Scan barcode
thbevilacqua's review against another edition
3.0
Though I do feel like it could have gone into more detail, I thoroughly enjoyed this book about two very interesting figures in mid-twentieth century American culture and letters. Beyond being well-written and informative, what Schultz does that is most interesting for us in our present moment is to show a time when there could be legitimate disagreement amongst major writers and thinkers, but that the disagreement was thoughtful and founded in something substantial and that we could have discussions about these issues in a civilized and thoughtful manner. A portrait of a bygone era, unfortunately.
jonjeffryes's review against another edition
3.0
It felt like an overblown statement to assert that these two “shaped the Sixties” but they are two exemplars of different ideologies (that slowly converged by the end of the decade). The overview of some of the cultural debates are interesting and it made me want to check out Mailer’s writing.
More...