THE UNADJUSTED MAN

by Peter Viereck ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 1956

This is an intellectual digest of America, both provocative and provoking but not a very warm human picture. Viereck is one of the mouthpieces of the new ""liberal-conservative"" movement, known through such books as and The Shame and Glory of the Intellectual, through articles in Harper's Atlantic etc., and through his poetry. On the plus side, his observation of social and political life is close and accurate; he bases his judgment squarely on the facts as he sees them, not on polemics nor shibboleths. He has his addictions- and his . He is a liberal humanist, not an egalitarian, and claims for himself and supports a middle ground, which he chooses to call conservative. His jibes are , his defence telling. (One chapter is devoted to praise of Adlai Stevenson.) He sums up Americans as maladjusted, over adjusted, or-his new hero- unadjusted (those who do not run with the mob). But -- on the minus side-he makes his thesis almost unreadable by his gobbledy gook dialect coined for his purpose, which creates an aura that is somewhat spurious. While the book may have appeal to some intellectuals, it won't really disturb the course of history.

Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1956

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Beacon

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1956

Categories: NONFICTION