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HOOKING UP Before I read the first page of HOOKING UP, I wondered which Tom Wolfe I'd be reading. Would it be the social observer who sees modern life with laser like clarity and wit? Or, would it be the Tom Wolfe who writes breathtaking fiction filled with unforgettable characters? Well, I was happy to see that it was both. HOOKING UP has a little something for everyone. Tom Wolfe wanders through a variety of subjects, treating some with great affection and others with the cynicism and scorn he thinks they deserve. In the essay "Hooking Up", Wolfe holds up a mirror to America at the beginning of the 21st century. And the reflection is not a very pretty one. Think you couldn't possibly appear in Wolfe's mirror? Think again! He skewers self-labeled intellectuals as well as blasé middle class people bored with everything, sex-crazed Americans who would rather be sexy than just about anything, and oh-so-casual West Coast tech millionaires trying SO hard to set themselves apart from their oh-so-formal East Coast counterparts. Believe me, there's plenty more in that mirror. "Two Young Men Who Went West" is the fascinating story of Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore and Andrew Grove and how they led the semiconductor revolution. This is an entertaining history of how Silicon Valley was created. Wolfe skips through other topics such as progress, our sexually obsessed society and his opinions of other celebrated American novelists. And, being Tom Wolfe, he is not particularly kind to any of these subjects! The novella "Ambush at Fort Bragg" tells the story of a TV news show's plan to capture a murder confession on their hidden cameras. By the end, it's difficult to tell just who ambushed who. This is a wonderfully entertaining book. There's laugh-out-loud humor, great storytelling, and, of course, Wolfe's clear-eyed, no holds barred look at the world. One of the greatest pleasures is his use of language. The words skip and tumble and dance across the page. And, at the end of each essay, you realize that each word is perfect, that there's not a thing you could change that would make it any better. So, savor Wolfe's prose, and enjoy your look at the world through his eyes! |