A review by matthewwester
I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined) by Chuck Klosterman

4.0

I wandered into an airport bookstore on a layover. I was intrigued by the cover, interested in the theme, and finally sold on the chapter titles (such as "Villains Who Are Not Villains"). It didn't hurt that it looked like the book would contain a good deal of humor while still being intelligent nonfiction.

I definitely enjoyed this book. I'll have to go check out other books by the author.

I was surprised that so much of the book was about nonfiction persons rather than fictional villains, but that's okay, it kept my attention. The author covers a lot of material, meaning every few pages you're reading about a different person.

I don't disagree with what other reviewers said about the author's tendency to dip into self-analysis. But meh, he's earned the right to occasionally share his personal thoughts. And overall, I appreciated having a series of essays based on a theme (the theme of what makes a villain a villain).