assassin: A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:28 GMT

The Blind Assassin: A Novel

by Margaret Atwood

personally, i was disappointed that the sci-fi novel-within-a-novel ended so soon, but overall this was a really good read. i predicted the twist at the end pretty early, but watching everything unravel was still rewarding.

A story about "The Crying of Lot 49"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:28 GMT

The Crying of Lot 49

by Thomas Pynchon

i love how lot 49 takes a seemingly boring topic (couriers/the postal service/etc.) and turns it into this really gripping conspiracy story. this is definitely pynchon’s most accessible novel, so i would highly recommend it.

A story about "Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:27 GMT

Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors

by Susan Sontag

this is an extremely powerful book that addresses the language used to describe “illness” and “disease.” i’m incredibly impressed by sontag’s deconstruction of the military metaphors (“fight the disease,” “kill the germs,” “virual invasion”) and how that affects the way people understand illness (“s/he was weak and got infected”) and so on. the book is remarkable compassionate and personal and i truly think it is a must-read for everybody so that we can change our perceptions of illness.

A story about "White Noise (Contemporary American Fiction)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:26 GMT

White Noise (Contemporary American Fiction)

by Don DeLillo

frankly, i didn’t think this book was as great as other people did… i’m not sure what i missed, but i just didn’t find it all that provocative or intriguing. maybe i should re-read it in the future or checkout some essays, too?

A story about "The Picture of Dorian Gray (Dover Thrift Editions)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:25 GMT

The Picture of Dorian Gray (Dover Thrift Editions)

by Oscar Wilde

definitely more psychological and gothic than i expected. a great read.

A story about "Bobos In Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:24 GMT

Bobos In Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There

by David Brooks

we read this book for my “postmodern ethics” class and i loved it, though i think pretty much everyone else in the class hated it. the book expertly describes the ironic “bohemian bourgeoisie” culture that pervades cities, college campuses, etc.

A story about "The Virgin Suicides"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:24 GMT

The Virgin Suicides

by Jeffrey Eugenides

it seems strange that a male author could attempt to construct a story about five girls. nonetheless, the fact that the story is told by a collective group of boys (a technique that really works well and that i’ve seen little of—a “we” narrator) makes it work. i hate to mention the film, but i must say it’s one of the best adapatations i’ve seen.

A story about "Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection (European Perspectives Series)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:23 GMT

Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection (European Perspectives Series)

by Julia Kristeva

i’m slowly going through this book over a long period of time. this is kristeva’s book about the theory of “abjection,” which involves hating/despising something so much that something physically comes to represent the psychic pain it causes you—at least that’s how i’ve come to understand/interpret it.

kristeva is heavy on the psychoanalysis and this is a difficult book to get through, i think, but still rewarding its presentation of new and intriguing ideas.

A story about "Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representations"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:22 GMT

Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representations

by Bell Hooks

what i love about bell hooks is that she is a literary critic who has moved beyond “literature as text” into “media as text” and delved into the world of media criticism. like her, my background is mostly literary theory, so reading her thoughts on madonna, camile paglia, malcom x, spike jonze, etc. come across as insightful and thought-provoking.

A story about "Neuromancer"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jasonronbeck) — Wed, 25 May 2005 18:42:21 GMT

Neuromancer

by William Gibson

i can’t believe i haven’t read this yet… so now i am. and it’s great.