Wayne Koestenbaum considers the meaning of humiliation in this eloquent work of cultural critique and personal reflection.
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reviews
Nov 12, 2011
josh
rated it: 
this was just awful... i'd give it negative stars if i could.
from a chat excerpt with a friend while i was about 20% into the book:
i find it hilarious that this is what i'm reading immediately after postman's "amusing ourselves to death"
this is written as individual paragraphs as their own "fugues" as he refers to them, without context or relation to the others, other than by the most tenuous of threads, and he keeps using obscure words unnecessarily More...
from a chat excerpt with a friend while i was about 20% into the book:
i find it hilarious that this is what i'm reading immediately after postman's "amusing ourselves to death"
this is written as individual paragraphs as their own "fugues" as he refers to them, without context or relation to the others, other than by the most tenuous of threads, and he keeps using obscure words unnecessarily More...
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Nov 28, 2011
thewanderingjew
rated it: 
I do not know how to give this book a number of stars...I am sure that somewhere, there is an audience for it. Certainly, it deeply affected me, although negatively, so does that make it worthy of recommendation? For me, it was two stars, I would not have picked it up had I known the content. However, for its target audience, it is probably 4 stars, since it is so complete an investigation of humiliation as to have served its purpose well.
Reading this book has become an exercise in humiliat More...
Reading this book has become an exercise in humiliat More...
Nov 02, 2011
Matt
rated it: 
Koestenbaum's use of humiliation as a unifier of all those within the human condition (all of us) is a fine one and he's a beautiful writer of harsh lyricism. It's not an easy read due to subject matter, of course, but also because the text cycles back on itself in a bit of redundancy near the midway point. That said, it served as a harsh and necessary reminder of the ways in which we all deal humiliations throughout our day, whether we realize it or not. Koestenbaum seems to argue this is a nec
More...
Nov 06, 2011
Douglas
rated it:
I think this style of writing is not for me. The author believes he is doing deep reflection when it reads as just typing whatever comes to mind.
After my reading other books of simple peasants in China being paraded through town on their way to public execution. Or horrible tales of Iranian teenagers being raped, tortured by having their legs rotated 360 degrees and then killed, it's hard to feel for the examples he belabors.
Most of his anecdotes seemed taken from transitory More...
After my reading other books of simple peasants in China being paraded through town on their way to public execution. Or horrible tales of Iranian teenagers being raped, tortured by having their legs rotated 360 degrees and then killed, it's hard to feel for the examples he belabors.
Most of his anecdotes seemed taken from transitory More...
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Aug 01, 2011
Laura
rated it: 
Series of very short essays (that's probably not a good description of the form, but it's the closest I can come) about . . . well, you can probably figure that out from the title.
A bit dense and perhaps a little self-indulgent in spots, but interesting, especially in the last 25 pages or so.
A bit dense and perhaps a little self-indulgent in spots, but interesting, especially in the last 25 pages or so.
Sep 21, 2011
Anna
rated it:
Really gritty and frank, but simultaneously fascinating. I'm in awe of how honest this guy was able to be, and how well he managed to thread together so many different events, people, and ideas. Even when things didn't initially seem to be connecting, they always were.
Oct 09, 2011
SmarterLilac
rated it:
A lengthy, snotty, loosely constructed (read: disorganized) diatribe on the topic of humiliation. I think the author was trying to go for an 'experimental' style, but the net effect of the 'structure' of this book read to me like the work of a clueless undergraduate too lazy to put together a coherent, meaningful discussion on this subject.
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Feb 01, 2012
Katie
rated it:
Some of this is insightful and moving, other parts seem pretentious and forced. A lot of it is uncomfortable, so I guess the point is made. I did not expect this type of writing. It's kind of a series of meditations.
Dec 29, 2011
Alejandro
rated it: 
Damn.
Just.
Um . . .
. . . well, this just kicked me in the nuts over and over. Beautifully written fugues on the subject of shame and humiliation--personal and public and political. It's a testament to this book that I became anxious and nauseated while reading it.
Just.
Um . . .
. . . well, this just kicked me in the nuts over and over. Beautifully written fugues on the subject of shame and humiliation--personal and public and political. It's a testament to this book that I became anxious and nauseated while reading it.
Oct 19, 2011
Cari
rated it:
Consistently pretentious and often florid, while at the same time displaying a raw honesty that I found intriguing. I can't make up my mind whether I liked this or wanted to roll my eyes until they popped out of my head.
Sep 01, 2011
Hank
rated it:
Just brilliant in every way. One of my favorite writers. Highest recommendation.
Dec 30, 2011
Carrie
rated it:
It really is true that poets cannot form or develop ideas beyond 250 words. Interesting topic; sloppy execution.
Nov 28, 2011
Eric
rated it:
I loved this book. Parts are profound; parts are profane; but it is all moving. One of the best books I have read all year. It has helped me understand something new about the human condition that no other book or teacher ever has.
Oct 04, 2011
Very well written. So many ways to think about the topic. Short book couldn't put it down really.
Dec 20, 2011
Erin
rated it:
This is my second Koestenbaum work and I will admit, I'm a fan. He's both personal and intellectual. His vignettes, obsessions and his empathy create a unique reading experience.
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