READIN

🦋 Context and Presentation

Last night's post about Nixonland was not completely fair, maybe. I mean I feel like I'm getting a lot out of the book; I am getting more of a sense of context for the events around the time of my birth that I have always perceived as major cultural markers -- in this evening's reading I am catching up on the pre-Roe v. Wade anti-abortion movement and the anti-sex-education movement (still very active during my own childhood; I haven't heard much from them recently, but maybe they're still out there); the media circus surrounding Chappaquiddick; and Woodstock.

I wish the information were presented with more care though. There are a lot of clunky sentences, awkward constructions; bits of information that are not connected to the information surrounding them; logical leaps that don't make sense. It would be different if Perlstein were doing Gonzo -- and occasionally I get a sense that he's trying to do that, or something like it; but it doesn't fit in with the rest of the book.

posted evening of Thursday, June 26th, 2008
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I've been considering reading this book later this year. It looks like i'll share your misgivings, but i feel obliged to give it a shot anyway.

posted morning of June 28th, 2008 by badger

I feel obliged to give it a shot anyway

Yeah -- the information is very much worth having, even if you have to wade through bits of it.

posted morning of June 28th, 2008 by Jeremy

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