The Author: A.J. Jacobs
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2004
Length: 369 pages
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
My Review: This book was handed to me by my Dad's partner, Roddy, who read and enjoyed it and thought that I would enjoy it equally. It sat on my shelf and it was suppose to be next in line after I finished "The Amber Spyglass." However, I just wasn't up for more Sci-Fi and, after reading the Introduction and being intriguied, I moved its order ahead.
The premise is thus: The true story of a man who works as an editor at Esquire magazine decides to attempt to read the entirety of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. No easy tasks as the EB (to which it is referred) clocks in at a hefty 33,000 pages. The immediate question of "why?!?!" he choose to do this is never made quite clear - however, I think that stems mostly from his own reluctance to address why he is doing this. He talks at length throughout the book about how he often aspires to "outdo" his Dad, who is no academic slouch himself. He also recalls the halcyon days of his youth when he aspired to be the smartest person on earth. But mostly, I think the reason he attempts this feat is the same logic that drives men to hike the Appalachian Trail or climb the proverbial mountain: because it is there.
The book lays out like a mini-EB. Offering his thoughts on the various topics he's reading and his inner monologue about the apparent insanity of his quest. Present throughout the book is his long-suffering wife, Julie, who supports him in this endeavor, but seems to be a bit of a caricature of herself. The bulk of the writing about the life of A.J. and Julie surrounds their desperate attempt to get pregnant. Sometimes this works as a literary device - but often it simply sounds like whining.
It is clear from his writing - and Jacobs is openly frank about it, it seems - that he is in constant search of approval from his peers, friends and family for his quest - and he rarely achieves it. I found it odd that he would continue to write (read: harp) about how many people don't share his vision - almost to the point whining.
What is more of an obstruction to enjoying the book is that I found it increasingly harder to empathize with Jacobs. While his own perspective is that he's a humble, average guy whose driven to complete an arduous, seemingly impossible task - it becomes more clear that this isn't quite the case. Indeed, in the book he describes his many interviews with celebrities for Esquire, his vacations to Italy and a spur-of-the-moment dash to Seattle from New York, his apartment in Manhattan, his numerous relatives of wealth and privilege, his own childhood in a private school, and moreover - the lengths to which he and his wife are able to go in order to try and get pregnant. Many people would love to have these problems, least of all to have the ability to curl up on the couch each night and read anything they like. My heart really bled for him. The, the coup-de-gras was his admission that he really didn't read the whole EB. He confessed that he would often open to a page and just let his eyes go fuzzy and try to "soak in" the information on the page. Hmmm...not sure how that qualifies, but I digress.
One literary tool he employs makes the book more enjoyable than it otherwise might have been. It reads much like a mini-EB as the book comprises several vignettes and "chunks" of information.It often isn't clear exactly how what he writes under any given heading is relevant - but there is always a hook that connects them at some point. Reading through the book in this manner is probably similar to how Jacobs read the EB: "Well - I just finished the 'H' section. Let's dive headfirst into 'I' now."
Jacobs is a good writer and that is made very clear throughout the book. I suspect I would be lost half the time in the EB - but I never lost the flow of this book. From time to time it feels that he tries a bit too hard to be clever and adroit - but it can be overlooked. I'm a big fan of Bill Bryson, and his wit and sense of self-deprecating humor is simliar.
All in all, the book is a fun read - even if I did roll my eyes a few times. It's easy to pick up and put down, even if there's lots of time between sessions.
Amazon page: The Know-It-All
