Book Review: The Summit Spring 2008

What do Zack Morris, Count Chocula and Ed Bundy all have in common?
They all hold equal weight in the mind of Chuck Klosterman.

Chuck Klosterman’s book “Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs,” was written for a society of people who love to hate pop-culture. Klosterman has written for many prestigious magazines and newspapers, giving him an in depth look at what makes Americans tick. In this book however, readers get to take a peek inside Klosterman’s mind to see what ideas he himself runs on.
The book reads like a twisted diary, of someone who isn’t afraid to delve into the discontinuity of Saved by the Bell or how Internet porn sites are “the window to the modern soul.” Klosterman is a person who discusses the “coolness” of cereal commercials and compares movies like “Vanilla Sky “ and “The Matrix” respectively.
Each chapter is separated by an “interlude” which may or may not tie the sandwiching chapters together. These interludes were my favorite part of the book, they seem to be taken directly from life as opposed to the actual chapters, which are written on thoughts, sequences and/or collaborations.
In the beginning of the book, Klosterman writes that many of these chapters are the mindless ramblings of many sleepless nights. As a person who also is up late at night with wacky thoughts, I found this book endearing. The off the wall connections made between everything “pop culture” of the 90’s and early 2000’s can sometimes be found as exciting or offensive, but at the very least, always entertaining.
This book had me laughing out loud. SDCP is a book written by a person who isn’t afraid to wave his freak-flag. It’s true, some people make odd correlations, but Klosterman shows that it’s okay to be obsessed with something trivial, especially if it gets someone to think outside the box.
The reader gets to see Klosterman’s thought process and how one thought can invariably lead to something seemingly unrelated. For anyone who’s witnessed an event that triggers a completely random thought, this book is for you. It’s dark, light, semi-serious and quirky, but most importantly, it’s real.
This book is perfect for the college student who is juggling work and school and is looking for an outlet other than zoning out to the mindless crap on television now.
The best part is that it isn’t a page-to-page story. The chapters don’t lead into each other. The reader can pick one that sounds of interest and I can guarantee Klosterman will put together ideas that he or she has never thought of. The book is easy to pick up but close to impossible to put down.