Book of the week - Don't Get Too Comfortable
This is, understand, the book of the week from last week, which I didn't get around to posting about. I hope to have another botd later this week.
David Rakoff is a deliciously witty reporter who, in the best gonzo style, puts himself in the most uncomfortable situations and makes himself and his reactions as much part of the story as what he's covering. To make this work, you have to be a sharp-eyed observer of both the outside world and your own inner climate. A theme running through the book is the increasingly expensive and elaborate things that first world consumers have come up to occupy their life - high fashion, haute cuisine, plastic surgery, cryogenics - with some side trips to some ways to try to break the cycle and get back to the real world - a fine essay about a man who forages in Central Park for his food, and an essay on Rakoff's experience with fasting. Rakoff doesn't just make terrific jokes - he also thinks deeply about the meaning of what he sees. I heard this book on audio, read by Rakoff himself, and it was nice to be in the company of a great storyteller.
Here's an excerpt that captures the book's flavor.
