Saturday, May 9, 2020

The Topeka School, Ben Lerner

The Topeka School by Ben Lerner was on the New York Times best book of the year.

Started: 5/5/2020
Completed: 5/9/2020
Recommendation: Not Recommended, unless you are a forensic type...then it is hard to resist
Recommended By: The New York Times

Review:

It was interesting and darn near shocking to hear a recounting of a high school debate.  I never expected to read a book that talked about "first affirmative."

Other than the near constant debate references (I also never expected to hear about Lincoln-Douglas debate, either), which gives the book its title, I  find this book unappealing.  The disjoint nature of the story telling was uncomfortable to me.

The writing was well done though I did not like it.  There was a scene in which a father would not help keep peace on a play ground.  It brought back to me my own experience with other parents at a play ground and how it had almost become a physical altercation.  As I read the scene my own adrenaline returned from that event in my history.  I kept trying to suppress my own reaction, but could not as the events described in the book kept taunting my own emotional response back.  It was very well written and extremely uncomfortable. 

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