Thursday, June 25, 2015

Rec. #378: The Way We Are


What: According to essayist Margaret Visser, this is (some of) the Way We Are:

  • "There is an insistence in our culture that women ought to be pure, and that this involves not moving around." [about flight attendants]
  • "There is no story at all. Just a workshop for making toys in the North Pole, a few anecdotes about one of his reindeer, and that's about it." [about Santa]
  • "The human male has always revered his chin." [about beards]

These essays are short, short, short, but they cover a lot of interesting ground. Other topics include: turkey, blushing, parades, avocados, and tipping. 

How to get it: Currently out of print in the U.S., but Kindle-able!

Connections to previous Wreckage: The Way We Are was part of List #51: Great Books, Terrible Titles. An earlier book from Visser, The Rituals of Dinner, was Rec. #63.


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