The next time you find yourself shocked/stupified/wishing you could bitchslap some obnoxious Millennial, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of KatThe next time you find yourself shocked/stupified/wishing you could bitchslap some obnoxious Millennial, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Kate Fagan's What Made Maddy Run The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen. It won't make you want to bitchslap them any less, but at least you'll understand what the hell is wrong with them.
Seriously.
What Made Maddy Run profiles just one 19 year-old woman, but the story of her life, from its promising beginning to its tragic end, encapsulates the flaws and struggles of an entire generation.
Fagan's book, which poses important questions about the pressures facing the youngest Millennials and discusses the state of mental health on college campuses, should be required reading for all incoming freshmen, their parents, and their professors--recognizing mental health issues in this famously non-communicative generation is their job.
As for the rest of us?
The book gives us a little insight into what makes these kids tick. You won't come away with a newfound respect (lol) for Millennials--kudos to Fagan, by the way, for making zero attempt to defend the Shittiest Generation--but at least you'll understand 20-somethings a little better.
But I digress.
Fagan's book explores the events leading up to the suicide of 19 year-old Ivy League track star Madison Holleran. What was it that drove a beautiful, brilliant, accomplished student and star athlete--and 6 others at her university that same year--to take her own life?
The girl had everything, and a bright future was all but guaranteed.
So.
What the hell happened?
Fagan does a lot of deep diving into possible factors leading to Maddy's suicide, from mental illness to the enormous amount of pressure that student athletes endure, but her main theory is one that rings so true that it's particularly alarming.
Simply put, Fagan argues that Madison's generation of "digital natives" (those who never lived in a world without the Internet) are social media savvy as fuck, but offline, they lack basic social and emotional skills--i.e. empathy, introspection, self-expression, compassion, etc.--essential to human communication and interaction. In Madison's case, real communication was exactly what she needed, was incapable of asking for, and wasn't getting.
To paraphrase the hell out of Fagan, think about Millennials like Madison this way:
--Growing up with a screen in their faces has left these kids with almost zero capacity for critical thinking; instead, they function mindless and automated...just like the computers that raised them. The result is "a generation of world-class hoop jumpers...young people who know what they’re supposed to say, but not necessarily why they’re saying it." This is a group of young people who "have been taught what to think, but not how to think."
--The majority of their socialization takes place online: text messages, Facebook, Instagram, etc., which keeps communication at an emoji-filled level of superficiality. Citing scholar William Deresiewicz, Fagan notes the problematic nature of that superficiality: "We have 968 “friends� that we never actually talk to; instead we just bounce one-line messages off them a hundred times a day. This is not friendship, this is distraction."
--They're masters at perfecting their online personas but, as Fagan notes, the controlled image these kids present on social media "reduces [the] ability to reach one another when in distress." Keeping up appearances online is one thing, but these kids are often focused on maintaining that same facade offline. Gee. Never getting the space to be real and your social media self begins to interfere with your true self, all while masking potential problems beneath the surface... What could go wrong?
--Because those "life marketing" social media skills come at the expense of real human interaction, these kids are at a disadvantage when real-life happens--especially when there are problems that require articulating emotions that run deeper than an "I'm-so-happy-life-is-so-perfect" Instagram post.
Take all of those factors, along with that group of young people so completely incapable of coping, and consider what would happen in the case of a major life upset.
In Fagan's book, that life upset was Madison Holleran's freshman year of college. (Seriously, does anything suck more than the first year of college?? UGH). If you can remember a world without the Internet, then you probably coped like the rest of us did: you cried to your roommate, got pancakes at 3AM, and finally got wasted friends until some of the stress abated.
But this new generation is different. To understand Madison Holleran's freshman year, take out the human connection and the normalcy in expressing negative emotions that we had. Add in perfectionism, the grueling schedule of a student athlete, and mental illness. And remember the pressure to maintain a perfect social presence, both on and offline, even if it's masking serious inner turmoil.
The result?
A girl who had it all was suddenly facing the dark depths of depression alone, with no understanding of what she was experiencing, no ability to articulate what she was feeling, and a near-zero support system because her Instagram persona kept friends unaware of the depths of her depression.
I suppose I couldn't put this down because I felt a brief pause in my daily rage at Millennials...I mean, it's not their fault that they were raised in front of screens their whole lives. (Actually, that's probably the reason they're like the human equivalent of a popup error message when asked to think outside the box to solve a fuckin problem--but whatever).
It makes them no less irritating, but...
...at least in this case, the story of one digital native who had the potential to be great and lost it all touches you in some way. Fagan's depiction of Maddy's final moments was devoid of sensationalism, maybe even brought tears to my eyes >ahem<, and showed the reality of what these young people are truly robbed of when we teach them how to navigate the Internet but not life itself.
So, extremely well-written, excellent piece of sports journalism, and while not exactly an uplifting read, an important one for understanding the next generation.
I don't really have a lot to add to the discussion about this book. Clearly, it's an undisputed master of both biography and storytelling.
Here's what I don't really have a lot to add to the discussion about this book. Clearly, it's an undisputed master of both biography and storytelling.
Here's what I will say...
I both envied and adored the author's writing ability, and the more I read, the more convinced I became that Hillenbrand is the only writer worthy of telling Louis Zamperini's story. In her exhaustingly researched and meticulously detailed story, flickers of literary greatness light up every page, from the sadistic prison guard who "had been whipping about camp like a severed power line," to a love interest whose beauty wields a wild power: "Louie wasn't the first guy to be felled by Cynthia. Dense forests of men had gone down at the sight of her."
Hillenbrand even manages weave terror with poetic beauty:
"A neat, sharp form, flat and shining, cut the surface and began tracing circles around the rafts. Another one joined them. The sharks had found them." (As if surviving a plane crash over South Pacific weren't freaky enough).
"As they passed the fortnight mark, they began to look grotesque. Their flesh had evaporated. Their cheeks, now bearded, had sunken into concavity. Their bodies were digesting themselves."
"He watched [the sock] flap in the current. Then, in a murky blur beyond it, he saw the huge, gaping mouth of a shark emerge out of the darkness and rush straight at his legs."
Honestly. Who bothers to write this well any more??
If I had to dig up one complaint about an otherwise perfect book, I'd say that I was left feeling a little "so what?" about the whole thing. In the end, it was a cool story, but it didn't offer much beyond that. It's simply a the tale of an amazing life -- we can't assume it's the story of a great human being because we never learn anything about Zamperini other than what he did and what happened to him. We never learn anything personal about him, which is fine, but it never really humanizes him.
Ah well, we can't all be perfect.
The snark in me thinks the last thing we sucky Gen Y-ers need is a reminder of the superiority of the Greatest Generation, and wonders how one can survive a plane crash, being adrift at sea for 6 weeks in shark infested waters, and a Japanese POW camp, only to fall prey to Billy Graham...
But whatever. Fuck my tiny complaints and disregard my snark.
This was a great book. Crazy story written by one of the most talented authors I've ever come across.
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon is perfect for a specific group of people: job-seekers.
If you're currently looking for work, pThe Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon is perfect for a specific group of people: job-seekers.
If you're currently looking for work, pick up a copy of this book, as it does convey a very important message. That is, never work at Amazon. And no, that message is not just for prospective employees who are thinking of braving the Jungle-esque conditions of the distribution centers. The message is for anyone thinking of joining any part of the company: never work at Amazon.
If you're not from the Pacific Northwest and haven't heard the horror stories from former employees of the biggest churn 'em and burn 'em since Brown's slaughterhouse (complete with 16-hour stints at the office and 108 social media posts in 20 days), The Everything Store should offer up more than a few hints about daily life at the company: a "breakneck pace of ...work," where "meetings [are called] over the weekends," and employees are expected to "work smart, hard, and long." UGH. And don't expect to inquire about a better work-life balance; someone already asked about that at a sales meeting, and Bezos responded that "if you can't excel and put everything into it, Amazon might not be the place for you."
Heh. I guess it's not the place for people who have lives in general. Moving on.
Then there's Bezos himself (who I used to liken to Steve Jobs, but smarter), the guy who reinvented the way we read and continues to drive a Civic despite having more money than God. Perhaps I harbored a secret fantasy or two about seducing him for an Amazon log-in, but... never mind. The book makes him out to be an evil genius type, and really, that's probably not too far off the mark. Christ, if he gained a few pounds and carried a cat, he'd look like Dr. Evil, too.
What's with Bezos, anyway? He owns Google and Amazon stock, so he can't be about the money. The book basically explains that Bezos, like most hyper-successful entrepreneurs, is one of those powerful types that loves working and only cares about winning. Those quoted in the book describe him as "impetuous and controlling" and "deranged," with "ice water run[nig] through his veins." Let's not forget that he has a history of "lashing out at executives who failed to meet his improbably high standards." Wow. Sounds like a blissful place to spend 8+ hours a day, especially with pressure like that coming from the top down.
Again, if you're job-searching, this is a great book to read for learning just why you should never work at Amazon. Then again, you don't need the book for that: just read the reviews on Glassdoor by former employees. Better yet, ask around Seattle a little: you'll learn that the average Amazon employee turnover is 6-9 months, and you'll hear tales about people who worked so much and had so little free time that the only way to get personal items—you know, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant?—was to order them from Amazon...and have them delivered to their desk...at Amazon.
But I digress. For those of us not looking for work, what about the book? My guess is if you have a day job filled with meetings, sales reports, executives, and the latest from Wall Street, the last thing you want to unwind with after a hard day's work is a book about meetings, sales reports, executives, and the latest from Wall Street.
Decent read, but I just couldn't handle it.
Meh -- whatever.
***I do wonder how long my review will last on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ now that Amazon owns the site. In my defense, I'd like to state that I downloaded my copy of the book from Amazon, I've followed the new rules regarding book reviews, and I'm still totally open to seducing Bezos in exchange for an Amazon log-in. Love ya, Jeff!***...more
I bought this on impulse (damn Kindle)because the title was on some Amazon "Best Non-Fiction of 2012" list that came in my email. Best of 2012? Heh.
PI bought this on impulse (damn Kindle)because the title was on some Amazon "Best Non-Fiction of 2012" list that came in my email. Best of 2012? Heh.
People Who Eat Darkness is the story of a Tokyo murder that happened in 2000, sort of like In Cold Blood meets Murakami. The only problem? People Who Eat Darkness has none of the Murakami and an excess of Capote.
What I'm saying is, all of these true-crime novels, from In Cold Blood to Helter Skelter to People Who Eat Darkness, are boring as hell. The most interesting parts of the story are always the suspenseful moments of the doomed characters' last hours of life. After the crime is committed? Then it's all trials, denials, and convictions. YAWN.
This book was like trying to read an episode of Dateline, except there was no eerie background music, no panning to a guy in a prison jumpsuit insisting he's innocent, and no drunken Diane Sawyer to lighten up the mood.
And why would you read this endless, rambling, researched-to-the-point-of-exhaustion book when you can just watch the entire story on Dateline on YouTube and be done with it in an hour?
I wanted a biography of Pat Tillman, not a scathing critique of the Bush administration. While the actions of George W. Bush and his staff regarding tI wanted a biography of Pat Tillman, not a scathing critique of the Bush administration. While the actions of George W. Bush and his staff regarding the events surrounding Tillman's death are totally relevant to the story, here Krakauer abandons his usual objectivity and jumps head-first into an attack on Bush that leaves the author sounding like nothing more than a pissed-off liberal Seattle-ite. (And I can say that because was a pissed off liberal Seattle-ite.) Ugh. Go cry into your cappuccino.
It's infuriating that such a beautiful and well-told biography suddenly veers off course and tosses the reader in the middle of an old political debate.
I don't need Jon Krakauer to tell me Geroge W. Bush was a horrible president. I lived through 8 years of that smug bastard and I don't want any more. I DON'T WANT ANY MORE. The only thing that pisses me off more than George W. Bush are people who keep going on about him. Let's drop it, shall we?
I wish Krakauer had dropped it. He let his anger at Bush destroy his own story, taking an otherwise perfect biography and turning it into a story of old-hat politics.
Sucked. But because half was good, I'll put it on my meh-whatever shelf. ...more
Incredible story of survival, a fast read, and especially interesting for those like me who have a morbid fascination with Communism/The Cold War.
TheIncredible story of survival, a fast read, and especially interesting for those like me who have a morbid fascination with Communism/The Cold War.
The title is pretty self-explanatory: the story of the only American woman to survive Stalin's Siberian gulags and eventually return to the USA. However, reading the end notes and coming to the "Challenge to the Reader," in which the author (the son of the camp survivor who has written his mother's tale and she told it to him) encourages the reader to no longer tolerate America's liberal media and to adopt Christ, had me ready to toss the book out the window and write this joker an angry email. This is the story of his mother's heroism and survival, it it's your little soapbox for him to spout out his political agenda. Ass monkey. The "Challenge to the Reader" section almost calls the whole book in to question, and was such an unnecessary add-on that I can't believe the publisher allowed it -- hopefully it will be removed from further editions.
Despite the hilarity of "Do you have any idea how fuckin' busy I am, Mr. Hans Blix?" there is no one I'd rather see hanging from a rope than Kim Jong-Despite the hilarity of "Do you have any idea how fuckin' busy I am, Mr. Hans Blix?" there is no one I'd rather see hanging from a rope than Kim Jong-il ... and I'm against the death penalty!
I admit, I have a strange fascination with North Korea, and I love reading the autobiographies of those who lived there. It's fascinating material, an Orwellian nightmare in existence today. Consider:
--Some 23,301,725 people believe that the USA started the Korean War and that North Korea won, thanks to the heroics of one man, Kim il-Sung
--There is no religion, but the Kims are worshiped like gods; even as famine rages through the country killing millions, the citizens truly believe that they are in paradise and are willing to die for the Great and Dear leaders ... and that this same brainwashed country with nothing to lose is producing nukes that can easily reach Japan, South Korea, and the West Coast of the USA
--A million man/woman army; a radio with one state controlled channel; a TV with state controlled channels; no cell phones; no internet; no truth, only lies about the history of the world that are told from the time children are two weeks old and in state-run day cares
--Fear of the "South Korean puppets" who are "impoverished," "starving," and "corrupt" in their "hell on earth," with no real idea how their neighbors just a few miles south are really one of the most modern countries on the face of the planet
--Public executions and Holocaust-style labor and prison camps for such infractions as expressing one's opinion or arousing another's suspicions
For a 20-something, Kang describes life in North Korea with unique eloquence and honesty. Kang is far from perfect, but he lived through the worst terrors of North Korea, escaped forced repatriation in China and Cambodia, and currently lives with the harsh reality of being an ethnic minority (while also facing the humiliation and anger of being lied to his entire life by North Korean propoganda) in South Korea.
All books about North Korea make me wish that Kim Jong-il would be brought to justice and that NK would become a free nation. This NK crap has gone on long enough. But until that happens, books like this are of the utmost importance because of the truth that they contain.
Kang's story is told with courage and dignity, and one can't help but wish him the best for him in his future ... while also hoping that instead of shit like "A Million Little Pieces," works of truth and importance begin appearing on bookstore shelves. ...more
La Petite Américaine
>
Books:
biography
(9)
Loading...
