Boomsday and STFU
Boomsday written by Christopher Buckley. 318 pages. April 2007. $24.99. Twelve.
The protagonist of this book starts out in life with the name Cassandra Cohane, but after getting screwed--in the figurative sense--by two Baby Boomer men, one being her father and the other a junior congressman from Massachusetts--Cassandra changes her last name to Devine.
The respective screwings turned Cassandra against the Baby Boomer generation and therein lies the plot, such as it is, of this book. Christopher Buckley, best known for the book Thank You for Smoking, is an amazing satirist and his pen is quite sharp in Boomsday. It's his best book since Thank You for Smoking (TYS). Like TYS, this book involves Washington insiders be they K-street spin doctors, politicians, or the wealthy hangers-on of the political set.
It's a great romp. I started reading Boomsday on Sunday and finished it this morning. It was a great accompaniment to the movie I saw Sunday night, Man of the Year, due to all the political shenanigans that are involved in both vehicles. While there's so many devious subplots the book sometimes reminds me of a Hiaasen novel, the main gist is that Cassandra Devine wants to save the nation's economic state from the coming wave of baby boomer retirees.
How does she do that? I'm so glad you asked. She blogs! Yes, blogs. And millions end up reading her blog entries. Sounds like heaven, huh?
Anyway, her Red Bull fueled 4am blog tirades against older Boomers "Wrinklies" and their gated communities and country clubs soon unleashes a backlash of violent protest among the under-30 demographic. What do they do? They turn over golf carts and trample the grass of golf courses. The "establishment" reacts by arresting Cassandra but regrets the action a few days later and sets her free. Once she’s out, she proposes a solution—one that gives tax breaks to Boomers who are willing to commit suicide (Cassandra calls it “Voluntary Transitioning”) by age seventy. And that's just the start of this beguiling novel.
This book takes place in the near future and it's not a great world to live in--but it's a funny world to read about. Sad funny, but funny. Maybe this book will help ignite debate that will keep that future from happening--but don't hold your breath! Very wryly funny book. Give it a read!
The protagonist of this book starts out in life with the name Cassandra Cohane, but after getting screwed--in the figurative sense--by two Baby Boomer men, one being her father and the other a junior congressman from Massachusetts--Cassandra changes her last name to Devine.
The respective screwings turned Cassandra against the Baby Boomer generation and therein lies the plot, such as it is, of this book. Christopher Buckley, best known for the book Thank You for Smoking, is an amazing satirist and his pen is quite sharp in Boomsday. It's his best book since Thank You for Smoking (TYS). Like TYS, this book involves Washington insiders be they K-street spin doctors, politicians, or the wealthy hangers-on of the political set.
It's a great romp. I started reading Boomsday on Sunday and finished it this morning. It was a great accompaniment to the movie I saw Sunday night, Man of the Year, due to all the political shenanigans that are involved in both vehicles. While there's so many devious subplots the book sometimes reminds me of a Hiaasen novel, the main gist is that Cassandra Devine wants to save the nation's economic state from the coming wave of baby boomer retirees.
How does she do that? I'm so glad you asked. She blogs! Yes, blogs. And millions end up reading her blog entries. Sounds like heaven, huh?Anyway, her Red Bull fueled 4am blog tirades against older Boomers "Wrinklies" and their gated communities and country clubs soon unleashes a backlash of violent protest among the under-30 demographic. What do they do? They turn over golf carts and trample the grass of golf courses. The "establishment" reacts by arresting Cassandra but regrets the action a few days later and sets her free. Once she’s out, she proposes a solution—one that gives tax breaks to Boomers who are willing to commit suicide (Cassandra calls it “Voluntary Transitioning”) by age seventy. And that's just the start of this beguiling novel.
This book takes place in the near future and it's not a great world to live in--but it's a funny world to read about. Sad funny, but funny. Maybe this book will help ignite debate that will keep that future from happening--but don't hold your breath! Very wryly funny book. Give it a read!
Comments
Sorry, Dave, I thought I ought to clarify that.
Judy, clarificaion is good for the soul! LOL Not that I was going to tattle on you or anything. Or was I?