August - Book 2

I almost thought I wouldn't make it. I started a couple different books at the beginning of this month. Dumb idea! I will not do that again. I am not that good at multi-tasking.

What an interesting book! If you are intrigued by all things pop culture this book is for you. It is a collection of essays written by Chuck Klosterman. He has a wide range of topics: interviewing, Music, time travel, Cars, Sports, Movies, Ted Kaczynski, media, laugh tracks, Ralph Nader, etc. Its an interesting outlook on a lot of the influences that shape our society to be the way we are. Although the chapters use a specific topic (ie: ABBA) it is merely a medium to make a point. So if you are not a super big fan of Ralph Sampson (for example) you wont completely be lost in the chapter that talks about him.

I tend to agree with him on most of his opinions. I was able to read every chapter (even the football one that he continuously "stroked my ego" throughout the chapter because I was able to stick with it, knowing little to nothing about football). It gave me insight into some of the songs I have listened to. It also made me think about what shapes our society on a whole new level. I would recommend it. But I do give a warning: profanity abounds (the F word specifically).

I had a little trouble keeping on task while reading this book. It may be because the topics (chapters) didn't really flow like a story. Also, the format he wrote it I found a little odd. He wrote it as an outline. So one chapter has subsections that can flow like the following: 1, 2, 3, 2a, 4, 2b, 1a, 3a, 2c, 4a. I think that style of writing detracted from the material because I spent too much time going, "what is he trying to make me understand by writing it like this?" I'm probably too analytical, but this blog is for my thoughts and that is what I thought!

p.s. if you are wondering about how the title of the book was picked, I'll tell you two theories posed at the end of the book:

#1 (the most obvious): In the chapter about time travel he talks about purposes for time travel. He essentially states that adjusting what happens in the past to positively effect your present is a gigantic gamble that could potentially result in you never being born, the risk is not worth it. So really, the only purpose for time travel is so you can Eat A Dinosaur.

#2 He is identifying his intended audience. I'll break it down for you. Knowing this is a book about pop culture and media, think of the "dinosaurs" or "ancient" forms of this media: newspapers, radio's, network television, etc. It is the people who consume or "eat" of these "dinosaurs" that will truly appreciate the analysis of how their society has been influenced by things like Lady Gaga and the Internet.