New York Times bestselling author Chuck Klosterman has gained a devoted following for deft cultural analysis that blends humor, imagination, and introspection. In I Wear the Black Hat, he delves into pop culture's need for both villains and villainy, asking why we are so obsessed with bad people. From Darth Vader to O.J. Simpson and controversial figures like Bill Clinton and Bernhard Goetz, Klosterman delivers keen observations on our fascination with the anti-hero.
I Wear the Black Hat
Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined)
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Wait time: About 2 weeks
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
August 1, 2013 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781470348274
- File size: 203096 KB
- Duration: 07:03:06
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Chuck Klosterman seems like that guy you know who can wax philosophical on a range of cultural references--from the superficial to the serious--and make thought-provoking arguments and connections. Klosterman reads like this everyday guy, too, lacking vocal refinement but sounding authentically like who he is--as a down-to-earth Midwesterner who spends a lot of time dissecting culture. He has a casual, enthusiastic manner, and his interest in the subject matter of this collection--villains--is evident. Klosterman posits that villains are those who "know the most and care the least." Some of his choices of villains are surprising, as they're not the traditional cast of characters one might expect. S.E.G. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine -
May 13, 2013
Klosterman’s latest exercise in pop-culture-infused philosophical acrobatics is an exploration of villainy, or rather, “the presentation of material” on the subject. Basically, the premise gives the veteran author (Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs) and current “Ethicist” for the New York Times Magazine an excuse to tackle an array of subjects ranging from Machiavelli (whose biggest crime was turning “an autocratic template into entertainment”) to 1980s N.Y.C. subway vigilante Bernhard Goetz, who could have been a superhero if he had just kept his mouth shut. “Every forthcoming detail about his life—even the positive ones—made his actions on the subway seem too personal,” Klosterman writes. His circuitous arguments are occasionally self-indulgent and too reminiscent of David Foster Wallace, but the writing is always intellectually vigorous and entertaining. According to Klosterman, being the villain is about knowing the most but caring the least, which has as much to do with self-awareness and public perception as the act itself. Agent: Daniel Greenbert, Levine Greenberg Agency.
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