5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Staggering, No; Heartbreaking, Sort Of; Genius, Maybe
Date of Review: Aug 23, 2001
The Bottom Line: Is this a spoof of memoirs? Who cares? Why label it? Read it, appreciate the talent, and don't be afraid to see a bit of yourself in it.
I'm not sure why anyone would criticize this book. Yes, Dave is pretentious. Yes, he knows he's pretentious. Yes, he tells us that he knows he's pretentious. My question is, "So what?" Is it not entertaining? Can you not relate to it on some level; in some small way? Should he not tell his story in this way? If not, why? Are there REALLY viable answers to these questions? Could it be that the book's detractors are way too serious about themselves and perhaps the world in general?
I'm one of those people who resents being pigeonholed by the media. Whether it's as a woman (I'm supposed to relate to Lifetime Television?), as a "Gen-Xer" (ick), or as any of the other things I apparently am, I hate it when "they" tell me what I'm supposed to like, how I'm supposed to feel, and the attitude I'm supposed to have. Mind you, this is even if I indeed like those very things, feel exactly that way, or possess that very attitude--even if I'm as typical as I think I might be in some ways. I'm especially uncomfortable when someone claims to be "speaking for me." This is the main reason I have never read the book "Generation X." I'm generally uncomfortable when a book/musical genre/movie/whatever is held up as being representative of any of the things I am.
I'm not sure if AHWOSG is being held up that way, but I think perhaps Dave intended it to be. That's his prerogative. And for some reason I'm not uncomfortable with that. He's absolutely dead-on with the self-absorbed thing. Most of us are--disgustingly so. All we can do is acknowledge it, forgive ourselves for being born and coming of age in the period of history we did, and deal with it.
Dave's treatment of his parents' deaths is also dead-on (no pun intended, really!). It's either look back on it with a measure of irreverence, or crack beyond repair. How else do we survive deaths, divorces, and harsh disappointments and still remain functional?
His treatment of his relationship with Toph made me laugh out loud. Poking each other with sticks! Perfect! Acting like a 22-year-old and an 8-year-old! Perfect! How boring (not to mention unrealistic) it would have been if the tacos were prepared as tacos really ought to be, if Dave and Toph were always on time for school functions, and if Dave fully assumed the role of proper, mature parent and not Brother-Posing-as-Parent.
And, finally, the treatment of "Might" and the shenanigans of Dave's friends and associates was not as annoying as I thought it would be. Why? Because he's coming at the story from the "Oh God, we actually did and said those things?" angle. They were oh-so-cool-and-hip and the book sends this up in a pleasing, retrospective way that makes me comfortable to let Dave Eggers represent me. (OK, maybe only for five minutes.)
Soooo.... Don't be afraid to read this book. You will learn what it feels like to lose both your parents, the effects this could have on one's psyche, and about one guy's attempt to make sense out of these effects. And if you are of a certain age, you may hear a bit of yourself in his very eloquent words. And that's OK. Really.
