false 1822711 0375423745 9780375423741 558 200 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1188838347m/1822711.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1822711.The_Age_of_American_Unreason 259719 Susan Jacoby 877 264 1 2 false Sat Aug 16 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 10 09:54:42 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 16 15:40:20 -0700 2008
Jacoby presents her book in a chronological order. So, I thought I really liked the book up until she started talking about present day stuff. Then her bias became so unbelievably clear to me that I no longer trust any of the things she said about the past and I realize I only accepted her view because I didn't really know much about the things she was discussing.

Before you read her book, understand that Jacoby HATES conservatism and religion. Her basic premise can be summed up by saying: "If you disagree with my liberal outlook on the world, then you're anti-intellectual and stupid." She likes to pretend she is neutral by saying underwhelming things like, "it happens with both liberals and conservatives." Yet, does she ever discuss any junk thought by liberals? Or does she ever discuss how conservative intellectuals are mistreated by liberals? No. Again, like I said, if you disagree with her then you are anti-intellectual. She gives the statistics of educated people who believe in the creation story over and over and over again. What I'd like to know is how she'd explain educated people who DO believe the creation story? How does she explain scientists and academics who are profoundly religious? She doesn't... because it doesn't fit her liberal bent.

Furthermore, her whining about the loss of middlebrow culture is snobbish and annoying. She has an agenda, she's set on her agenda and that is the focus of her book. She doesn't look at things objectively and attempt to find other explanations for them... as she'd like you to believe she does.

The only thing I liked about this book is that the author would be furious to know that I listened to this book, ON MY IPOD. I turned her intellectual snobbery into infotainment. HAAAAAAAAA. Or, did I possibly discredit her theory by proving that one can be intellectually stimulated online, by movies, by tv and by the audio they listen to?

As my rant might indicate, I was insulted by this book. I'm VERY conservative, I belong to a VERY conservative religion and I'm an educated person who considers herself an intellectual. So yeah, this book was an insult to me and others like me. Just because we don't reach the same conclusions about things as she does... doesn't make us anti-intellectual, junk thought believing, infotainment addicted morons. If I didn't need to read this book to participate in my book club I would have deleted if from my Itunes LONG ago.

Oh, and as a side note, I wonder if anyone has told Ms. Jacoby that it's possible to convey the idea "to mistakenly compare or combine" by using words OTHER than "conflate". I swear, if I ever hear that word again it will be too soon. ]]>