AHWOSG

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers is sad, beautiful, and funny. He was 21 when both his parents died of cancer 32 days apart. The book is mostly about him parenting his 7-year-old brother and being a young twenty-something in the Bay Area in the 90's. Personally, I think it gets a little bogged down with the tangents about the other twenty-somethings and his experience trying out for MTV's Real World San Francisco, but as I mentioned the other day, Eggers suggests skipping much of that when you read his book, and I will do just that this time.

A funny part I read the other day:

In the brown light of the cavernous bar, Brent is still trying to name his band. At the moment, they're called The Gods Hate Kansas, after a 60's science fiction novel, but that name had been held for almost six months, and it's time for moving on. He is straw-polling the alternatives, which he has scribbled on a long, thin piece of paper, like a little scroll.
--Scott Beowulf
--Van Gogh Dog Go
--Jon & Pontius Pilate
--Jerry Louis Farrakhan
--Pat Buchanitar
--Kajagoogubernatorial Process
--Spike Lee Major Tom Dick and Harry Connick, Jr. Mints
Most of the names are like this, the melding of two or more cultural elements, ideally one high and one low, the smugly clever, utterly meaningless result. There are other, mostly local, bands that have planted their flag in this territory--JFKFC; Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments; Prince Charles Nelson Reilly.