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This is one of my favorite books of all time. It says so many interesting things about groupthink and crowd violence. He hangs out with a bunch of soccer hooligans as they fly around Europe and destroy whatever city they land in. There’s no logic just pure adrenaline. I feel like I have a better understanding of why people act the way they do every time I read it.
Jan 4, 2022
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Gripping writing. This article has stayed w me since the summer. I often think about the paths I could have taken in life, but through circumstance, genetics, and good parenting, I never did. A tiring task, but my mind just sort of does it, and it’s the only way I know how to write half-decent fiction. My fiction writing is on pause because I’m better at painting, but mental walks down roads not taken continues. These roads include: incel, chain steakhouse regular, anarcho-capitalist, and suburban thug. I was probably closest to that last one, given my distrust of authority and reverence for Gangster Rap music. So my interest was piqued when I saw this New Yorker headline. It’s about the “Gilbert Goons” a group of violent rich suburban boys in Arizona. A side of America and young masculinity that isn’t often explored at this depth.
“When he was on the ground, a group of guys began “kicking on him,” “standing right above and beating down,” “getting on him and going at it,” witnesses told police. The beating was over in seconds. “He’s out,” someone said. A neighbor’s surveillance-camera footage showed ten boys running away, some of them laughing.”
“When he was on the ground, a group of guys began “kicking on him,” “standing right above and beating down,” “getting on him and going at it,” witnesses told police. The beating was over in seconds. “He’s out,” someone said. A neighbor’s surveillance-camera footage showed ten boys running away, some of them laughing.”
Feb 28, 2025
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follows incarcerated people fighting as gladiators in highly publicized/commercialized arena fights. if they make their way to the top, they earn their freedom.
absolutely rips into the racism/sexism/overall injustice of the U.S. prison-industrial complex with its depiction of brutality that isn't even that dystopian or "fictional." i still regularly think about this book, and I read it two summers ago. brilliant and painful.
there were many, many layers and themes spinning and converging in the book, and my only critique is that I'm not sure they all had the space to play out (I would have read 200-300 more pages for sure), but it packs a PUNCH nonetheless
Jun 22, 2025
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This is one of the only novels over 500 pages that not only did I read through to the end but also devoured each page. Ive never known of a book around 600 pages to absolutely speed through immense amounts of plot as this book does but it feels like a list of slimy gossip plastered onto you until you’re absolutely coated in grimy stories of poisoned smack or bitten off noses.
the way this book also proudly flaunts its anti-capitalism and anti-America ideology is also so pleasing- so many of the characters are absolutely blinded by the bright lights of the post war boom and the new reinstatement of the American dream.
If you’re looking for a book that not only exudes with the sounds of the platters and frank sinatra but also shows you the obvious underbelly of American history then read the FUCK out of this book.
the way this book also proudly flaunts its anti-capitalism and anti-America ideology is also so pleasing- so many of the characters are absolutely blinded by the bright lights of the post war boom and the new reinstatement of the American dream.
If you’re looking for a book that not only exudes with the sounds of the platters and frank sinatra but also shows you the obvious underbelly of American history then read the FUCK out of this book.
Apr 3, 2025
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📚I really love Gay Talese and this is my favorite book of his. It’s kind of a history of sexuality in the United States. He even goes to this swingers resort and documents the dysfunction of communal living while it slowly ruins his own marriage.
Jan 4, 2022
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📺I watch inside edition YouTube channel all the time because there are a lot of stories that nobody else is covering. One of my favorite video titles is “world’s smallest police dog dies of heartbreak.” They do a lot of really weird pieces where they go to a hotel with a blacklight to see if they changed sheets between guests and stuff.
Jan 4, 2022
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📽I think about this doc all the time because it’s kind of a cautionary tale. It’s about the making of that movie “Boondock Saints” and all the shitty stuff that happened during development. The director was a megalomaniac who refused to listen to anyone else and got drunk off the attention he got from Harvey Weinstein and other people in Hollywood. Every time I’m being really stubborn about something on a creative project, I think of this movie and it reminds me that I should always make time to doubt myself.
Jan 4, 2022