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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22283.Survivor?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Survivor" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/photo.goodreads.com/books/1167348456m/22283.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22283.Survivor?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Survivor</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2546.Chuck_Palahniuk">Chuck Palahniuk</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/12482384?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 5 of 5 stars chuck palahniuk will mess you up. he messed me up. 'fight club' put chuck on the map, but in my opinion, 'survivor' is where he really earned his paycheck. 
 
 as others have mentioned, the book starts on page 247 or so and goes backwards to page 1. a simple, but clever gimmick that made me buy the book in the first place. and since the novel's protagonist, if we can call him that, is on a doomed airplane, the page numbering is highly appropriate. 
 
 palahniuk expertly traces one man's rise to fame. tender branson is the sole survivor of 'the creedish cult' who decide to stage their own johnstown massacre. consequently he becomes something of a media darling, everyone wanting a piece of the action. palahniuk illustrates just how really susceptible we americans are to clever marketing and the completely ridiculous idea of celebrity. what, exactly, is our fascination with 'celebrities' and hollywood types? i started thinking about the ridiculous number of tv shows dedicated to following celebrities: et, access hollywood, celebrity justice, etc, etc, etc, and not to mention an entire tv channel (E!) devoted to a shoving unrealistic hopes, dreams, and ideals down the throats of the every day, average american who has no hopes of ever achieving 'the hollywood life.' i'm pretty sure hollywood is ruining america. 
 
 i think palahniuk's masterstroke, however, is showing us tender branson's 'book of prayer.' it's a sorry commentary on the state of christianity in america. so-called 'christians' who actually try to sell prayers. unreal. (and this from a VERY christian individual) it wouldn't be as funny if it weren't true. he shows our proclivity to bandwagon, to flock to 'the new thing' simply because it's 'the new thing,' regardless of it's actual value or merit. 
 
 chuck palahniuk isn't for the faint of heart. like i said, he'll mess you up. this book stayed with me for weeks after reading it. it'll do the same for you. but i don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. 
 
 a biting commentary on contemporary american culture.
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/780845?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Matt's review
rating:
recommended for: anyone with a therapist on standby

chuck palahniuk will mess you up. he messed me up. 'fight club' put chuck on the map, but in my opinion, 'survivor' is where he really earned his paycheck.

as others have mentioned, the book starts on page 247 or so and goes backwards to page 1. a simple, but clever gimmick that made me buy the book in the first place. and since the novel's protagonist, if we can call him that, is on a doomed airplane, the page numbering is highly appropriate.

palahniuk expertly traces one man's rise to fame. tender branson is the sole survivor of 'the creedish cult' who decide to stage their own johnstown massacre. consequently he becomes something of a media darling, everyone wanting a piece of the action. palahniuk illustrates just how really susceptible we americans are to clever marketing and the completely ridiculous idea of celebrity. what, exactly, is our fascination with 'celebrities' and hollywood types? i started thinking about the ridiculous number of tv shows dedicated to following...more chuck palahniuk will mess you up. he messed me up. 'fight club' put chuck on the map, but in my opinion, 'survivor' is where he really earned his paycheck.

as others have mentioned, the book starts on page 247 or so and goes backwards to page 1. a simple, but clever gimmick that made me buy the book in the first place. and since the novel's protagonist, if we can call him that, is on a doomed airplane, the page numbering is highly appropriate.

palahniuk expertly traces one man's rise to fame. tender branson is the sole survivor of 'the creedish cult' who decide to stage their own johnstown massacre. consequently he becomes something of a media darling, everyone wanting a piece of the action. palahniuk illustrates just how really susceptible we americans are to clever marketing and the completely ridiculous idea of celebrity. what, exactly, is our fascination with 'celebrities' and hollywood types? i started thinking about the ridiculous number of tv shows dedicated to following celebrities: et, access hollywood, celebrity justice, etc, etc, etc, and not to mention an entire tv channel (E!) devoted to a shoving unrealistic hopes, dreams, and ideals down the throats of the every day, average american who has no hopes of ever achieving 'the hollywood life.' i'm pretty sure hollywood is ruining america.

i think palahniuk's masterstroke, however, is showing us tender branson's 'book of prayer.' it's a sorry commentary on the state of christianity in america. so-called 'christians' who actually try to sell prayers. unreal. (and this from a VERY christian individual) it wouldn't be as funny if it weren't true. he shows our proclivity to bandwagon, to flock to 'the new thing' simply because it's 'the new thing,' regardless of it's actual value or merit.

chuck palahniuk isn't for the faint of heart. like i said, he'll mess you up. this book stayed with me for weeks after reading it. it'll do the same for you. but i don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

a biting commentary on contemporary american culture....less

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message 1: by Heather

05/08/2008 09:44AM

Palahniuk messed me up too. One part of me wonders if a decent person would read his books. The other part of me loves his writing. He is completely unique. (At least, that has been my experience.) No other author has, at the same time, left me: shocked, amused, intrigued and nodding my head.