Hooking Up

Rating:
Summary: Re-hashed Wolfe
Review: 13 of the 14 short stories contained in "Hooking Up" have been previously published, making this collection for novice Wolfe readers a must. "Ambush at Fort Bragg" is magnificent. But the only new essay in the collection reads flat, and is not in the league of "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," and "Bonfire of the Vanities."

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely brilliant
Review: A magnificent assortment of essays for the thoughtful reader. Tom Wolfe is not just another clever wordsmith. He is a very deep thinker, with profound insights on subjects as diverse as genetics, politics, neurosciences, intellectuals, history, literature, and the American scene in general. Furthermore, Wolfe's values are serious and solid, far removed from the counter-cultural and artistic and literary frivolities he has parodied in some of his best known works. "Hooking Up" is a mind-stretching collection of some of Wolfe's finest thoughts, and is strongly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Not dead yet: a satirist outlasts just about all his targets
Review: After twenty years, Tom Wolfe is back with another collection of essays of social criticism. Throughout much of the Eighties and Nineties, it seemed that he had been overtaken by the changing times, as every satirist eventually must be. The sprayer of irony one day finds himself drowing in it. His two smash novels pointed to new directions for him.

But here is this grab bag of old and new material, picking right up where his last such, 1980's _In Our Time_, left off. He didn't include any of his very witty caricatures here, though-too bad. One of the essays, "My Three Stooges", a barrel-roll around his literary competition, would have been a good forum for them.

That piece, "My Three Stooges" is a terrific rejoinder to his critics in thenortheasternliberalliteraryestablishment. The writers who inhabit the Long Island-Martha's Vinyard-rural New England triangle have been so increasingly irrelevant to the rest of American life that it's all the New York literary taste-makers can do to keep them afloat. This may be the knock-out blow for them, as Wolfe touts the vital but neglected role of reportage in bringing the parade of American life successfully to print.

Wolfe's style has remained rather static over the years. He still uses his familiar panoply of ellipses, italics, and repetition, though the pages are not as annoyingly snowy with them as in his earlier days. Mysteriously, he recycled a _lot_ of snappy turns of phrase from earlier books. I mean, verbatim passages of description, "gold chains twinkling in his chest hairs," "hung their hides over the edge," "Please God, don't let me look old," to list a very few, all made memorable appearances in his work decades ago. Plus, the use of tell-tale brand names as punchlines makes some older essays sound stale, as those brands have lost their cachet or stigma over the years.

The collection has its strengths and weaknesses, of course, like all collections of anything do. _The Right Stuff_ notwithstanding, Wolfe is not a science writer, and his two essays on sociobiology here feel like oversimplifications. There's surely room for satire in that field, but this doesn't feel like his best work. The horselaugh at _The New Yorker_'s expense is a cute souvenir of Sixties New York, but no more than that. And "Ambush at Fort Bragg" confused a lot of people, perhaps because the story didn't tell them what to think about the events. Just enjoy the characterizations, then. A more detailed acknowledgements section would be useful, showing when and where these pieces are from.

But "Two Men Who Went West" is a very interesting tale about the birth of Silicon Valley and its unique corporate culture. "In the Land of the Rococo Marxists" is a richly deserved, exquisitely drawn out sneer at pampered academic radicals, and how they have coped with their side losing the Cold War. "The Invisible Artist" is a surprisingly affectionate account of the career of Frederick Hart. And the introduction to the book, "Hooking Up" is vintage Wolfe, modern mores seen through the uncomprehending eyes of a deftly-detailed ordinary joe.

So everything old is new again! The reporter-satirist-novelist-reporter still has a sharp eye for the current scene, even if his style is flash-frozen in time. A must for Wolfe fans.

Rating:
Summary: another great read
Review: Although not every essay will be appreciated equally by all readers, the overall quality of Wolfe's writing is superb, and this book is a great read. One of the most important essays he has ever written is here, "In the Land of the Rococo Marxist...", wherein he raises a vital question we should all be asking: What did we hear from all the Marxists, pro-Communists, and leftist liberals when Communist died, and all its flaws were revealed forever? Why didn't any of the blind, ignorant people who supported these empty excuses for "civilization", and who repeatedly excused those "evil empires" (i.e., the Soviet Union and Communist China), have any excuse or apology for the rest of us? Many supposedly-educated people supported those political states for years, ignoring all evidence of their evil and repressive nature, and now that they have been absolutely proven wrong, Wolfe wonders where they are now. He is asking why they have no comment, no excuse, no explanation, and the reader, after reading Wolfe here, wonders also. The author does a fabulous job reviewing some of their now-dead views and leveling proper criticism. His essay on this topic is extremely interesting and relevant. His pieces on the history of Silicon Valley (Noyce), "Two Young Men Who Went West.", and on "Hooking Up" are both quite good, although for different reasons. "Two Young Men..." gives such a detailed history of the cultural and historical background of the Silicon Valley developments, it is a "must read" for all who are affected by digital technology--which is to say, nearly everyone. "Hooking Up" is an eye-opener for most readers over the age of 25 or 30. I've heard people I work with use that phrase many times, and I thought I knew what they meant; now that I've read Wolfe's piece, I sure have to re-think some of those conversations. Read and learn. Some criticism that Wolfe's pieces in this work are of uneven quality seems unjustified when you consider the extreme high quality of the best and the fine quality of the rest. A very entertaining and informative book, and it is sure to be thought-provoking for most who pick it up.

Rating:
Summary: Wolfe's an 18-k Renaissance man
Review: Back in the 1970s, Wolfe spoke @our school & in his 3-piece yellow suit proposed a most ludicrous notion: that the great cultural revolution that we all thought was happening back then would really occur 30 years hence, when the spoiled college kids & Vietnam vets & blue collar types squared off. But the New Journalism puzzled me, & a year later I'd left grad school for a less-than-min wage orderly job.

That time Wolfe spoke of, chronologically anyway, is now. Of course, tastes've changed, & blue collars've been pretty much dismissed by powerbrokers. Now have a band of 70s-style spoiled rich kids (Bush et al.) playing war, something they evidently missed out on back when the domino theory was applied to nations & not to corporate sponsors. On the other side we have... a band of 70s-style spoiled rich kids (neo-feminists & Marxophiles)... playing...war?

Well, turns out they all coulda taken a lesson from Robert Noyce, the hero of Tom Wolfe's "Two Young Men Who Went West," in his recent collection "Hooking Up." Wolfe weaves a mesmerizing parallel betw. the Congregationalist founder of Grinnell, IA, Josiah Grinnell, & Noyce, one of its star 20th century citizens & inventor of the integrated circuit.

Wolfe's description of Noyce's anti-hierarchy business approach @Fairchild Semiconductor in what became Silicon Valley parallels Grinnell's demand of pastor-as-teacher, not leader. What Wolfe calls the feudal approach to business "back East" is more firmly entrenched now than at the dawn of the semiconductor. Wolfe didn't & didn't have to conclude that although we've welcomed the integrated circuit & microprocessor into our culture, we've locked out the spirit of equality that was home to Robert Noyce. (Want proof? how many idiotic motivational seminars has your executive staff ordered this year? How many morale-boosting pep rallies? How many touchy-feely bake-off sessions?)

Otherwise, Tom Wolfe seems remarkably orthodox in his cultural persuasion: he likes the whole biology-is-destiny concept (a.k.a. sociobiology) & almost appears to be jockeying for a pole positon in the "right" stuff corner with Bill Kristol & cricket Lynne Cheney. Maybe most of the folks that read him are also; otherwise, they might claim that they have their own Three Stooges (George, Dick, & Don). Personally, I'd love to see Wolfe take on some narrower, more intense targets, like Sartre's theory of practical ensembles.

Rating:
Summary: The most brilliant book of the 21st Century MUST READ
Review: From intro to the end of the Vita Robusta section (before the novella), this book should be mandatory reading for all college students in America. Absolutely brilliant essays on America, the future, intellectualism, technology and many other topics.

The rest of the book is a novella and a passage about his tirade against the New Yorker. Neither of these is quite as essential in my opinion, but the beginning parts of the book alone are INVALUABLE.

Rating:
Summary: Not Bonfire, but really good
Review: HOOKING UP is an anthology of some of Tom Wolfe's famous satirical, often nasty, but humorous takes on American society, especially the literary world. He also compares the beginning of the "American" millennium to that of four decades ago. Mr. Wolfe leaves no doubt what he feels and what he believes most of the world thinks of the current American Revolution that centers on tremendous technological progress in genetics, computers, and the neurosciences.

The title story is very entertaining and if the reader has a teen or someone in their young twenties ask them about its accuracy. The other twelve short story-commentaries are all enjoyable though Mr. Wolfe's fans have read some of them already. (They reminded me of some of McCrea's works-think his CHILDREN'S CORNER or his BARK OF THE DOGWOOD). The novella forecasts TV scandals and though it does not quite hook the reader beyond second base (remember this reviewer is from the old school) quite like the rest of Mr. Wolfe's stinging commentaries, the tale seems accurately plausible. Fans of Mr. Wolfe will round the bases (old school) with HOOKING UP.

Rating:
Summary: He is the best
Review: HOOKING UP is an anthology of some of Tom Wolfe's famous satirical, often nasty, but humorous takes on American society, especially the literary world. He also compares the beginning of the "American" millennium to that of four decades ago. Mr. Wolfe leaves no doubt what he feels and what he believes most of the world thinks of the current American Revolution that centers on tremendous technological progress in genetics, computers, and the neurosciences.

The title story is very entertaining and if the reader has a teen or someone in their young twenties ask them about its accuracy. The other twelve short story-commentaries are all enjoyable though Mr. Wolfe's fans have read some of them already. The novella forecasts TV scandals and though it does not quite hook the reader beyond second base (remember this reviewer is from the old school) quite like the rest of Mr. Wolfe's stinging commentaries, the tale seems accurately plausible. Fans of Mr. Wolfe will round the bases (old school) with HOOKING UP.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: an entertaining romp through 30 years of Wolfe
Review: I agree with the majority of reviewers who point out the uneveness of this collection. Part of me kept asking, "And why NOW are we reading some of these old essays?" But, since I love Wolfe's writing, I could forgive him some moments of indulgence. I liked the Bragg piece and the New Yorker bits and the hooking up essay, but some of the other ones are actually dull in parts -- except for the writing I guess you'd say. When Wolfe is at his best, he can rip others to shreds and keep that grin on his face. At his low point, he fails to stimulate much interest in his current rant. I happen to think he excels at pop culture. I wanted more "hooking up" essays with his trenchant observations about our culture. Instead, we get more of a random selection of good essays that jump all over the map.

Rating:
Summary: More than half of book is great!
Review: I am a fan of Tom Wolfe because I have so often put down books of fiction thinking, "This ding-a-ling author is just making all this stuff up. It is not informative, nor inspiring and has no relevance to my life.I don't have time for this!" With Wolfe I feel like he is a more honest friend, sharing more real experiences. He gives at least some actual clues about aspects of America that affect me, but I might otherwise never see....There are also wonderful references to Nietsche, American and European history, many American novelists, and there is a great prescription on how to write a good novel.
BUT I was disappointed in much of these essays. My favorite essay may have been "...the Rococco Marxists"...and I was surprised that he was not more critical of certain American professors. He may have politely suggested otherwise but ended with the conclusion that "all" many college professors "really want" is 'to be aloof from the bourgeois'...Monks want to be aloof like this. Is he saying they are holy monks? These professors enjoy many aspects of celebrity: wonderful long vacations all over the world, fine houses, cars, restauraunts, hotels, a sex life better than the most of us? More importantly they may have profound effects on our very powerful class of lawyers and judges, people in the media, etc. I was left with the impression that Wolfe is more worried about offending his own peer group than speaking honestly about some of these issues.
Re: "Ambush at Fort Bragg"....Was it really necessary to have one of the villains go on at great length about his fellow villains' heroic deeds at Mogadishu...a retelling of "Blackhawk Down" ...when they were confronted with damning evidence that the 3 of them had murdered a homosexual in their unit? I think Wolfe might argue 'Yes, that is the whole point...' but it seemed in bad taste, and curious as Wolfe is elsewhere saying some very patriotic things. Surely there was a better way to do this piece. And what is with throwing pies at a miserable jewish insider again? The TV news producer was jewish wasn't he? Is Wolfe running out of funny ideas? Aren't all his jewish friends getting pissed off?....
I loved the stories about the Fairchild Semiconductor founders, and the Harvard zoology-Ant-genius who caused such a controversy; I was puzzled that there was not discussion of the old, non-controversial view that man is part genetic traits and part social learning (nurture vs nature) This Harvard professor did not invent 'trait theory'. ....I didn't like "The New Yorker" parody and related pieces and couldn't finish them... [e-mail]