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A review by andrewspink
Mania by Lionel Shriver
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is a funny satire, which I enjoyed. On the face of it, it is about anti-intellectualism, which is indeed a great problem in society and needs a good poke. I do get annoyed at news items where 'the man in the street ' gets as much air time as the professor who knows what they are talking about.
With all the recent stuff about how it is forbidden in the US to use perfectly normal words like 'gender', and all the book bans, it is also very timely.
What I am less happy about is that the book could also be taken to be 'anti-woke' with 'the N word' not being 'allowed' and parts could be perceived (as it were) to be an attack on US positive discrimination policies.
Nevertheless, the book is both entertaining and thought-provoking and you can't ask for more than that.
With all the recent stuff about how it is forbidden in the US to use perfectly normal words like 'gender', and all the book bans, it is also very timely.
What I am less happy about is that the book could also be taken to be 'anti-woke' with 'the N word' not being 'allowed' and parts could be perceived (as it were) to be an attack on US positive discrimination policies.
Nevertheless, the book is both entertaining and thought-provoking and you can't ask for more than that.