A review by ckiyoko
On Being Blue by William H. Gass

challenging reflective fast-paced

2.75

The book equivalent of trying to drink water from a fire-hose. Some interesting ideas, and a good amount of humor, but hard to shake the feeling that it's a book about sex and sensuality in language from someone who may enjoy sex but has, in essence, been masturbating with someone else's body. Also really struggled with the elitism when Gass speaks of people in isolated and/or poor communities—not surprising, but hard to take his explorations at face value when it's rooted on logic like that. Like, if that (and a rape scene as a representation of "blue", sensual language) is your most compelling example...maybe you gotta rethink some shit.
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