“I’m Afraid Of Americans”
Following last month’s recommendation (George Orwell's Down & Out in Paris & London), Duncan Jones has posted his fifth selection for the Bowie Book Club on twitter.
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Duncan Jones @ManMadeMoon May 2nd
OK, gang. I'm late on the book of the month, and I know that means you won't have as much time to order but May is a long month, so suck it up!
The book of the month is...
Susan Jacoby’s The Age of American Unreason
Seems like a good time for it.
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Susan Jacoby’s The Age of American Unreason synopsis:
Combining historical analysis with far-reaching contemporary observation, Susan Jacoby dissects a modern America at odds with its heritage of Enlightenment reason and with 21st century knowledge and science. With mordant wit, the author offers an unsparing indictment of the ways in which dumbness and junk thought have permeated throughout American society both on the political right and the left. Much of Jacoby s diagnosis of the ills of contemporary American culture is acutely relevant in the UK, but she also presents a fascinating and persuasive account of many aspects of American society that baffle British observers. Why, for instance, uniquely among western democracies, are Darwin's theories still controversial in the United States? What is driving the current resurgence of American Christian fundamentalism? Jacoby's witty, impassioned book is essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in the most powerful country in the world.
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The Age of American Unreason is from DAVID BOWIE'S TOP 100 BOOKS list.
If you don’t do Twitter (where you can respond to Duncan directly), feel free to leave your thoughts about this book in the comments section.
FOOTNOTE: See this twitter thread posted by Duncan last week for the relevance of today’s picture.
Here’s a recap for those of you who don’t do twitter...
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Duncan Jones @ManMadeMoon April 28
Speaking of which, our lovely little girl has a name. (We chose it a while ago)
Zowie Tala Mabsie Jones.
About time SOMEONE made use of my middle name, even if I wasn’t ready to!
Duncan Jones @ManMadeMoon April 28
Zowie, because I’m an egomaniac
Tala, is a beautiful name & one Tagalog meaning for it is “Star”
Mabsie in memory of the wonderful women Marion Skene who raised me & died last year
And Jones for this...
The Coasters - Along Came Jones
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Bowie fans of a certain age will remember well the days when little Zowie Bowie was frequently featured in pop magazines around the globe.
This particular image was taken in Amsterdam in 1974 and appeared in the pages of Dutch magazine, Popfoto. The cover boasts the lead singer of The Sweet, Brian Connolly, who probably nicked his hairdo from Zowie, a bit.
#BowieBookClub #ReadingIsBrainFood