Maybe it’s simply that this was read by the author or maybe its because I am at that age where I think a lot of my life and future life, but I did like this one a lot, maybe more than the sum of the book really allows for.
Most of the essays of this collection or topics of essays ultimately lead to small revelations. In fact, there’s not a significant essay in this collection, but it hit home in a lot of ways.
The range of topics is as wide and varied as a Jewish comic book fan in his early 50s with multiple kids was gonna write. He’s incredibly honest, incredibly incitefull and incisive with his writing. I think what comes across most to me is how little I read men’s writing that deals with masculinity in a way I connect with. Either it’s way too dismissive of masculinity or it’s showing a kind of masculinity I don’t recognize or it’s too hesitant to say anything of much depth or honesty. This one talks about sex…my friends and I don’t talk about sex…I am in a longterm relationship and sex is well part of that, but it’s not like I talk about the nitygritty details about that like I did in my twenties. So this was interesting for that. I don’t have kids, but someday maybe.
One of the more interesting parts of this for me is thinking about the forced nostalgia he talks about with Captain Underpants. For me it’s watching my brother chart out my nephew’s exposure to 80s movies. Anyway, this hit right for me in a lot of ways, but it’s scope is limited.