Andreas's profile

4 ratings | 5 reviews
avg rating: 3.75

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Andreas is currently reading

	01/31 Andreas is currently reading: Into the Wild (Paperback) by Jon Krakauer bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
	Andreas said: "Im nothing if not trendy... " add a comment

Andreas's recent updates (rss)

January 31

Andreas gave

to:
Shampoo Planet (Paperback)
by Douglas Coupland

my rating:

read in January, 2008

Andreas said: "I tried to read Generation X when I was 13 or so and, frankly, I just didn't get it. I don't think at that age we can truly grasp the bleak future that is a never ending parade of strip malls and McJobs shrouded in a neon disposable culture. Unfortun...more I tried to read Generation X when I was 13 or so and, frankly, I just didn't get it. I don't think at that age we can truly grasp the bleak future that is a never ending parade of strip malls and McJobs shrouded in a neon disposable culture. Unfortunately another 5 to 10 years make these realities seem all too possible. I'm sure I would get a lot more out of it now, but instead I moved on to Douglas Coupland's sophomore effort Shampoo Planet.

Like all great Canadians, Coupland has a much keener sense of American culture then the average American. I guess it must have something to do with growing up next to a monolithic imperial country like the USA while trying to protect your own emerging national identity. The simultaneous proximity and detachment allows writers like Coupland to infiltrate the BS and get to the heart of the matter.

What is the heart of the matter you ask? Thanks to a culture based on mass marketing targeted at our every insecurity, we now live on a Shampoo Planet. Our hair care products have become both the manifestation of our psychological instability and the key to our spiritual salvation. Every new product allows us one more chance at enlightenment, moving us towards our ultimate goal: the perfect hair day.

The main character of the novel, Tyler, is a fascinating study of a young American male in modern times. The son of aging hippies, he has rejected their "homespun" ways to embrace the security of modernity and mass consumerism (He insists on only buying brand-name products). Facing an uncertain future in a dead-end town, he drifts through University while dreaming of a high powered position at the Bechtol corporation (Coupland's version of Haliburton one would assume). The book follows Tyler's life as it slowly unravels in large part do to his amoral approach to the world around him.

Shampoo Planet is a very quick and engaging read. It raises a lot issues about modern society and even offers a few solutions. Tyler's letter to the CEO of Bechtol about HistoryWorld is a classic and could easily be the platform of any progressive politician wishing to remain in perpetual obscurity. ...less "

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Andreas is currently reading:
Into the Wild (Paperback)
by Jon Krakauer
bookshelves: currently-reading

my rating:

Andreas said: "Im nothing if not trendy... "

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New comment on Andreas's review of Absurdistan

Andreas wrote: "Ghetto tech (aka Ghettotech, GetoTek and Booty Bass) is electronic dance music originating out of De...more "

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January 29

Andreas gave

to:
Absurdistan (Paperback)
by Gary Shteyngart

my rating:

read in January, 2008

Andreas said: "

I never actually finished it. I tried, really! Everyone was telling me how funny and great it is, so I made a concerted effort to read it. Alas, I couldn't do it. Finally someone I knew really wanted to give it a try and I relented. I gave it to t...more

I did think it was getting better right about the point I gave up but up until then I found the narrative too disjointed and the humor kind of mediocre. Its a shame too, because normally books about humongous Russian emigrants who have been brutally circumcised and love ghetto tech are right up my alley. Oh well.

...less "

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December 16, 2007

New comment on Natalie's review of Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World

Andreas wrote: "I found this to be a very thoughtful and heart warming review. If only I had a free copy to read too...more "

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September 21, 2007

Andreas gave

to:
The Tommyknockers (Paperback)
by Stephen King

my rating:

read in January, 1990

Andreas said: "I read this book a long time ago, back when I was reading a lot of Stephen King, but for some reason this one stood out the most (along with It and The Shining). Something about post-menopausal women who start having uncontrollab...more "

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August 13, 2007

Andreas gave

to:
Galapagos (Paperback)
by Kurt Vonnegut

my rating:

recommended for: everyone
read in February, 2002

Andreas said: "It will be interesting to see what becomes of the legacy of Kurt Vonnegut now that he is dead. Many great authors don't receive the recognition they deserve until after they have taken the giant step to the other side, but Vonnegut's ...more "

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Andreas made a comment on Andreas's profile:

Andreas wrote: "I jest added me first book and wrote me first review. It was pretty much all high fives, but I plan ...more "

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Andreas's friend comments

showing 1-3 of 3. (add a comment | view all)

from Natalie

08/13/2007 02:54PM

Awesome review! I'm still working on mine...

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from Andreas

08/13/2007 11:52AM

I jest added me first book and wrote me first review. It was pretty much all high fives, but I plan to be more discriminating in the future.

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from Natalie

08/13/2007 10:31AM

What, no books?

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