On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (and Always Have) in the Future Tense

This is one of the more compelling analyses on American Culture I have read, and its funny to the point of bringing tears to my eyes in fits of laughter. Some of it hits close to home, but luckily I have the ability to laugh at my sometimes ridiculous lifestyle. Brooks puts into words concepts I have considered, but not necessarily been able to articulate. One point he hits on, and quite accurately, I might add, is why Americans are such achievers and workaholics and how we tend to cram all of our hours and minutes with activity. Some argue that "our energy is merely part of some manic drive to avoid the deep and profound issues of life, to skate along the surface of existence and wallow in material luxury and incessant gain." - that's dead on.

David Brooks' new book "On Paradise Drive..." put into words many of the conflicting thoughts I've had about life as an American. On the one hand knowing that out of all the times in history to be born, being born here and now makes me "stinking rich" (Brooks' phrase) compared to the rest of the world, both past and present. As such, I have a tremendous responsibility for the bounty bestowed on me. Even knowing this, I can on the other hand still gripe about not having enough money to redo the bathroom that's out of style in our house, and why can't we get a new house anyway? Everybody else has one. As an American in "Paradise," I am aware of thinking such contradictory thoughts all the time. We have been such contrary people, Brooks says, since our inception. Our wanting, our ambition, our workaholism are all historical personality traits. "It's amazing how early America was stereotyped as a money-grubbing, empty-handed, shallow souled, energetic, but incredibly vulgar land," (p. 91). America, Brooks says, is the rhino of the world (later on he calls us bimbos). If there were a rhino (or a bimbo for that matter) in the room, he points out, you would not be reading--you would be staring at the rhino. America is that rhino: an anomoly unsurpassed in the history of the world with military might, financial might and a democratic system of government which provides unheard of freedom for its citizens. Freedom that allows us to be, according to Brooks, the Cosmic Blonde of Nations. "People around the world...don't deny that the United States is an awesomely powerful nation, or that Americans are economically successful...What people around the world do deny is that the U.S. is the most profound of nations..." (p. 90). Brooks' wickedly funny descriptions of American cliques in "Out for a Drive" (chapter 1) are worth the price of the book.

More insightful than all the remaindered collections of Maureen Dowd's columns, Brooks' book will not be to everybody's tastes. There is indeed a thin line between love and hate, and Brooks nimbly dances along that tightrope, sometimes leaning to to one side or the other, as he views America's suburbs through a rose-colored glass darkly. But he ultimately (and wisely) chooses an optimistic outlook, which infuriates the worryworts of the left to no end.Brooks may not always get every little factoid right, but who else in cosmo places like New York and Seattle is even bothering to try? They're all too busy staring at their navels to see the rest of our nation. 10 points to Brooks for at least getting off the island and getting out there, into the misty wilds of contemporary suburbia.As for Michael Kinsley's alleged "evisceration" of Brooks' book, it barely broke Brooks' skin. Kinsley accuses him of -- gasp! -- being a liberal. He also accuses Brooks of not being black-and-white enough in his assessments, i.e., of engaging in -- horror! -- nuance. Excuse me, but since when did these become sins in the eyes of the cosmopolitan set, and how come I never got the memo?Kinsley's envy of Brooks' success is palpable, but then what do you expect from a dried-up former wunderkind who sold his soul to Microsoft and hasn't had a single interesting idea since he edited the New Republic decades ago? He reminds me of nothing so much as bitter old Mr. Potter in "It's A Wonderful Life," muttering his malice toward that young, energetic whippersnapper George Bailey.Some call Brooks' book shallow. These are people who believe that repeating exhausted cliches like "the Emperor has no clothes" is an example of depth. You also won't like this book if you believe that calling someone a "right wing propagandist," a "neo-con," or (better yet) "Frodo" is an actual insight.But I actually burst out laughing when I realized that at least four of the one-starred reviews below were posted by New Yorkers. How many of them do you think are angry NYT reporters who resent Brooks getting a column before they did? And note to "St. Louis" -- Brooks grew up in Pennsylvania, not Manhattan.Brooks occasionally overrreaches, but he never fails to entertain. Truth is something greater than the sum of facts, and Brooks gets the greater part right. If you have a sense of humor and a modicum of interest in "those people" who dwell in suburban America, then you will love this book. If you don't have a sense of humor, sorry, I can't help you.

I hesitate to write a review of this book given how politically charged the other customer reviewers have been thus far. Liberals seem to dislike David Brooks because he's a moderate conservative intruder into the sacred halls of the New York Times, and conservatives think he's a sellout. Neither opinion of the man has any real reflection on his work, and we are supposed to be reviewing the book, not the man.That said, this book is genuinely funny and interesting (right up until the very last chapter, which reads more like a sociology primer than the witty social satire that preceeded it). Brooks is simply masterful with some of his turns of phrase. His descriptions of Grill Guy's High-Powered BBQ Grill purchase at Home Depot and the snooty professionals in the Inner Ring Suburbs almost had me in tears at points I was laughing so hard. For those that appreciate a sarcastic sense of humor and a witty use of words (and doesn't mind too much when some of that sarcasm hits dangerously close to home) this is your book. Ignore the overly political criticism from people who apparently haven't even read On Paradise Drive.