This is a collection of autobiographical essays written by an author who grew up in a "hippie" Brooklyn household in the 1970s. He finds himself "rebelling" against some of the received wisdom of his left-wing parents, adopting some fascination with more popular forms of art. He is a fan of Philip K Dick, has seen Star Wars 21 times. He also comes to the defense of the John Wayne film "The Searchers" and watches it many times, trying to soak in its importance. Yet he eventually finds himself "breaking" up with his artistic crushes, even falling away from the "punkish" music like the talking heads.
We also get essays on comic books and the silver age of the Fantastic 4 and the art of Jack Kirby. And we hear a lot about his upbringing with smart, countercultural parents in a gentrifying neighborhood in Brooklyn.
There wasn't a whole lot here to aspire to (or to aspire "not to".) He seems like a kid that had a slightly weird upbringing, but nothing really special. I wonder if this would have been Steve Jobs if he had not been adopted...
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