Delightfully offbeat but dense, this love letter to Pynchon delivers its share of gems.
Where does one begin a discussion of Thomas Pynchon’s famously difficult novel, Gravity’s Rainbow? This free-wheeling critique takes a loose approach. On the first page, readers learn the following: Pynchon was 8 years old when World War II ended; he was good friends with author Richard Fariña; and the character Slothrop in Gravity’s Rainbow is “essentially a dumbass.” In the pages that follow, McGrouchpants tackles Slothrop, Russian demolition crews working in the night, and the novel’s Teddy Bloat in a shoot-from-the hip fashion. This is not a chapter-by-chapter analysis or a definitive investigation of certain themes. It is instead a playful examination of cultural references, including Nine Inch Nails and Eric Bogosian. It is a look at lessons to be learned from this “obscure tome nobody reads,” such as how the book “teaches you to be not-naïve.” There are also many personal (for McGrouchpants) allusions to Portland, Oregon. Powell’s bookstore and the Living Room Theater are the types of cultural institutions that allow for deep thinking on something like a comparison of Pynchon and music critic Lester Bangs. This brief work (under 25 pages) doesn’t answer a lot of questions. It instead builds a great deal of curiosity about Gravity’s Rainbow and its influence. McGrouchpants refers to the novel as being so immense that “it exists in its own time, and in its own space.” It is one of those books that can be read and reread. The novel has certainly influenced the cyberpunk genre and perhaps much more. But certain sentiments are not exactly clear. The author asserts that “a book where the bus doesn’t show up late, isn’t a book about human life” yet is that true? Some abstract passages, including how Pynchon’s name looks something like a molecular chain, do not exactly add to the intrigue. Yet on the whole, McGrouchpants’ unabashedly odd work provides a heartfelt ode to an unabashedly strange novel. What better way to pay homage to literary complexity?
Delightfully offbeat but dense, this love letter to Pynchon delivers its share of gems.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Well-told and admonitory.
Young-rags-to-mature-riches memoir by broker and motivational speaker Gardner.
Born and raised in the Milwaukee ghetto, the author pulled himself up from considerable disadvantage. He was fatherless, and his adored mother wasn’t always around; once, as a child, he spied her at a family funeral accompanied by a prison guard. When beautiful, evanescent Moms was there, Chris also had to deal with Freddie “I ain’t your goddamn daddy!” Triplett, one of the meanest stepfathers in recent literature. Chris did “the dozens” with the homies, boosted a bit and in the course of youthful adventure was raped. His heroes were Miles Davis, James Brown and Muhammad Ali. Meanwhile, at the behest of Moms, he developed a fondness for reading. He joined the Navy and became a medic (preparing badass Marines for proctology), and a proficient lab technician. Moving up in San Francisco, married and then divorced, he sold medical supplies. He was recruited as a trainee at Dean Witter just around the time he became a homeless single father. All his belongings in a shopping cart, Gardner sometimes slept with his young son at the office (apparently undiscovered by the night cleaning crew). The two also frequently bedded down in a public restroom. After Gardner’s talents were finally appreciated by the firm of Bear Stearns, his American Dream became real. He got the cool duds, hot car and fine ladies so coveted from afar back in the day. He even had a meeting with Nelson Mandela. Through it all, he remained a prideful parent. His own no-daddy blues are gone now.
Well-told and admonitory.Pub Date: June 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-06-074486-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Amistad/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2006
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