A review by marc129
The Age Of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard To Be Happy by Michael Foley

2.0

This was a bit of a disappointment, this book, but that has more to do with too high expectations, I guess. Foley describes the absurd aspects of modern life. Every now and then he comes close to the classic, sour discours of cultural pessimism (as in the chapter on education), but - happily - his writing is very humourous and witty. I do not agree, though, with his analysis that we live in an age of absurdity. Like many society-analists he's short-sighted, doesn't see the broader historical picture. Of course, I do appreciate a lot of his opinions (for example on our obsession with happiness, or the hilaric situations in the modern workplace), and I do share his view on remedies like detachment and silence, but it really irritated me that this was a very chaotic book, without baseline or logical order. All in all, mixed feelings. (ratingn 2.5 stars)