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Reviews
I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts: Drive-By Essays on American Dread, American Dreams by Mark Dery
finalgirlfall's review against another edition
4.0
essays to make you think… curious about why exactly dery mentioned hitler so many times. (does he need a reason, i suppose, is a question i might ask.) need to read white noise soon.
horfhorfhorf's review
4.0
Dery builds sentences of overwhelming length bearing incredible payoffs - if you can cruise through some some real linguistic quagmires for the payoff. A must-read for the discerning logophile in your life!
(But maybe not for the frustrated writer… they’re likely to drown themselves in the bathtub after reading, if prone to jealousy. Not speaking from experience or anything…)
(But maybe not for the frustrated writer… they’re likely to drown themselves in the bathtub after reading, if prone to jealousy. Not speaking from experience or anything…)
worm_variations's review
5.0
Except for (maybe) The Hero with a Thousand Faces, I don’t think I’ve ever been so pleased or thought-provoked by a nonfiction book in my life.
juanjo_albor's review against another edition
5.0
An amazing book covering a vast range of topics in a fun an pretty interesting way. From David Bowie to severed heads, this book is truly captivates the mind.
adammck's review
4.0
The "drive-by" description is apt. Dery doesn't get bogged down in deep analysis but instead serves as a sharp-tongued tour guide for some memorable curiosities and bizarre themes: hungry tourists stuffing their faces in an Auschwitz cafeteria, the subconscious reasons we're scared of teeth, the relationship between Santa and Satan, fan fiction, various fetishes, Facebook weirdness and lots more. He could stand to add a few new reference points - seriously, sir, step away from the Bowie albums and J.G. Ballard books - and, for better or worse, the book doesn't deliver on the book jacket hype of plunging recklessly into the darkest, deepest corners of the secret American psyche or whatever (we're talking about essays about HAL's sexuality and the "Hitler reacts to ___" videos). Overall: a unique, engaging collection of essays.
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