A collection of interviews/vignettes about weird people in the US. Some were really exceptionally interesting, some were so boring that I skipped, some were deeply disturbing. Probably would be better as a set of long-form magazine articles than a book, but as long as you're comfortable skipping the sections which weren't worth reading (and it's obvious after a page or two), a decent collection. ( )

I went into this without having any idea what it would be about. Thankfully I really liked it. Each essay was a glimpse into parts of America I hadn't previously known anything about. This kind of stuff makes for great conversation starters and it also can be very eye-opening. Many of the essays covered complete scumbags (like Pat Dollard) who had gotten rich and/or famous using different cons, scams and selling hatred. It was always fascinating that these people never ended up in jail, but were often harassed by the law and would at times end up completely broke and dying, only to recover and get rich again.

It's unfortunate that many of the essays kind of leave you hanging, but considering that the people are still alive, I guess their stories haven't finished yet. ( )

Evan Wright falls in with the weirdest people and gets them to open up to him. The dark underside of American culture -- a trip that is not for everyone!
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This was a fascinating insight into a range of often bizarre characters within American society - Evan Wright himself notwithstanding for his ability to ride along in some very strange scenarios that would have seen any truly sane person making polite excuses like, "I think I can hear my mum calling." Wright is an engaging writer with either that sheer dumb luck that is at the core of most good journalism of simply being in the right place at the right time or a real skill at finding something interesting in everyone and everything. ( )

I don't normally read a lot of journalist novels - with a few exceptions (Jon Krakauer and Hunter Thompson), but this one appealed to me right away. I think maybe it Wright's unusual background - starting out your career in journalism in the pornography industry has to give you a unique point of view. And it did, but not only that, it gave him empathy without being condescending - something I don't see that often when journalists report on the marginalized.

Anyway, an interesting, refreshing read. Probably not for everybody, but for anyone interested in culture or politics or society I'd definitely recommend!( ( )