Rate this book

Lightning Rods (2011)

by Helen DeWitt(Favorite Author)

3.27 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0811219437 (ISBN13: 9780811219433)

languge

English

genre

Humor

publisher

New Directions

review 1: Ms. DeWitt credits Mel Brooks for inspiration. This is Brooksian satire on an epic scale. She has bottled all the internalized rage I've ever felt about the times we live in and the glorification of capitalism as an end in itself, and channeled it into comedy that produces something between a laugh and a scream. Slavery and genocide may no longer be our MO in America, but on the other hand, the people we place on pedestals are producing apps that create six second videos or allow you to announce your relationship status, and are raping the world in quiet ways that we tolerate because we want to watch cat videos on demand. Considering that this book was written more than 10 years ago, it is as if American capitalism has walked straight into Ms. DeWitt's waiting arms. L... moreike we have risen to meet her challenge.
review 2: Dewitt's book is a statement book about state of sexual harassment and general sexual tensions in the workplace. I would call it a satire, but it not told in usual "satire" form...with a wink and a nudge. This story is told with seriousness and devoid of any humor, which makes it all the more tough to read and even stomach. Now, I do not consider myself any type of a prude and I do understand what the author is trying to say here (I guess) but this commentary on the state of workplaces, sex and male-female relationships just did not sit right with me. In trying to be witty and edgy, Dewitt just becomes crude and inane. less

Download links for: Lightning Rods

Advertising