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csnurr's review against another edition
2.0
I was really, really hoping I’d like this so much more than I did but my enjoyment was thrown because this book couldn’t seem to make up its mind about what it wanted to be.
At times it was a Blues Brothers-esque travelogue about the author and her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend which I probably would have read but would have been an entertaining memoir for another reader.
Then it was a (brief) history of the cultural significance of the hot dog which I was hoping for.
Then it was a scathing critique of capitalism as a whole and capitalism/consumerism that created the ubiquitousness of the hot dog which I also would have loved reading.
Instead this book feels like a weird mish mash of the three along with random anecdotes from the authors life that don’t actually relate to America’s love for hot dogs. It doesn’t even read as if Jamie Loftus actually likes hot dogs herself. I don’t mean to be unkind because this has all the makings of a fun and impactful book about hot dogs but reading it made me wonder if the author just chose hot dogs to write about because it’s the most meme-able food she could think of.
It felt like she had to constantly couch her conspicuous consumption (subsidized by her book advance and ostensibly for research) of hot dogs by throwing out common leftist critiques of capitalism (and I’d consider myself a leftist who agrees with most of her points) without really drilling down beyond a couple paragraphs here and there.
I think this would work for a lot of people but for me the marketing and hype of this book did not match up with what I got. I was hoping for more discussion of hot dogs beyond surface level history and descriptions of each hot dogs “snap” (which seems to be the only descriptor the author has for judging if a dog is good or not which leads me to believe she doesn’t actually really like hot dogs/didn’t have a criteria for the hot dogs she ate beyond ~vibes~).
As an aside I also was deeply annoyed at how committed she was to staying in really run-down motels throughout this road trip without committing much foresight to where she (and her boyfriend and dog) would have to spend the night. It really felt like she doesn’t have any survival instincts when it comes to potentially dangerous situation. But that’s just a personal/petty gripe of mine.
At times it was a Blues Brothers-esque travelogue about the author and her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend which I probably would have read but would have been an entertaining memoir for another reader.
Then it was a (brief) history of the cultural significance of the hot dog which I was hoping for.
Then it was a scathing critique of capitalism as a whole and capitalism/consumerism that created the ubiquitousness of the hot dog which I also would have loved reading.
Instead this book feels like a weird mish mash of the three along with random anecdotes from the authors life that don’t actually relate to America’s love for hot dogs. It doesn’t even read as if Jamie Loftus actually likes hot dogs herself. I don’t mean to be unkind because this has all the makings of a fun and impactful book about hot dogs but reading it made me wonder if the author just chose hot dogs to write about because it’s the most meme-able food she could think of.
It felt like she had to constantly couch her conspicuous consumption (subsidized by her book advance and ostensibly for research) of hot dogs by throwing out common leftist critiques of capitalism (and I’d consider myself a leftist who agrees with most of her points) without really drilling down beyond a couple paragraphs here and there.
I think this would work for a lot of people but for me the marketing and hype of this book did not match up with what I got. I was hoping for more discussion of hot dogs beyond surface level history and descriptions of each hot dogs “snap” (which seems to be the only descriptor the author has for judging if a dog is good or not which leads me to believe she doesn’t actually really like hot dogs/didn’t have a criteria for the hot dogs she ate beyond ~vibes~).
As an aside I also was deeply annoyed at how committed she was to staying in really run-down motels throughout this road trip without committing much foresight to where she (and her boyfriend and dog) would have to spend the night. It really felt like she doesn’t have any survival instincts when it comes to potentially dangerous situation. But that’s just a personal/petty gripe of mine.
miagengr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I LOVE YOU HOT DOG BOOK!!! I LOVE YOU HOT DOGS!!!!!
i'm a sucker for micro histories that double as diaries for a very particular time in one's life. it's wild to think that Hot Dog Summer for the author was First Austin Summer for me. Everything about this book was just CHEF'S KISS. her authorial voice is clear, funny, and very opinionated. and correct.
towards the very end, after chicago but before Hot Dog Christmas, i get a little lost because the very clear chronological order we had been going in (save for two or so chapters) gets a little kooky and lopsided going back to the beginning and then the end and then somewhere else? It also could be that i was listening to it, so i missed something that explained the chronology to me more.
my favorite chapters had to the chicago chapter and of course Joey Chestnut chapter.
jamie loftus the woman that you are. 🌭
i'm a sucker for micro histories that double as diaries for a very particular time in one's life. it's wild to think that Hot Dog Summer for the author was First Austin Summer for me. Everything about this book was just CHEF'S KISS. her authorial voice is clear, funny, and very opinionated. and correct.
towards the very end, after chicago but before Hot Dog Christmas, i get a little lost because the very clear chronological order we had been going in (save for two or so chapters) gets a little kooky and lopsided going back to the beginning and then the end and then somewhere else? It also could be that i was listening to it, so i missed something that explained the chronology to me more.
my favorite chapters had to the chicago chapter and of course Joey Chestnut chapter.
jamie loftus the woman that you are. 🌭
zelos's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
i would follow jamie loftus to the ends of the earth