absolutely fascinating look at history, memory and identity. but, it's far from a theory piece. the true-life story of a young jewish boy taken under the wing of the ss will keep you engaged with the wider themes.

after seeing this all over every bookstore and airport i've been to in the past year, i finally broke down and read it. it's not as heavy-handed or mass market as i expected. steyngart writes with an air of absurdity that brings this beyond the average satire. but, for those who've read his other work, the jokes are too predictable.

i thought it was about drinking. and even though it's a hardboiled crime novel--so not my type--i kept on reading, mesmerized. explores a lot of truths about living in new york.

coetzee's bleakness can become overwhelming, but this book's jumps in voice keep things a shade away from utterly oppressive. more moments of humor than in his other books as well.

while a bit long, this is a generally fast-moving exploration of an american icon i've always wanted to know better.

i don't particularly like coelho's book club surrealism, and this exploration of wicca goes completely off the deep end. it won't be accessible to "spiritual" college girls and it's too frothy to interest the others.