Hooking Up

Rating:
Summary: Simply the best!
Review: I first read a favorable review of this book in The Wall Street Journal so I bought it because I enjoyed Mr. Wolfe's other books. I then read a New York Times review which wasn't really a review but a political diatribe against the author.

After actually reading the book I find that his style and observations so compelling and interesting that I can't believe I was reading the same book as the Time's reviewer.

Mr. Wolfe's story about his run-in with Mailer, Updike and Irving is very funny and rings true. The sales numbers tell the story.

"The Invisible Artist" is another favorite.

I only wish Mr. Wolfe would write a piece about the election fiasco and split in the country.

I also wish he would write more material and more often as he is a national treasure.

His journalistic based style is similar to that of Neal Stephenson and Richard Dooling. I enjoy those books so much more than Updike's pondering himself.

Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: I'd read a lot of these pieces in their original magazine form. Some of them have been updated, and I enjoyed reading the updates (the piece on Robert Noyce and Intel has been updated since its 1983 publication in "Esquire"). Some had been published before that I had NOT read. I'd been dying to read the piece on the "New Yorker" after reading ABOUT it. And I really loved it!! The "New Yorker" is so revered, it's delightful to see Wolfe give it some well-deserved and high-spirited criticism. And then some pieces are published here for the first time (I loved the "Rococo Marxism" piece.) "My Three Stooges" does smack a bit of "me thinketh thou doth protest too much", because Updike, Mailer and Irving had a point. (A MAN IN FULL was a flawed novel). But they are more deserving of Wolfe's criticsim than he is of theirs. I didn't need to read "Ambush at For Bragg" again, having read it in "Rolling Stone." But the "re-runs" were worth having, if it meant having the new and unread stuff. Wolfe is one of the greatest things we've got going in the writing world, and proof of that fact are in these pages.

Rating:
Summary: Wolfe Scores
Review: I've previously enjoyed The Right Stuff and Wolfe's two novels, but I had never read any of his essays or short stories. "Hooking Up" was an excellent, accessible introduction into these genres. The essays in the book cover a range of topics about modern America including its sexual mores, the rise of technology, art and contemporary novels. He makes many great arguments for the greatness and unique character of America and uses his intelligent wit, knowledge of philosophy and historical facts to make strong cases. His writing, as always, is excellent and the stories were insightful. This collection also includes a novella that is both fun and concise (not always Wolfe's strong suit). I think this is a fabulous book for Wolfe fans like myself, but also good for people who want a quick introduction to him without committing to an 800 page novel. Further, it would be great reading for people interested in American Studies and provides a good starting point for lengthy debates. This is a very good book and well worth purchasing.