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adubie's reviews
59 reviews
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
3.0
Wish I could give it a 3.5, but settled instead on a 3. Some of it simply felt undeveloped, which is unfortunate because the author clearly did a substantial amount of research. I left the book wanting to learn more, with a feeling in my gut that there was definitely more to learn.
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
4.0
It read like something out of romanticism. Very Poe in the focus on the decaying house as a symbol for the decaying nuclear family it houses. I give it a 3.5-4 out of 5, simply because it’s downfall is in its beauty; like most romantic texts, it seems to drag on in descriptions that can weigh the story and pace down. But, the book was beautiful, nonetheless.
The Helmet of Horror: The Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur by Victor Pelevin
3.0
This book is a wild ride and a drag all at once. There are many moments of absurd philosophical talk that has no sustenance, and those bits can be hard to get through if you think too hard about them. I think that represents the premise of this text as a whole; that everything is nothing and everything is true in the sense that it is false. It was an interesting read, and very unique and creative at that. I would be interested in pairing this book with "House of Leaves," and having them supplement one another. This text is extremely nihilistic, in a way that leaves you empty at the end, but not in some soul crushing way. Unsure if I would ever recommend this to anyone else.
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
4.0
This books is not only informative, but extremely impactful. For me, what stood out the most was the father and son relationship. How Spiegelman clearly has inherited generational trauma, but also seems to feel lost in the fact he did not experience the Holocaust himself. What he has experienced is his father, and the way he was impacted by Auschwitz in ways that confuses and sometimes frustrates him. Other than shining a particular light on the Holocaust, we get to see how intense trauma impacts people and those connected to them in messy ways.