book reviews forevermore

Interesting read, with the occasional great turn of phrase and often brutal honesty. He refers to those that believe people will act similarly to the children in "Lord of the Flies," "Fliesians," which made me laugh Found the effort to include the "white collar" survivalist plans of offshore accounts and other country havens interesting. The short breezy chapters made it extremely readable, but as a novel reader, I found it hindered continuity. The writing style is an interesting mix of seriousness and self-disparagement, which perhaps hints at the underlying reasons for Strauss' transformation, particularly when he says, "for the first time, I felt like a man." Given that everyone he met in the course of his survivalist journey (but his girlfriend) is male, that leaves a wide-open area for discussion and insight. The comment "she had to sacrifice some of the softness and submission that serve as honey to men" brutally honest but off-putting. Thankfully, the remainder of the author's sexist viewpoint is generally unstated, except when discussing his girlfriend. I also found it interesting that his girlfriend was so dependent and helpless. Barely imaginable that someone in Los Angeles--the suburb city--is not able to drive. I thought it borderline insightful when he said "I'd never thought of the homeless as survivalists before," but didn't lead anywhere with that. While brief, the ending section proved redemptive.