Ahead of the Game

Looks like I have a heads up on the Commander in Chief, courtesy of Paper Cuts.

While I read Netherland in mid-July of last summer, it seems that Mr. President is just getting around to it now.  Well, his plate is a lot fuller than mine these days, so I bear no grudges, Mr. President.

Regardless, Netherland is an engaging, well-written, fantastic work of prose that did not receive its due welcome when it was released last year.  While I’ve only read a handful of the Booker choices, I think that it was truly snubbed for the prize.  Although, White Tiger was pretty exceptional, and Aravind Adiga is a Columbia fellow as well, my allegiances lie with O’Neill’s masterpiece.  After all, it is about someone named Hans and chronicles the way of life of aloof, mediocre, and aged cricketers.  Mr. President, if you’re reading this, check out White Tiger next, and perhaps you’ll learn a little bit more about those “slumdog” kids and their way of life in India.  And no, not through a cliched Orientalist Danny Boyle eye, but through a captivating and real lens offered by Adiga.

All in all, my props to a president that reads regularly, and gets things done in a smart, pragmatic way without wasting time taking naps or riding the exercise bike during the day prior to returning to his “history buff” books.  More love to you Barack, as you know all too well that you have to throw in the fiction a bit some times too.