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Average Number of Books Read Per Year: Global and Demographic Breakdown

B. Kline — Thu, 01 May 2025 15:40:41 +0000

Average Number of Books Read Per Year: Global and Demographic Breakdown

This is a look at the books read per year, based on statistics from 2024, using metric sources from various different sites. Sources will be listed at the end of this article. Sources are primarily compiled up to March of 2025.

Ever wondered how your reading habits stack up against the rest of the world? Whether you’re a voracious bookworm or an occasional reader, the numbers might surprise you. Here’s a comprehensive look at the average number of books read per year—broken down by country, age, gender, and race—plus tips for tracking your own stats and making sense of your reading life.

A look at statistics in reading (and well, why not, have a beer with it too!).

By Country: Top 10 Countries

Based on surveys and aggregated data from 2024–2025, the average number of books read per person annually in the top 10 countries is as follows. Let’s start with a global snapshot. Here’s how the top 10 book-loving countries compare in average books read per person per year:

Rank	Country	Books Read Annually
1	United States	17
2	India	16
3	United Kingdom	15
4	France	14
5	Italy	13
6	Canada	12
7	Russia	11
8	Australia	10
9	Spain	9
10	Netherlands	8

By Race/Ethnicity (U.S. Data)

White Americans: Spend the most time reading, with higher daily averages than other groups.
Asian Americans: Average about 17.4 minutes of reading per day.
Hispanic Americans: Average only 6 minutes of reading per day.
Black Americans: Data shows lower reading proficiency scores compared to White Americans, with disparities persisting post-pandemic.

While time spent reading does not directly equate to books finished, these differences in daily reading time and literacy performance suggest White and Asian Americans read more books on average per year than Black and Hispanic Americans.

By Age Bracket (U.S. Data)

18–29 years: 83% read at least one book per year, the highest among all age groups.
30–49 years: 73% read at least one book per year.
50–64 years: 70% read at least one book per year.
65+ years: 67% read at least one book per year.

Millennials (roughly corresponding to the 18–34 age group) are noted as the generation reading the most books, with high library usage and a preference for both print and digital formats.

By Gender (U.S. Data)

Women: Consistently read more books than men. In recent surveys, 77% of women reported reading at least one book in the previous year, compared to 68% of men.
Fiction Reading: The gap is even wider for fiction; in 2022, 46.9% of women read fiction compared to just 27.7% of men, a persistent 19-point difference over the last decade.

Overall: The gender gap in reading is widening, especially among younger generations, with women leading in both quantity and frequency of book reading.

Summary Table: U.S. Book Reading Percentages by Demographic

Demographic	% Reading at Least 1 Book/Year	Notes
Women	77%	Higher fiction and overall book reading
Men	68%	Lower, with a widening gender gap
18–29 years	83%	Highest among age groups
30–49 years	73%
50–64 years	70%
65+ years	67%
White Americans	Highest reading time
Asian Americans	17.4 min/day
Hispanic Americans	6 min/day	Lowest average

Key Insights

The United States leads the world in average books read per year, followed closely by India and the United Kingdom.

Women, younger adults, and White/Asian Americans are the most active book readers in the U.S.

The gender gap in reading persists and is growing, especially among younger generations.

Millennials are the most avid readers by age group.

Sources

A list of sources used to compile the above data and information:

Some Other Literature Based Articles

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MAPS OF BREWERIES

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The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of May 2025.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

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Three Questions and a Pint With Joel Gaier

paulrkan — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 17:27:56 +0000

Three Questions and a Pint With Joel Gaier

Joel is the author of the new book Flights Across America: A Brewery Lover’s Journey. As the host of the popular “Brewery Travels” podcast, he hit the road (and the sky) to visit nearly 1400 breweries across all 50 states, including 26 in PA. He began his travels
in 2017 and his book releases on December 17th . I caught up with him by phone to share a beer and a quick chat.

Flights Across America – Cover

Three Questions

Flights Across America – blurbs

1) What was the biggest takeaway from all the breweries you visited?

Not surprisingly, that they’re all different. Breweries are sort of like fingerprints—they’re unique. But in their uniqueness, they all have a story to tell. Sometimes it’s an owner’s story about how he or she got into the business. Other times, it’s the story about a particular beer they make and why people like it. And yet another story might be about how the location for the brewery was chosen. All in all, every brewery has a story to share with the community.

2) What would people be most surprised to know about your beer travels?

Oh, how much work I put into the project. From being a hobby to visit breweries in a state where I was with my family to becoming a true obsession of visiting them in every state. We would re-route trips in order to visit a brewery. It was pretty meticulous planning at times; it wasn’t willy-nilly. While it wasn’t a job, it was still a lot of work.

3) If someone wanted to plan a “beercation” to visit a bunch of breweries, what are few things they should know before they go?

I have a few sections in my book about beer tourism and how to plan your visits. The two big tips would be to make sure to double check a brewery’s hours. Sometimes they’re inconsistent and you don’t want to make a big plan and show up on say a Thursday when a brewery is closed, thinking its hours are like the weekend’s. Or, if it is closed for maintenance or some other reason. And two, might sound obvious, but find out what type of beer the place serves—if you don’t like a certain type of beer—like sours or IPA—but that’s the type of beer a brewery specializes in, you may want to skip it.

You can see Paul’s other ‘Three Questions and a Pint’ here:

Flights Across America – Promotional

The Pint

Joel was spending some time back at home with his kids while we were talking and wasn’t having a beer. I was enjoying a Sierra Nevada Narwhal as we talked. (Sierra Nevada Narwhal.)

You can follow Joel Gaier on his Instagram at — @brewery_travels.

You can purchase the book from Amazon here: Flights Across America: A Brewery Lover’s Journey

You can read more about it on GoodReads here: Flights Across America: A Brewery Lover’s Journey (GoodReads).

Paul R. Kan

Paul R. Kan is the author of Hawai’i Beer: A History of Brewing in Paradise which was a North American Guild of Beer Writers’ award winner and a #1 new release on Amazon’s Books on Beer. He has written for Good Beer Hunting and is Editor-at-Large at The Beer Thrillers. Along with beer reviews, book reviews and interviews, he also writes about the interesting ways beer intersects with people and society. His current book project is Red, White and Brew: The Beers and Battles that Shaped America. He lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

ʻOi kau ka lā, e hana i ola honua (While the sun yet shines, do all you can).

Paul R. Kan Articles

The following are articles that Paul R. Kan has written here for The Beer Thrillers:

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MAPS OF BREWERIES

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The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of August 2024.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

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Book Review: Star Wars – Most Wanted (Rae Carson)

B. Kline — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 02:01:50 +0000

Star Wars Most Wanted by Rae Carlson

Star Wars: Most Wanted by Rae Carson offers fans of the galaxy far, far away a thrilling prelude to the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Set on the gritty streets of Corellia, the novel delves into the early lives of Han Solo and Qi’ra, two characters whose destinies are intricately linked.

Good Reads Back Cover

The back cover synopsis on GoodReads:

Set before the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story! Han and Qi’ra don’t have a lot in common other than not having a lot. They’re street kids on the industrial planet Corellia, doing whatever it takes to get by, dreaming of something more. They each jump at a chance to prove themselves in the perilous world of Corellia’s criminal underbelly, only to discover they are on the same mission for the same unscrupulous boss. When the job goes disastrously wrong, Han and Qi’ra are on the run–from pirates, a droid crime syndicate, the Empire, and their boss–and will have to learn to trust each other if they are going to survive.

GoodReads – Star Wars: Most Wanted

Book Review: Star Wars – Most Wanted by Rae Carlson

(I listened to this on audiobook via Libby. I also then read the in print version as well for comparison’s sake.)

Plot Overview

The story centers on Han and Qi’ra before they became the figures we know from the Star Wars saga. They are both “scrumrats,” orphans who must rely on their wits and street smarts to survive in the criminal underworld of Corellia. Their ultimate goal is to escape their oppressive circumstances and find freedom beyond the stars. But when a heist goes wrong, the two must team up to survive against the odds, racing against time to outmaneuver rival gangs, corrupt officials, and the ever-looming presence of the Empire.

Character Development

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its portrayal of Han and Qi’ra as complex, multifaceted characters. Han is the scrappy, reckless dreamer we’ve come to expect, but Carson gives him layers of vulnerability and determination that make his journey all the more compelling. Qi’ra, on the other hand, is cunning and ambitious, yet haunted by the harsh realities of her world. The dynamic between them is electric, filled with tension, camaraderie, and a touch of romance.

Themes and Setting

Rae Carson does a masterful job of immersing readers in the seedy underbelly of Corellia. The city is portrayed as a living, breathing entity—grimy, dangerous, and full of opportunities for those daring enough to seize them. Themes of survival, loyalty, and the quest for freedom resonate throughout the novel, making it more than just a simple adventure tale. It’s a story about the choices we make, the people we trust, and the lengths we’ll go to achieve our dreams.

Writing Style

Carson’s writing is brisk and engaging, perfectly suited to the fast-paced nature of the story. She captures the voice of the Star Wars universe with ease, balancing action, character moments, and world-building in a way that feels true to the franchise. Her ability to convey the inner thoughts and emotions of Han and Qi’ra adds depth to the narrative, making their journey not just one of survival, but of self-discovery.

Final Thoughts

Star Wars: Most Wanted is a must-read for fans of the Star Wars saga, particularly those interested in the backstory of Han Solo and Qi’ra. Rae Carson has crafted a tale that is both exciting and emotionally resonant, providing new insights into these beloved characters while staying true to the spirit of the franchise. Whether you’re a die-hard Star Wars fan or just looking for a gripping adventure, this book delivers on all fronts.

My GoodReads Rating: ****
Global GoodReads Rating: 3.76 (as of 7.25.24)
My LibraryThing Rating: ***.5

Other Book Reviews

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

Futurama

Lord of the Rings:

Magic the Gathering:

New Belgium Teams Up with Magic the Gathering for Vastwood Seer IPA

Heroes of Barcadia:

Rollacrit Partners with Voodoo Ranger IPA for New Kickstarter, Heroes of Barcadia: Heroes for Hire Tabletop Game

Zelda:

Rick and Morty:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

The Peanuts:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Philadelphia Eagles:

The Philadelphia Eagles Running Back – D’Andre Swift – Visits Bald Bird Brewing Company

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

The Muppets:

Other:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

Book Review: Knife (Salman Rushdie)

B. Kline — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 17:50:23 +0000

Book Review: Knife by Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie’s “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder” is a poignant and introspective memoir that offers a raw, unflinching account of the author’s near-fatal stabbing in August 2022. This work serves as both a testament to Rushdie’s resilience and a profound exploration of the aftermath of violence, weaving together personal narrative, philosophical musings, and literary craftsmanship.

Reading Knife by Salman Rushdie on my work break. (Via our Instagram – The Beer Thrillers)

Narrative Structure and Style

Rushdie employs a chronological approach to recount the events surrounding the attack and his subsequent recovery. The opening chapter, with its chilling precision, stands out as some of the most compelling prose in Rushdie’s oeuvre. His description of the assailant as “a sort of time traveler, a murderous ghost from the past” encapsulates the surreal nature of the incident and its connection to the long-standing fatwa against him. The author’s trademark wit and sardonic humor are evident throughout the text, even in the face of grave circumstances. Rushdie’s decision to refer to his attacker simply as “the A” (for Assassin, Assailant, or Asinine) demonstrates his refusal to grant his would-be killer undue significance while simultaneously showcasing his linguistic playfulness.

Thematic Exploration

Violence and Its Aftermath

At its core, “Knife” is an examination of the physical and psychological repercussions of violence. Rushdie’s detailed account of his injuries and recovery process serves not only as a personal narrative but also as a universal exploration of trauma. His observation that “in the presence of serious injuries, your body’s privacy ceases to exist” speaks to the vulnerability and loss of autonomy experienced by victims of violence.

Identity and Resilience

The memoir grapples with questions of identity in the face of life-altering events. Rushdie’s struggle to reconcile his pre-attack self with his post-attack reality is palpable throughout the text. His determination to “reclaim his life” and his defiant stance of living “like a free man” underscore themes of resilience and the indomitable human spirit.

The Role of Art in Healing

Rushdie’s decision to “answer violence with art” is a central theme of the book. The act of writing itself becomes a form of therapy and reclamation, allowing the author to process his trauma and assert control over his narrative. This aspect of the memoir reinforces the power of literature as a tool for healing and understanding.

Literary Techniques and Devices

One of the most intriguing aspects of “Knife” is Rushdie’s use of imagined conversations with his attacker. While these sections have been criticized by some as the least potent part of the book, they serve an important function in exploring the author’s need for understanding and closure. These fictional dialogues allow Rushdie to confront questions of motivation and ideology that would otherwise remain unanswered. The author’s use of metaphor is particularly striking, especially in his treatment of the titular knife. By describing the knife as “morally neutral in itself,” Rushdie invites readers to consider broader questions about the nature of violence and human agency.

Critical Analysis

While “Knife” is undoubtedly a powerful and moving account, it is not without its flaws. The book’s structure can feel somewhat disjointed at times, with Rushdie seeming to struggle with the balance between personal narrative and broader philosophical musings. Additionally, the imagined conversations with the attacker, while conceptually interesting, occasionally veer into territory that feels forced or contrived. However, these minor shortcomings are overshadowed by the memoir’s overall impact. Rushdie’s ability to transform a deeply personal trauma into a work of literature that speaks to universal themes of resilience, freedom, and the power of art is truly remarkable.

Conclusion

“Knife” stands as a significant addition to Rushdie’s body of work, offering readers a glimpse into the mind of one of contemporary literature’s most influential figures as he grapples with mortality and the aftermath of violence. More than just a personal account, this memoir serves as a meditation on the enduring conflict between forces of fanaticism and those of artistic freedom. In confronting his own brush with death, Rushdie has created a work that reaffirms the vital importance of literature in our understanding of the human experience.

My GoodReads Rating: ****
GoodReads Global Average Rating: 4.06 (as 0f 7.18.24)
My LibraryThing Rating: ****1/4

Knife by Salman Rushdie

Knife by Salman Rushdie (cover via GoodReads)

The back of the book blurb:

From internationally renowned writer and Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, a searing, deeply personal account of enduring—and surviving—an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him

On the morning of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was standing onstage at the Chautauqua Institution, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe from harm, when a man in black—black clothes, black mask—rushed down the aisle toward him, wielding a knife. His first thought: So it’s you. Here you are.

What followed was a horrific act of violence that shook the literary world and beyond. Now, for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, Rushdie relives the traumatic events of that day and its aftermath, as well as his journey toward physical recovery and the healing that was made possible by the love and support of his wife, Eliza, his family, his army of doctors and physical therapists, and his community of readers worldwide.

Knife is Rushdie at the peak of his powers, writing with urgency, with gravity, with unflinching honesty. It is also a deeply moving reminder of literature’s capacity to make sense of the unthinkable, an intimate and life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art—and finding the strength to stand up again.

Knife – GoodReads

The Attack on August 12, 2022

On August 12, 2022, at approximately 10:47 a.m. EDT, Salman Rushdie was about to deliver a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York when tragedy struck. As Rushdie prepared to speak about the United States as a safe haven for exiled writers, an assailant rushed the stage and launched a vicious attack.

The attacker, later identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar from Fairview, New Jersey, stabbed Rushdie multiple times. The assault was brutal and persistent, with Matar continuing his attack even as several people attempted to restrain him. In total, Rushdie suffered fifteen stab wounds to various parts of his body, including his face, neck, abdomen, chest, and right eye.

Henry Reese, the co-founder of City of Asylum who was on stage to interview Rushdie, was also injured in the attack, sustaining a shallow knife wound and bruising near his right eye. The swift response of a New York state trooper and a sheriff’s deputy present at the event led to Matar’s immediate arrest.

The aftermath of the attack was dire. Rushdie was quickly airlifted to UPMC Hamot, a hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he underwent emergency surgery. Initially, his condition was critical, with Rushdie on a ventilator and facing potential loss of an eye, liver damage, and severed nerves in one arm. Despite the severity of his injuries, Rushdie’s resilience shone through. By August 13, he had been taken off the ventilator and was able to speak. However, the attack left lasting impacts, including the loss of sight in his right eye and limited use of his left hand.

This horrific incident brought renewed attention to the longstanding threats against Rushdie, which began with the 1989 fatwa issued by Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini following the publication of “The Satanic Verses”. The attack, occurring decades after the initial threats, served as a stark reminder of the enduring nature of extremist ideologies and the ongoing risks faced by writers who challenge religious and political norms.

See articles:

Stabbing of Salman Rushdie (Wikipedia)
Salman Rushdie (Wikipedia)
Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder (Wikipedia)
Satanic Verses Controversy (Wikipedia)

Legacy of Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie in 2024 (via The Atlantic)

Salman Rushdie’s legacy is multifaceted, encompassing his literary achievements, his influence on other writers, and his role as a champion of free speech. His impact on literature and society extends far beyond his own works, shaping the landscape of contemporary fiction and public discourse.

Literary Legacy

Rushdie’s contribution to literature is profound and enduring. His novels, particularly “Midnight’s Children,” have redefined the boundaries of magical realism and postcolonial literature. The Booker Prize committee recognized the lasting importance of his work as early as 1981, describing “Midnight’s Children” as “a work of extraordinary ambition and abundance” and “of amazing imaginative fertility as well as of political courage”.

Rushdie’s unique style, blending magical realism with historical fiction, has influenced a generation of writers. His exploration of themes such as migration, cultural hybridity, and the connections between Eastern and Western worlds has opened new avenues for literary expression.

Authors like Hanif Kureishi and Zadie Smith have been influenced by Rushdie’s approach to tackling cultural identity and the immigrant experience. (In turn, Salman Rushdie himself was inspired by writers as diverse as Franz Kafka, Anton Chekhov, Italo Calvino, Karel Capek, Ursula K. Le Guin, Jorge Louis Borges, James Joyce, Joseph Conrad, P. G. Wodehouse, and many more.)

Salman Rushdie’s influence on contemporary writers is both profound and far-reaching. His willingness to tackle controversial themes, such as cultural identity, migration, and the intersections of religion and politics, has inspired a new generation of authors to explore these complex topics in their own work. Writers like Hanif Kureishi and Zadie Smith have drawn from Rushdie’s bold narrative style and thematic focus, incorporating similar explorations of cultural hybridity and the immigrant experience into their novels.

Rushdie’s blending of magical realism with historical and political commentary has also left a lasting mark on global literature. His innovative storytelling techniques, seen in works like Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses, have encouraged younger writers to experiment with form and genre. For instance, Zadie Smith’s White Teeth reflects Rushdie’s influence in its intricate exploration of multiculturalism and identity within a modern context. Moreover, his advocacy for free speech and artistic freedom has emboldened many authors to challenge societal norms through their writing, ensuring that his legacy continues to inspire literary innovation.

Champion of Free Speech

Perhaps Rushdie’s most significant legacy lies in his unwavering commitment to free speech and artistic freedom. The controversy surrounding “The Satanic Verses” and the subsequent fatwa against him thrust Rushdie into the role of a symbol for freedom of expression. His refusal to be silenced in the face of threats and persecution has inspired writers and artists worldwide to tackle controversial themes and push the boundaries of acceptable discourse.

Cultural Impact

Rushdie’s influence extends beyond the literary world. He has played a crucial role in changing perceptions of South Asian writers and culture in the West. As one of the first desi authors to achieve widespread recognition in Europe and North America, Rushdie helped pave the way for greater representation and understanding of South Asian perspectives in global literature.

Academic and Critical Recognition

Rushdie’s work has become a staple in academic studies of postcolonial literature. Scholars have extensively analyzed his exploration of postcolonial identity and cultural hybridity, recognizing the profound insights his novels offer into the dynamic interplay between tradition and modernity in a globalized world.

Ongoing Relevance

Even in his later works, Rushdie continues to address contemporary issues. His novel “Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights” (2015) explores themes of transnationalism and cosmopolitanism, demonstrating his ability to evolve and remain relevant in changing times. Rushdie’s perspective on the role of literature in society remains influential, with his assertion that the job of the modern writer is “to try and open up the universe to show people all of its possibilities”.

In conclusion, Salman Rushdie’s legacy is that of a literary pioneer, a cultural bridge-builder, and a tireless advocate for freedom of expression. His work has not only entertained and challenged readers but has also shaped the course of contemporary literature and public discourse on issues of identity, culture, and artistic freedom.

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Book Review: The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For (David McCullough)

B. Kline — Fri, 31 May 2024 03:14:54 +0000

Book Review: The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For (David McCullough)

When you pick up a David McCullough book, you usually expect a sweeping, immersive journey through history — the kind of deep-dive that takes you from dusty archives to the front row of America’s most pivotal moments. McCullough has given us John Adams, Truman, 1776, The Wright Brothers — all hefty, research-packed works with rich storytelling.

The American Spirit by David McCullough

Book Blurb

This is the back of the book cover blurb, from GoodReads:

A New York Times Bestseller

A timely collection of speeches by David McCullough, the most honored historian in the United States—winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among many others—that reminds us of fundamental American principles.

Over the course of his distinguished career, David McCullough has spoken before Congress, the White House, colleges and universities, historical societies, and other esteemed institutions. Now, at a time of self-reflection in America following a bitter election campaign that has left the country divided, McCullough has collected some of his most important speeches in a brief volume designed to identify important principles and characteristics that are particularly American. The American Spirit reminds us of core American values to which we all subscribe, regardless of which region we live in, which political party we identify with, or our ethnic background. This is a book about America for all Americans that reminds us who we are and helps to guide us as we find our way forward.

– The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For (David McCullough) (GoodReads)

Book Review

The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For is a different kind of book. It’s lean. It’s quick. And it’s made up of a series of speeches McCullough delivered over the years to graduating classes, historical societies, and civic groups. Instead of one continuous narrative, you get short, reflective pieces, each with its own flavor, but all circling the same big themes: history matters, citizenship matters, optimism matters.

McCullough reminds us that knowing where we’ve been is essential to knowing who we are. He encourages curiosity, engagement, and pride in our shared past. His words are measured, dignified, and carry the weight of someone who’s spent a lifetime studying the American story. This is McCullough in teacher mode — not lecturing, but nudging, encouraging, and sometimes outright challenging us to do better.

Where the book succeeds: it’s inspiring. In a world that feels fractured and noisy, McCullough’s voice cuts through like a calm, steady guide. If you need a reminder of the values that have held the country together — hard work, perseverance, civic duty — this delivers.

Where the book falls short: it’s repetitive. Because it’s a compilation of speeches, you’ll notice certain lines, anecdotes, and themes pop up again and again. That’s natural for live addresses given to different audiences, but when read back-to-back in book form, it can feel like déjà vu. And if you’re used to McCullough’s more in-depth historical works, this might feel a bit light on detail.

Still, as a “sipper” rather than a “full pour,” The American Spirit works. It’s a book you can read in short bursts — maybe a speech over coffee, or while waiting for your latest homebrew batch to boil — and walk away feeling just a little more hopeful about the American experiment.

Best for:

Fans of McCullough who want something quick and uplifting.
Readers who enjoy historically rooted reflections on patriotism and civic engagement.
Anyone in need of a reminder that American history is more than dates and battles — it’s about values and the people who carry them forward.

Much like a good session beer, The American Spirit is easy to take in, doesn’t overwhelm, and leaves you with a pleasant aftertaste — even if it’s not the strongest pour in McCullough’s catalog.

My LibraryThing Rating: 3.5 Stars
My GoodReads Rating: 4 Stars (since they don’t do half stars, I decided to round up)
Average GoodReads Rating: 4.22 (as of 5.30.24)

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Book Review: The Homebrewer’s Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Malts, Brewing Herbs (Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher)

B. Kline — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 04:15:31 +0000

The Homebrewer’s Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Malts, Brewing Herbs by Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher

Homebrewing

Homebrewing is a fascinating and rewarding hobby that allows beer enthusiasts to create their own unique brews from the comfort of their homes. The process involves combining basic ingredients—malted grains, hops, yeast, and water—in specific ways to produce a wide variety of beer styles. Homebrewing offers an incredible amount of creative freedom, as brewers can experiment with different ingredients and techniques to craft beers that match their personal tastes and preferences. This DIY approach not only deepens one’s appreciation for the art and science of brewing but also provides a sense of accomplishment with each successful batch.

The journey of homebrewing typically begins with selecting a recipe and gathering the necessary equipment and ingredients. Beginner brewers often start with extract brewing, which uses malt extract to simplify the process. This method requires less equipment and shorter brew times, making it accessible for newcomers. As brewers gain experience and confidence, many transition to all-grain brewing, which involves mashing malted grains to extract fermentable sugars. All-grain brewing offers greater control over the beer’s flavor and body, allowing for more nuanced and complex brews. Essential equipment for homebrewing includes a large kettle, fermenter, airlock, thermometer, hydrometer, and bottling supplies.

The brewing process itself is a blend of science and art. It begins with mashing, where crushed grains are soaked in hot water to convert starches into sugars. The resulting liquid, called wort, is then boiled, and hops are added at various stages to impart bitterness, flavor, and aroma. After boiling, the wort is rapidly cooled and transferred to a fermenter, where yeast is added to begin fermentation. During this stage, which can last from a few days to several weeks, the yeast consumes the sugars in the wort, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. Monitoring and maintaining proper fermentation temperatures is crucial for ensuring the desired characteristics of the final beer.

After fermentation, the beer is typically conditioned for a period to develop its flavors and carbonation. This can be done in bottles or kegs, with the addition of a small amount of sugar or pressurized CO2 to create carbonation. Patience is key during this phase, as conditioning can take several weeks, but the wait is usually well worth it. Once conditioning is complete, the beer is ready to be enjoyed. Homebrewers often take pride in sharing their creations with friends and family, and the feedback received can be invaluable for refining future batches.

One of the most exciting aspects of homebrewing is the community that comes with it. Homebrewers are a passionate and supportive group, often eager to share tips, recipes, and experiences. Many cities have homebrew clubs where members can exchange knowledge and sample each other’s beers. Online forums and social media groups also provide a wealth of information and camaraderie. Whether brewing solo or with a group, homebrewing is a hobby that fosters creativity, learning, and a deeper appreciation for the craft of beer making. It’s a journey filled with experimentation, occasional challenges, and the ultimate reward of enjoying a beer that’s truly your own.

Growing Hops

Growing hops is a rewarding endeavor for homebrewers looking to infuse their beer with fresh, homegrown ingredients. Hops are the flowers of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus), and they play a crucial role in brewing by adding bitterness, flavor, and aroma to beer. The first step in growing hops is selecting the right variety based on your climate and the flavor profile you desire. Popular varieties like Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook are favored by many brewers for their versatility and distinctive characteristics. Hops require a sunny location with well-drained soil, and they thrive in temperate climates with long days during the growing season.

Once you’ve chosen your hop varieties, the next step is planting. Hops are typically grown from rhizomes, which are root cuttings taken from mature plants. Plant the rhizomes in early spring, about 4-6 inches deep, and space them about 3 feet apart to give each plant plenty of room to grow. As hops are vigorous climbers, it’s essential to provide a sturdy trellis or support system for the bines (the stems of the hop plant) to climb. Regular watering, especially during dry periods, and mulching around the base of the plants can help retain moisture and keep the roots cool.

Caring for hops involves regular maintenance to ensure healthy growth and a bountiful harvest. Hops can grow up to 20 feet in a single season, so training the bines to climb the trellis is crucial. Pruning the lower leaves and shoots encourages airflow and reduces the risk of disease. Hops are susceptible to pests such as aphids and spider mites, as well as diseases like powdery mildew. Regular inspection and prompt treatment with appropriate organic or chemical controls can help manage these issues. By late summer, the hop cones will begin to ripen, and you’ll know they are ready to harvest when they feel dry and papery, and the lupulin glands inside the cones are a vibrant yellow. After harvesting, the hops should be dried and stored properly to preserve their qualities for brewing.

Book Review: The Homebrewer’s Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Malts, Brewing Herbs by Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher

GoodReads Blurb:

Grow a beer garden! Enhance the flavor, aroma, and personality of your homebrew by cultivating your own hops, herbs, and malt grains. With expert advice on choosing and maintaining the best plants for your needs, Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher show you how to turn a small patch of backyard, or even a few window boxes, into a renewable brewing supply store. Discover the satisfaction that comes from brewing tasty beers using fresh homegrown ingredients.

GoodReads – The Homebrewer’s Garden

The Homebrewer’s Garden by Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher is an essential guide for any homebrewer looking to elevate their craft by cultivating their own ingredients. This comprehensive manual covers the entire process of growing, preparing, and utilizing hops, malts, and brewing herbs, making it a valuable resource for both novice and experienced brewers who wish to take a hands-on approach to their beer-making.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its detailed and practical advice on gardening techniques tailored specifically for brewing ingredients. The Fishers draw from their extensive experience to provide step-by-step instructions on planting, nurturing, and harvesting hops and other plants. They also include information on soil preparation, pest management, and seasonal care, ensuring that readers have all the tools they need to successfully grow high-quality ingredients. The authors’ passion for homebrewing and gardening shines through, making the text engaging and accessible.

Beyond gardening, The Homebrewer’s Garden delves into the preparation and use of these homegrown ingredients in brewing. The book offers a wealth of recipes and brewing tips, demonstrating how to incorporate fresh hops, malted grains, and herbs into a variety of beer styles. The inclusion of unique brewing herbs like yarrow, juniper, and coriander adds an exciting dimension for brewers looking to experiment with flavors and create distinctive brews. This holistic approach, from garden to glass, empowers homebrewers to craft beers that are truly their own, imbued with the flavors and aromas of their own gardens.

In conclusion, The Homebrewer’s Garden is an invaluable resource that combines practical gardening advice with creative brewing techniques. Joe and Dennis Fisher have crafted a guide that is not only informative but also inspiring, encouraging homebrewers to explore the full potential of their craft. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your brewing process with homegrown ingredients, this book is a must-have addition to your brewing library.

My GoodReads Rating: ***
My LibraryThing Rating: ***1/2
Global Average GoodReads Rating: 3.75 (as of 4.30.24)

Homebrewing Recipes

We are circling back to include more homebrew articles. We have gotten some requests for recipes, so we have decided to write them up and post them here. Be sure to check for other Homebrew articles and recipes as well!

Homebrewing Articles

The Ultimate Guide to Homebrewing: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices for 2024

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Book Review: The Road (Cormac McCarthy)

B. Kline — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 13:34:12 +0000

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road

I read this just a few years after high school, after the birth of my second child, and what now feels like forever ago (but was really just 15 years ago). I remember absolutely loving it. A bleak, dystopic novel of just… going forward. Always moving forward. Always going. One foot in front of the other.

And I do find myself like Cormac McCarthy. I loved No Country for Old Men, and All the Pretty Horses. But, on re-reading this just before going to Atlantic City for the AC Beer and Music Fest, I found myself…. having conflicting thoughts on it. At first, it felt like I was re-reading a favorite old book, but further I went through it (and its a super quick read), I found myself… not caring. Not loving it anymore. Some of it is the style, I know a lot of people are put off by the writing style of the book, the bleak isolated speech, the poor punctuation, grammar, the screenplay like dialogue but without directions, etc. And on my first read, it worked, I liked it, and at the start of re-reading it – I too liked it, but then it grew tiresome on me. And I think, all the more because it all just feels ‘pointless’.

When I looked up my GoodReads initial rating of it, I gave it ***** (5 out of 5). Crazy. But that was definitely in my phase of “Everything is either 5 stars or 1 star” mindset of looking at things. Not so much due to naïvety of thinking everything was either a classic or not, but just for simplicity sake when using the app. I tended to be the same with Untappd and other similar rating apps. Also in the fifteen years since, I think I got a bit more nuanced in my own thoughts, appreciation, and love for reading. I’ve been a voracious reader ever since middle school, and I typically for the last half dozen years have been reading about a hundred books per year. So I’ve certainly grown some since my initial reading of this.

I think some of my biggest take-aways is also a thing of growth in myself as a person, because the entirety of the book feels like a “why bother” now. With how absolutely bleak it is, it feels just pointless. Existentially pointless. For all intents and purposes humanity is done for. And thats ultimately the point of the novel, to drive home just how bleak it is, but that the Man keeps pushing onward, even when his wife couldn’t, even when his Son doesn’t think he can, you ‘have to’. But I even question the point of thinking ‘you have to’ in a world like this. What do you live for? Its not really tackled in the book outside of the “because you have to’ omnipresence behind each page. Its not even directly stated. Characters don’t state things like that in the book. The Man just has the vague sense of ‘you must always keep moving no matter how bleak and horrible and terrible it is’, but its never explicitly said – not that it HAS to be explicitly said, I can draw inferences, but, a discussion, some character, some growth, some introspection, something would be interesting or nice or at least add substance to this. I can draw the inference of ‘you must always keep moving’ by page 10, so the remaining 276 pages are like a footnote to the initial thought.

I feel like my review will come off as extremely harsh, and probably far harsher than I even intend it to be. There is still a part of me that enjoys this work – but I think its for the overarch of it, not for the actual writing, prose, or the book itself. Its my interest and intrigue in the genre, its the way the story gets my mind to drift and think of how I would write a similar dystopic novel; so my interest and enjoyment of this (on the re-read) is more based on how I vaguely feel as a ‘whole’ to the entire process, to what I feel deep down, and not so much to the writing itself. I want to still really enjoy it, I want to dive deep into the book, but I’m afraid its not deep, its a shallow dive into a pond that looks deep from up high. Maybe thats where my frustration grows, and why I give a scathing review here. I genuinely think I’m being a bit too harsh on Cormac McCarthy here, and for his fans and lovers, I apologize for that. Maybe its just in re-reading this and what I remembered and feeling let down as an older man. Maybe its reading too many other book reviews and my critique level is so much higher than it was before. Maybe I’ve grown away from him. I still have No Country for Old Men on my “to re-read” list for the year. So who knows when we get to that, and if my opinions will change.

Cormac McCarthy

Cormac McCarthy in 1973 (photo courtesy of Wikipedia).

Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr.; July 20, 1933 – June 13, 2023) was an American writer who authored twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories, spanning the Western and postapocalyptic genres. His works often include graphic depictions of violence, and his writing style is characterised by a sparse use of punctuation and attribution. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American novelists.^[1]^[2]^[3]

McCarthy was born in Providence, Rhode Island, although he was raised primarily in Tennessee. In 1951, he enrolled in the University of Tennessee, but dropped out to join the U.S. Air Force. His debut novel, The Orchard Keeper, was published in 1965. Awarded literary grants, McCarthy was able to travel to southern Europe, where he wrote his second novel, Outer Dark (1968). Suttree (1979), like his other early novels, received generally positive reviews, but was not a commercial success. A MacArthur Fellowship enabled him to travel to the American Southwest, where he researched and wrote his fifth novel, Blood Meridian (1985). Although it initially garnered a lukewarm critical and commercial reception, it has since been regarded as his magnum opus, with some labeling it the Great American Novel.

McCarthy first experienced widespread success with All the Pretty Horses (1992), for which he received both the National Book Award^[4] and the National Book Critics Circle Award. It was followed by The Crossing (1994) and Cities of the Plain (1998), completing The Border Trilogy. His 2005 novel No Country for Old Men received mixed reviews. His 2006 novel The Road won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction.

Many of McCarthy’s works have been adapted into film. The 2007 film adaptation of No Country for Old Men was a critical and commercial success, winning four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The films All the Pretty Horses, The Road, and Child of God were also adapted from his works of the same names, and Outer Dark was turned into a 15-minute short. McCarthy had a play adapted into a 2011 film, The Sunset Limited.

McCarthy worked with the Santa Fe Institute, a multidisciplinary research center, where he published the essay “The Kekulé Problem” (2017), which explores the human unconscious and the origin of language. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2012.^[5] His final novels, The Passenger and Stella Maris, were published on October 25, 2022, and December 6, 2022, respectively.^[6]

Cormac McCarthy – Wikipedia Article

Book Review: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Back of cover blurb, as per GoodReads:

A searing, postapocalyptic novel destined to become Cormac McCarthy’s masterpiece.

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.

The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, “each the other’s world entire,” are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.

The Road – GoodReads Back of Cover Blurb

The Road is uneven and repetitive—sometimes mimicking Melville, at other times Hemingway—but rather than forming a cohesive fusion, it appears more like a patchwork creation: stitched from disparate parts into a clumsy, mismatched entity, then awkwardly animated by McCarthy’s lofty status among Hollywood filmmakers and insular award circles.

Recall the ’96 Sokal Affair, where NYU Professor Alan Sokal submitted a deliberately obtuse and jargon-laden paper to various scientific journals, which was published because it pandered to their biases despite being utter nonsense. This incident demonstrated the profound failure of these esteemed adjudicators to discern the quality of arguments, driven largely by politics rather than merit. This skepticism towards gatekeepers of knowledge extends to the literary domain, where works like The Road receive acclaim seemingly more for their alignment with prevailing tastes than for any substantive merit. McCarthy, unlike Sokal, may not have intended deception, but his style is marked by an emptiness dressed up in a manner that conveniently invites praise.

Many praise McCarthy for his straightforward prose, which I could appreciate if it mirrored the deliberate and measured style of Hemingway. However, what I encountered in The Road was different:

“He took out the plastic bottle of water and unscrewed the cap and held it out and the boy came and took it and stood drinking. He lowered the bottle and got his breath and he sat in the road and crossed his legs and drank again. Then he handed the bottle back and the man drank and screwed the cap back on and rummaged through the pack. They ate a can of white beans, passing it between them, and he threw the empty tin into the woods.

Then they set out down the road again.”

Yes, the writing is simple. Yet, is it precise and purposeful? Hardly. The Road often reads more like a monotonous inventory of actions rather than a thoughtfully crafted narrative. In its verbosity and redundancy, it loses the very essence of what it attempts to convey. This isn’t simplicity; it’s needless complication masquerading as minimalism.

McCarthy’s stylistic choice in The Road aims to elevate the mundane through simplicity—a technique often seen in postmodern literature, which seeks to make the familiar seem novel again and underscore the significance of everyday occurrences. However, McCarthy does not transform the context but merely restates it, resulting in a narrative devoid of distinct personality, disconnected from the plot, and revealing little about the characters.

The intention may be to depict the characters’ profound exhaustion, so great that they seem disengaged from their own existence. But must the portrayal of tedium be so tedious itself? Skillful writers can imbue the ordinary with wonder, yet The Road’s starkness strips it of beauty and its aimlessness deprives it of poignancy.

When McCarthy abandons the terse style reminiscent of Hemingway, he unexpectedly veers into Melville’s territory of dense, florid prose:

“The man thought he seemed some sad and solitary changeling child announcing the arrival of a traveling spectacle in shire and village who does not know that behind him the players have all been carried off by wolves.”

The transition between styles is jarring, with no coherent effort to meld them. Elsewhere, McCarthy’s repetition of “dead ivy,” “dead grass,” and “dead trees” drones on monotonously until he abruptly shifts to describe them as “shrouded in a carbon fog,” a phrase that could belong in a lackluster cyberpunk collection.

Consider another instance:

“It’s snowing, the boy said. A single gray flake sifting down. He caught it in his hand and watched it expire like the last host of christendom.”

Here, McCarthy attempts to channel Melville’s grandiose, religious symbolism, presenting himself as a decrepit seer akin to the prophetic figures in Moby Dick. Yet, while Melville’s integration of theology feels profoundly omnipresent and awe-inspiring, McCarthy’s feels forced and minimal, akin to superficial decor in an otherwise sparse room. McCarthy never reaches the profound otherworldliness of Melville’s lines such as, “There stand his trees, each with a hollow trunk, as if a hermit and a crucifix were within.”

McCarthy often layers his elaborate metaphors thickly, seemingly striving for a unique literary voice. However, the result more often resembles the melodramatic scribblings in a ‘Team Edward’ notebook abandoned after a high school poetry class:

“. . . Query: How does the never to be differ from what never was?

Dark of the invisible moon. The nights now only slightly less black. By day the banished sun circles the earth like a grieving mother with a lamp.

People sitting on the sidewalk in the dawn half immolate and smoking in their clothes. Like failed sectarian suicides. . . .”

His introduction of these lines feels robotic, almost as though penned by a sardonic Asimovian robot. Wry Observation: It’s almost believable that he is one, given his apparent detachment from beauty and human emotion. Sharp Comment: Yet, he seems to disregard Asimov’s first law, as his clumsy prose inflicts suffering upon the reader’s ears.

Occasionally, amidst mundane descriptions, such as scraping paint with a screwdriver, McCarthy inserts an obscure technical term that baffles more than it enlightens. These terms don’t seem to fit the world he’s created or emerge from any specialized knowledge possessed by his characters, rendering them meaningless within the narrative.

A fundamental piece of advice for any novice writer is to avoid using complex vocabulary unnecessarily—it comes off as self-indulgent and does little to enhance the story. It would be different if these terms were part of a deliberate stylistic choice, but here, they feel like jarring bits of jargon that disrupt the flow of the text—just more debris for the reader to navigate.

As I progressed through the book, its unrelenting grimness became more tiring than compelling, and its credibility waned. The structure of isolated sentences posing as entire chapters, brief two-word fragments punctuated as though profound, and the undifferentiated, monosyllabic mutterings akin to a vagrant talking to himself—all contribute to a sense that the novel is overdone and absurd.

The book confronted me like a towering, inebriated man in a bar, challenging me to mock his typo-laden tattoo—and I couldn’t help but laugh. I’m not sure if my coworkers or fellow bus riders knew what ‘The Road’ was about (this was long before any film adaptation), but they might have guessed it to be a wildly comic adventure involving a bus full of nuns concealing a disguised convict, chased by a klutzy southern sheriff and his sidekick, complete with a donkey for extra laughs.

Without diving into specifics, the book’s infamous ending feels arbitrarily attached, failing to resonate with or conclude any of the emotional journey built up prior. It wraps up neatly, almost too neatly, which seems to validate McCarthy’s own admission on Oprah that he “had no idea where it was going” as he wrote it. And indeed, it shows, Cormac.

From the excerpts, you might have picked up on another glaring issue—the book’s punctuation, or rather, the lack thereof. The most sophisticated punctuation mark McCarthy employs is the occasional comma. It’s not as if the text is composed of simple, clear-cut sentences either. McCarthy indulges in compound clauses and fragmented sentences, yet he refrains from using any conventional marks to structure them.

Moreover, McCarthy avoids using quotation marks in the dialogue and seldom attributes lines to characters, leaving readers to puzzle out whether a line is spoken or merely a part of his ‘poetic license’. This requires us to first determine if someone is speaking at all, and then to decipher who might be speaking. While Melville eschewed quotation marks in a chapter of Moby Dick in a nod to Shakespeare, he recognized that this was a playful affectation suited to a comically absurd scene—a subtlety McCarthy’s approach sorely lacks.

Not only are the structure, grammar, figurative language, and basic descriptions sorely lacking, the characters themselves are equally flat and monotonous. The interactions between the father and son are painfully repetitive:

Father: Do it now.

Son: I‘m scared.

Father: Just do it.

Son: Are we going to die?

Father: No.

Son: Are you sure?

Father: Yes.

In the absence of dialogue tags, this conversation unfurls in a continuous line, indistinguishable one from the next. After meandering or fleeing from threats, the conversation typically concludes with:

Son: Why did (terrible thing) just happen?

Father: (Stares off in silence)

Son: Why did (terrible thing) just happen?

Father: (More silence)

This encapsulates their entire relationship: stagnant, unevolving, and nonsensical. Despite their constant companionship, there’s an inexplicable distance between them, reminiscent of a suburban parent and child who seldom interact and share little in common. McCarthy fails to explore or explain this disconnect, despite the characters’ continuous and close interactions.

Moreover, McCarthy revealed to Oprah that the book reflects his relationship with his own son, which perhaps explains why the emotional tone feels so disconnected from the dire setting. It’s as if he equated his own distant paternal relationship with the extreme survival struggles faced by those in catastrophic situations, resulting in a narrative that could be seen as an act of privileged self-pity.

The characters are underdeveloped, and their reactions often feel forced, like those in a poorly scripted horror movie. The boy, perpetually terrified, serves mainly to amplify every crisis, resembling a cliché fright scene more than a genuine human response. In horror, subtlety often trumps overt dramatization; a quiet, unsettling reaction can be far more powerful than overt hysteria. For example, a child who doesn’t scream upon finding a dead infant, suggesting a chilling adaptation to a horrific norm, could have been profoundly impactful.

Instead, we get a child who reacts as though each horror is a new shock, despite having experienced similar horrors repeatedly. The characters don’t seem to develop emotional resilience or suffer from PTSD; their responses feel more like teenage angst than authentic distress. A truly compelling narrative might have explored a father’s struggle to prevent his son from becoming desensitized to their brutal world, rather than portraying a child inexplicably untouched by his harsh reality.

Every time a challenge arises in this book, the characters collapse internally and resign themselves to despair. In reality, people typically respond to immediate dangers with action—either fighting, fleeing, or freezing—not by succumbing to self-pity, which is a luxury reserved for moments of safety and reflection.

There’s an utter lack of joy or hope in this narrative. Yet, in even the most dire situations, humans find ways to persevere, often through small victories, rationalizations, or even delusions. The concept of ‘The Fire’ in the book, which the father uses to justify their survival, feels less like an authentic motivational force and more like a convenient plot device. It seems McCarthy couldn’t conceive a believable reason why his characters would strive to survive, reducing their journey to a mechanical following of ‘The Plot’.

This book presents a world devoid of possibilities, which is less a portrayal of reality and more a grim literary exercise. Despite aiming to evoke deep emotional responses, the continuous bleakness prevents any real connection. There’s no contrast in this monochrome narrative; it’s like a canvas painted black where additional strokes only blend into the darkness, lacking tension or depth.

Labeling this as tragedy porn might be harsh, but not unfounded. It equates the banality of suburban life with extreme human suffering, allowing readers to superficially align their mild discomforts with profound tragedies. Thus, a bored housewife or a man estranged from his father might see their own mundane grievances mirrored in these extreme circumstances, feeling validated in their emotional responses.

This indulgence allows the privileged to equate their insulated pain with the acute suffering of others, often seen briefly in adverts between their favorite TV shows. It’s a modern form of invisible colonialism where the affluent can feel connected to global suffering without ever experiencing real deprivation or danger. They perform conscientious acts—recycling, using organic products, conserving water—as superficial penance, comforting themselves with their supposed solidarity with humanity.

And here I am, feeling disheartened by all this, which makes me as hypocritical as any other comfortably distant observer of global tragedies. Reading this book didn’t make me empathize with its contrived angst; it only highlighted how disconnected it is from real despair, much like my own detached existential musings are from those truly struggling.

This detachment is emblematic of a broader trend among American authors, and their navel-gazing works rarely attempt to engage with the world at large. In the infamous Oprah interview, McCarthy’s inability to discuss his craft or explore deeper ideas was evident; he responded to questions with dismissive laughter and vague shrugs, perhaps betraying a lack of deeper insight into his own work.

From this perspective, it’s understandable why he secured the Pulitzer. Awards often reflect underlying political currents, and selecting McCarthy seems like an affirmation of a certain self-centered American viewpoint that some believe remains pertinent. However, the global community continues to evolve, often sidelining American literary contributions, casting doubt on the likelihood of a Nobel prize for McCarthy or any other American writer in the near future.

This book seems to be an ode to American self-importance, a trait increasingly out of step with a globally interconnected, homogenous world. It serves as a marker for one of two outcomes: it could either signify the demise of a dwindling philosophy, succumbing to internal discord and narrow-mindedness, or herald a necessary transformation into something more globally competitive and relevant. After all, resting on past laurels can only get you so far.

But then, the Pulitzer committee is renowned for picking unadventurous winners–usually an unremarkable late entry by an author past their prime. As William Gass put it: “the prize is simply not given to work of the first rank, rarely even to the second; and if you believed yourself to be a writer of that eminence, you are now assured of being over the hill”.

Genre aficionados will recognize a disheartening pattern in this book, much lamented by the likes of LeGuin: the phenomenon of a well-known literary author dabbling in genres like fantasy or sci-fi. These authors enter with their mainstream literary credentials to supposedly show the regulars ‘how it’s done’, yet they often lack a deep understanding of the genre’s nuances and history. As a result, they churn out content that might have seemed stale decades ago. Fortunately for these authors, their usual literary critics, unfamiliar with genre specifics, might find these retreads novel, simply due to the author’s fame.

For this effort, McCarthy might earn two stars for delivering a passable, albeit clichéd, sci-fi adventure narrative, but this is offset by a star for his troubling portrayal of human suffering. While I haven’t explored McCarthy’s other works and may do so to see if his acclaim is warranted, this particular book doesn’t support his lauded reputation. It presents a case of an author outgrowing editorial control and, with the freedom to write as he pleases, demonstrating that he may have nothing left of significance to say.

I will begin to wrap-up with a quote by David Foster Wallace:

Look, if the contemporary condition is hopelessly shitty, insipid, materialistic, emotionally retarded, sadomasochistic, and stupid, then I (or any writer) can get away with slapping together stories with characters who are stupid, vapid, emotionally retarded, which is easy, because these sorts of characters require no development. With descriptions that are merely lists … Where stupid people say insipid stuff to each other. If what’s always distinguished bad writing–flat characters, a narrative world that’s … not recognizably human, etc.–is also a description of today’s world, then bad writing becomes an ingenious mimesis of a bad world … most of us agree that these are dark times, and stupid ones, but do we need fiction that does nothing but dramatize how dark and stupid everything is?

David Foster Wallace

Cormac plays to the strengths of the genre with The Road. He plays to the collective knowledge we all have of dystopia, dystopic nature, apocalypse, and post apocalypse, but thats basically where this ends. Its bare bones, both for a reason, and because theres nothing more he could do with it. The problem is we cry out for more, and we cannot be given it. We’re not even given backstory, nothing more than the “you must keep moving forward”, always “move forward”. In a post-9/11 world, in a post-COVID world, in a world that has seen what we all have seen, with a history of all that we have seen – the words “you must keep moving forward” ring very true – but also ring very hollow. These are platitudes in the dark that don’t put any meat on the bones. And we crave meat and potatoes and something to stick it all together, not just the bones, and all Cormac McCarthy has to offer us here is the bones.

My GoodReads Rating: **
(My initial GoodReads Rating: *****)
My LibraryThing Rating: **1/2
Global Average GoodReads Rating: 3.99 (as of 4.18.24).

Wrapping This All Up

Yes, I think I went down a long tangent of a road, critiquing this still very heavily. Do I think I “missed the point” of the novel? I don’t think so, I think I understand it. Its existential, its barebones, its bleak, its dark, its macabre, its somber. But it never really rises above that. For 286 pages its poetic, like a poetic nightmare. The prose is written for awards, I think thats a chief concern and annoyance with the actual writing. More than the “avant-garde” writing of grammar and punctuation and no “he said” “she said” dialogue notes. For how bleak and miserable it is, and how we are to take this man as a grizzled man who is surviving and can’t be bothered to give his thoughts on anything, to see big “10 dollar” and “50 dollar” words, feels… like the writing is never really “aimed for us”. But over us. Right now, how many of you know what ‘crozzled’ means? (Its in the book.) (Quick spoiler, here’s what it means as per Dictionary.com: Adjective. crozzled (comparative more crozzled, superlative most crozzled) Shrunken or shrivelled from exposure to heat.)

I still want to enjoy it, and I think I can, perhaps its a “right frame of mind” kind of reading, or maybe just have to turn off my critique mind, and just go in and read it. Who knows. Will I give it a re-read? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I will in 2035 when we are facing a real apocalypse, who knows.

Other Book Reviews

Thank You For Reading

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Book Review: How to Rule the World: A Handbook for the Aspiring Dictator (André de Guillaume)

B. Kline — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 03:08:40 +0000

How to Rule the World: A Handbook for the Aspiring Dictator by André de Guillaume

Rule the World

Who doesn’t want to Rule the World? This is a humorous look at dictatorship, poking fun at the idea of it in a satirical fashion via a “handbook” style piece of work. There is some historical information and a bit of factual basis to this, but through and through though its a satirical piece of work. It talks of past dictators – Hitler, Alexander the Great, Stalin, Mao, etc, and gives evidence for how they took charge, how they seized power, how they controlled and maintained power, and even how they lost their power (or their lives).

GoodReads Blurb

The back of the book blurb according to GoodReads:

Everyone wants to rule the world, but only a precious few have the skills to create an ironclad plan of attack. Simple, direct, and delightfully unprincipled, this guide contains tales of global power mongering from every age and endeavors to show dilettante dictators and tyrants-to-be just how it’s done. Tips are provided on creating a personal flag, what type of puppet government to establish, how to squelch free speech, and, most important, how to handle enemies. Also included are humorous full-color illustrations, sidebars on admirable despots, and self-quizzes that allow readers to see if they have what it takes to conquer the world.

How to Rule the World – GoodReads

Book Review – How to Rule the World: A Handbook for the Aspiring Dictator

By: Andre de Guillaume

In a world saturated with self-help books and guides on achieving personal and professional success, Andre de Guillaume takes a wildly different route with his audacious and satirical “How to Rule the World: A Handbook for the Aspiring Dictator.” This compact, witty tome provides readers with a cheeky step-by-step guide on ascending to ultimate power and establishing dictatorial rule, ostensibly leaving no political stone unturned.

Overview

Guillaume’s approach is both ironic and instructive, underlined by a sharp, dark sense of humor that both entertains and provokes thought. The book, structured as a manual, covers a range of essential topics for the budding dictator, from seizing power and controlling the populace to managing international relations and suppressing opposition. The author crafts each chapter with a blend of historical anecdotes and hypothetical scenarios, creating a mock-serious tone that underscores the absurdity of the pursuit.

Writing Style

Andre de Guillaume’s writing is direct, incisive, and infused with irony. His ability to distill complex political maneuvers into digestible advice, albeit facetiously, makes for an engaging read. The text is peppered with references to historical dictators, blending real events and figures with hypothetical, often hilarious advice and scenarios. This technique not only makes the material accessible but also continuously reminds the reader of the serious undertones behind the laughter.

Audience Appeal

While “How to Rule the World” is clearly tongue-in-cheek, its appeal stretches beyond just those looking for a humorous read. Students of political science might find it a light-hearted supplement to more serious studies, offering a unique perspective on the mechanics of authoritarian rule. Meanwhile, fans of satire and political humor will appreciate the cleverness with which Guillaume mimics self-help and leadership manuals.

Critical Perspective

Despite its entertaining content, the book might not be for everyone. Some may find the subject matter offensive if taken out of context, and it’s important for readers to approach it with an understanding of its satirical intent. Additionally, while the book is amusing and clever, it doesn’t offer deep, nuanced analysis of political systems—nor is it meant to.

Overall, “How to Rule the World: A Handbook for the Aspiring Dictator” by Andre de Guillaume is a sharply witty, amusing book that cleverly satirizes the self-help and leadership genres. While it should be consumed with an appreciation for its satirical nature and not as a genuine guide, it offers valuable insights—delivered with a laugh—into the machinations of dictatorial power. For those looking to be both entertained and provoked into thought about the absurdities of absolute power, this handbook is certainly worth the read.

My GoodReads Rating: ***
My LibraryThing Rating: ***
Global Average GoodReads Rating: 3.66 (as of 3.14.24)

Other Book Reviews

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The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

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Book Review: Beer and Society: How We Make Beer and Beer Makes Us (Eli Revelle Yano Wilson and Asa B. Stone)

paulrkan — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:04:01 +0000

Quick Note

Quick note from Ben (B. Kline) of The Beer Thrillers. Paul R. Kan reached out to me a few weeks ago asking to write this book review for the blog. He is a co – owner of Burd’s Nest Brewing Company in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. We were thrilled to have him reach out to us and chose the blog to write his article. We are looking forward to having him write more articles in the future here at The Beer Thrillers. I will give a quick shout out to Burd’s Nest Brewing, and post their links, and then will follow his book review, followed by a small bio he has written about himself, and then the normal wrap – up we do here on the blog.

Burd’s Nest Brewing Company

Burd’s Nest Brewing Company is a micro brewery based out of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. On Untappd they are listed as having 91 beers with a global average rating of 3.46 (as of 9.23.22). Their Untappd description is currently blank. Their social media links are:

I would like to thank Paul R. Kan for reaching out to us, and writing the following book review.

Book Review: Beer and Society: How We Make Beer and Beer Makes Us – By – Eli Revelle Yano Wilson and Asa B. Stone

Think for a moment. Where did you drink your last beer? What kind of beer was it and were you with anyone else? The answers to these simple questions lie at the heart of the new book, Beer and Society: How We Make Beer and Beer Makes Us. Whether you were drinking the newest IPA release at a craft brewery with some friends; having a Bud Light alone at home while watching a game or doing something totally different says a lot about you and the way you look at beer.

Exploring how beer gives people more than a buzz but a sense of identity as well are the book’s authors- two sociology professors at University of New Mexico who are also certified Cicerones. Their credentials as both academics and beer experts make the authors well-positioned to write this book. And like tasting a new beer, this book has many nuances and subtleties that some people will appreciate while others may not.

The authors explain how beer is more than a drink; it’s also a social identity. “Whether we intend it or not, our choice of beer signals to others about what kind of person we are and what else we stand for.” (p.5). If your last beer was a hazy IPA at your favorite craft brewery with a group of friends, then you may be communicating to others that you support local businesses, value quality beer and can afford to go out for beer. However, the person who prefers to drink Bud Light alone while watching the game may view you as a bougie elitist.

Social identity is more than just an academic way to say that we use beer to judge ourselves and others. Social identity has concrete meaning for those of us who are in the craft beer business. As an owner of Burd’s Nest Brewing Company in Carlisle, PA, I want to appeal to the social identity of as many people as possible. Yes, we’ll always have one of our IPAs on tap, but we’ll also have cans of Yuengling Lager in our beer fridge. In our area, not everyone likes beer with a bolder taste, nor can they afford the price. It’s more than economics. Because of our taproom’s large, open and light space, many people use our brewery to express their social identity through live music, art shows, yoga classes, history talks, and college seminars. Many people in our community are introduced to our beers through these events. Our social identity has become “serving beer to serve the community.”

When the authors begin to define “community” as part of social identity in chapter 3, “The Social Organization of Beer” the book becomes more controversial. The authors’ discussion of the larger economic and social forces surrounding beer production and consumption may strike the reader as a product of today’s political debates. The chapter raises questions like, “Why do we see disparities of race and gender and, more implicitly, class among those employed in the U.S. beer industry? Put simply, why is the craft beer dominated by ‘bearded White dudes?’” (p.60) It is true; 92% of breweries are owned by men; only 2% are solely owned by women; and only 1% of breweries are owned by African Americans. The authors spend a lot of time on the gap in BIPOC and LGTBQ+ representation in the brewing industry, but the authors acknowledge that it is shrinking.

Beer and Society at Burd’s Nest Brewing Company in Carlisle Pennsylvania

As a brewery owner who’s a clean-shaven-only-half-Caucasian-dude, I wrestled with this chapter. I know that I don’t look like most craft brewery owners. But that’s never been a personal or professional issue for me. Perhaps it’s because I grew up in the multi-ethnic state of Hawai’i. However, another part of the authors’ research does reflect what I see—“no brewer or brewery owner we know or have talked to for this book thinks that denying someone a job based on their race and gender identity or appearance is okay.” (p.63). I have not felt the sting of discrimination in the industry and the ownership of my brewery is dedicated to providing a welcoming workplace (and taproom) for all.

Where craft breweries have felt a sting is from the business practices of multinational corporate breweries. Part of the social identity of any craft brewery is its independence. In chapter 4, “The Business of Beer,” the authors cover how “Big Beer” (like AB-ImBev and SABMiller) responded to the market threats from the exploding number of craft breweries by buying out some of them, purchasing ingredient suppliers and securing exclusive long-term contracts with malting facilities. This has challenged the ability of smaller craft breweries to maintain their independence, or just stay in business. Big Beer used these tactics before COVID, rising inflation and supply chain constraints; today the pressures on craft brewers are even more acute. Small breweries like mine can pass along only so much of the costs to our customers before the price of each pint is out of reach.

Departing from the heavy topics in previous parts of the book, chapter 6 “Beer Cultures” was the most fun. The authors examine how people in various countries enjoy beer differently, especially in the ways people toast. In Japan, it is considered rude to make eye contact when toasting. Meanwhile, many French, Spanish and Germans believe that not making eye contact while toasting is a bad omen and results in seven years of bad sex. (No offense against the Japanese, but I’m not going to take any chances when I make my next toast).

All in all, the book is a well-written journey through the terrain of what beer means to people and how people give meaning to beer. Ironically, the book’s prominent discussion of diversity, equity and inclusion topics makes it a product of beer and society. Ten years ago, a book like this would have had trouble finding a publisher, but interest in these topics has become prominent and craft beer is now much more a part of consumer demand. Beer and society will continue to shape each other. Let’s toast (while making eye contact, please) to the positive evolution of both.

Paul R. Kan Bio

Again, thank you Paul for reaching out to us to have your book review posted here. Here is the small bio he sent with his book review:

Paul R. Kan is co-owner of Burd’s Nest Brewing Company in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He is also the author of Hawai’i Beer: A History of Brewing in Paradise which was a 2021 North American Guild of Beer Writers’ award winner and the #1 new release on Amazon’s Books on Beer.

Some Other Book Reviews

If you are looking for other book reviews here on The Beer Thrillers, here are some more we’ve covered:

Thanks For Reading

Thank you everyone for reading, and thank you Paul R. Kan for the great book review. Hope you all enjoyed it and enjoyed your time here at the blog. Be sure to check out Burd’s Nest Brewing Company in Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and be sure to like and follow The Beer Thrillers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc; and do the same for Burd’s Nest Brewing Company. Be sure to follow and subscribe here to the blog to get alerts as soon as our posts are uploaded.

Cheers!

-Paul R. Kan

-B. Kline

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

Book Review: 9-11 (Noam Chomsky)

B. Kline — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 23:33:00 +0000

9-11

I think for most Americans, we can all picture exactly where we were on September 11th, 2001. Same for older generations with Kennedy’s assassination, or Pearl Harbor, or big other catastrophic events. Especially if they hit home or were local.

I was in study hall, early morning, I was 16 at the time, and was sound asleep and woken up and my teacher put the news on. At this point the first plane had hit, and we witnessed the rest live. Not much school happened that day, and I honestly don’t remember being taught a single thing that day, or even the rest of that week or weeks. I had turned 16 on August 27th 2001, and on September 11th, 2001 – the entirety of the world changed in an instant.

Noam Chomsky

A quick biography of Noam Chomsky, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Avram Noam Chomsky^[a] (born December 7, 1928) is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian,^[b][c] social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called “the father of modern linguistics”,^[d] Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. He is a Laureate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Arizona and an Institute Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and is the author of more than 150 books on topics such as linguistics, war, politics, and mass media. Ideologically, he aligns with anarcho-syndicalism and libertarian socialism.

Born to Jewish immigrants in Philadelphia, Chomsky developed an early interest in anarchism from alternative bookstores in New York City. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania. During his postgraduate work in the Harvard Society of Fellows, Chomsky developed the theory of transformational grammar for which he earned his doctorate in 1955. That year he began teaching at MIT, and in 1957 emerged as a significant figure in linguistics with his landmark work Syntactic Structures, which played a major role in remodeling the study of language. From 1958 to 1959 Chomsky was a National Science Foundation fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study. He created or co-created the universal grammar theory, the generative grammar theory, the Chomsky hierarchy, and the minimalist program. Chomsky also played a pivotal role in the decline of linguistic behaviorism, and was particularly critical of the work of B. F. Skinner.

An outspoken opponent of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, which he saw as an act of American imperialism, in 1967 Chomsky rose to national attention for his anti-war essay “The Responsibility of Intellectuals“. Becoming associated with the New Left, he was arrested multiple times for his activism and placed on President Richard Nixon‘s Enemies List. While expanding his work in linguistics over subsequent decades, he also became involved in the linguistics wars. In collaboration with Edward S. Herman, Chomsky later articulated the propaganda model of media criticism in Manufacturing Consent and worked to expose the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. His defense of unconditional freedom of speech, including that of Holocaust denial, generated significant controversy in the Faurisson affair of the 1980s. Since retiring from active teaching at MIT, he has continued his vocal political activism, including opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq and supporting the Occupy movement. Chomsky began teaching at the University of Arizona in 2017.

One of the most cited scholars alive,^[20] Chomsky has influenced a broad array of academic fields. He is widely recognized as having helped to spark the cognitive revolution in the human sciences, contributing to the development of a new cognitivistic framework for the study of language and the mind. In addition to his continued scholarship, he remains a leading critic of U.S. foreign policy, neoliberalism and contemporary state capitalism, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and mainstream news media. Chomsky and his ideas are highly influential in the anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist movements.
Noam Chomsky (Wikipedia)

For more information on Noam, you can also visit GoodReads – Noam Chomsky, as well as numerous other philosophical and literature based sites on the web. He is a renowned linguist, educator, philosopher, essayist, and political commentator.

Interviewers

Some of the interviewers for this book are:

Book Review

GoodReads Blurb:

In 9-11, Noam Chomsky comments on the September 11th attacks, the new war on terrorism, Osama bin Laden, U.S. involvement with Afghanistan, media control, and the long-term implications of America’s military attacks abroad. Informed by his deep understanding of the gravity of these issues and the global stakes, 9-11 demonstrates Chomsky’s impeccable knowledge of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and South Asia, and sheds light on the rapidly shifting balance of world power. Speaking out against escalating violence, Chomsky critically examines the United States’ own foreign policy record and considers what international institutions might be employed against underground networks and national states accused of terrorism. 9-11’s analysis still stands as a measure of how well the media is able to serve its role of informing the citizenry, so crucial to our democracy in times of war.
9-11 by Noam Chomsky (GoodReads)

It’s now been just over 20 years (read this in February of 2022) since the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9-11 (September 11th, 2001). So there has been some time and perspective, to how the attacks happened, what all has transpired since, and everything else surrounding the world in that time frame. I’ve aged 20 years (good god now I feel old), I’ve witnessed the “War on Terrorism” and our efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and numerous other places in the world. Saw the attack in Islamabad that resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden, and how the world has changed as a whole due to all of this.

It’s amazing how well this piece of work holds up, and how Noam Chomsky’s opinions, intellect, and insights are almost prescient. Especially considering this is a collection of interviews, and not just a full on essay by Chomsky (to be fair – there is an essay at the end of the book).

It is a rushed book, and a rush series of interviews collected and edited into this volume. Which is all the more reason why this is actually an impressive work – twenty years after the fact. Chomsky certainly sheds a lot of light on events leading up to 9-11 from a non-American perspective and gives some form of indication and idea of why the attacks were not a complete and total ‘surprise’ by the world at large. He brings up salient points on how America could (before the attacks) have been considered the largest terrorist active country in the world, with regards to our actions in Beirut, Nicaragua, and elsewhere.

This isn’t an pro-American piece of work, and Chomsky doesn’t paint America in the most sympathetic light. This isn’t to be confused with him believing it was a justified attack. Far from it. Nothing justifies what happened on 9-11 and Chomsky wants to be very clear about that. But our actions in Afghanistan, radicalizing fanatical Islamic groups, our actions in Beirut, and Nicaragua, and numerous other countries over the past few decades (leading up to 2001 – 1990s, 1980s, 1970s), certainly doesn’t make us the complete victims we always believed us to be. And don’t get me wrong here – we are victims in this attack. Its an immeasurable and incomparable attack. Pure innocents and civilians died. This wasn’t a ‘war’ attack on a military unit. This was a terrorist attack on innocents.

Like I said above, Chomsky brings up a lot of good points, many of which I only learned years after September 11th, 2001. Especially since I was younger then, in my teens, and my knowledge and research base wasn’t nearly what it is today. The interviews in the book are done well and Chomsky comes off very well, and in his normal talking and writing style. There is some bad or off point questions, but I believe they’ve edited this enough that its coherent, makes sense, and stays on point and topic and creates a nice piece of work with the book.

My GoodReads Rating: ***
Global Average GoodReads Rating: 3.73 (as of 2.18.22)
My LibraryThing Rating: ***.5

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-B. Kline