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A review by pacdude
Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches by John Hodgman
4.0
John Hodgman once again sets himself up as simultaneously the least-relatable and most-relatable person ever, especially in this memoir of his life. Growing up in a gigantic house, being able to own a summer home in both very-white Massachusetts and super-duper-white Maine, traveling the country doing comedy and podcasts and being on TV a whole lot—his white privilege shines like the Maine water he waxes so poetically about.
But Hodgman acknowledges the privilege he has, as a straight white affluent male, and contemplates throughout the book how he can use this privilege for good. So true also does his painfully-awkward adolescence ring, constantly and consistently alone with nothing but his intellectual pursuits of culture and knowledge. Dealing with the awkwardness of not just adolescent but also adulthood, Hodgman's memoirs showcase an optimistic melancholy of his life, a refreshingly honesty look at the ups and downs of a privileged life, effective use of swear words and instructions on how to accidentally buy a boat.
But Hodgman acknowledges the privilege he has, as a straight white affluent male, and contemplates throughout the book how he can use this privilege for good. So true also does his painfully-awkward adolescence ring, constantly and consistently alone with nothing but his intellectual pursuits of culture and knowledge. Dealing with the awkwardness of not just adolescent but also adulthood, Hodgman's memoirs showcase an optimistic melancholy of his life, a refreshingly honesty look at the ups and downs of a privileged life, effective use of swear words and instructions on how to accidentally buy a boat.