Player One: What Is To Become Of Us

Released as part of the Massey Lecture series with a minimum of fanfare, I missed this sneaky aperitif of a novel upon its initial release. I'd blame Canada, but despite taking place there, the Masseys aren't inherently Canadian in nature. The annual event has featured its share of non-Canadian luminaries, such as Noam Chomsky and Martin Luther King Jr., to name a recognizable two. Americans tend to get a bad rap for ignoring other people's culture, but Coupland is popular enough in the states that his involvement should have gotten more attention south of the border, especially considering the form said involvement took. Player One: What Is To Become Of Us, was the first Massey Lecture to be presented as a fictional work, each of the book's five chapters being delivered as a one hour lecture in a different Canadian city. read more »