Book Reviews of My Most Recent Reads

I have been reading a lot lately, well if you count books on tape that is.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakaur (audio book from the library)

I know that the author became a controversial figure for his recent work regarding the Mormon community, but in this earlier work he does an admiral job of conveying a marginalized portion of society, the urban nomad. People who take to their cars, campers, trains, or hitchhiking to explore the vanishing American frontier. These was a captivating read for me, since I have mostly lived a straight and narrow existence and have little contact with those on the fringes of society. The sparkling way that Krakaur tells the story of Chris McCandless and his unorthodox adventures prior to his ultimate demise in Alaska makes me yearn to travel and see the world without the constraints of money, family, or responsibility. If this book does not put wanderlust into your blood then I do not know what would. By equal measure this is a cautionary tail as well. What can happen when humans lack the humility to carry with them simple implements that allow one to navigate the wilds (ie. compass, basic map, adequate water and food). The writing is sensitive and illuminating, I highly recommend this for anyone who has wanted to “drop out” of suburbia.

Filthy Rich by Dorothy Samuels (lent to me by a friend in my book club)

This book is a spoof of the 15 minute fame that accompanies TVs new reality boom. Stealing from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire fame, the heroine of this story is Marcy Mallowitz who is dumped on national television when she answers the final $1.75 million Lifeline question wrong on the show for which the book is named. From there the story only gets wilder as Marcy is courted by every big name newsperson and talk show host in today’s media packed market place. Marcy becomes an American sweetheart and her 15 minutes of fame is exceedingly light and comical. Revealing in the hilarious prose used to describe the “adults only” orthodontist who broke off their relationship while lampooning the instant celebrity of reality TV Dorothy Samuel’s expertly engages the reader. This is an ideal book to take to the beach or read out by the pool.