Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Pulphead
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
17 posts | 16 read | 41 to read
A New York Times Notable Book for 2011 One of Entertainment Weekly's Top 10 Nonfiction Books of the Year 2011 A Time Magazine Top 10 Nonfiction book of 2011 A Boston Globe Best Nonfiction Book of 2011 One of Library Journal's Best Books of 2011 A sharp-eyed, uniquely humane tour of America's cultural landscapefrom high to low to lower than lowby the award-winning young star of the literary nonfiction world. In Pulphead, John Jeremiah Sullivan takes us on an exhilarating tour of our popular, unpopular, and at times completely forgotten culture. Simultaneously channeling the gonzo energy of Hunter S. Thompson and the wit and insight of Joan Didion, Sullivan shows uswith a laidback, erudite Southern charm that's all his ownhow we really (no, really) live now. In his native Kentucky, Sullivan introduces us to Constantine Rafinesque, a nineteenth-century polymath genius who concocted a dense, fantastical prehistory of the New World. Back in modern times, Sullivan takes us to the Ozarks for a Christian rock festival; to Florida to meet the alumni and straggling refugees of MTV's Real World, who've generated their own self-perpetuating economy of minor celebrity; and all across the South on the trail of the blues. He takes us to Indiana to investigate the formative years of Michael Jackson and Axl Rose and then to the Gulf Coast in the wake of Katrinaand back again as its residents confront the BP oil spill. Gradually, a unifying narrative emerges, a story about this country that we've never heard told this way. It's like a fun-house hall-of-mirrors tour: Sullivan shows us who we are in ways we've never imagined to be true. Of course we don't know whether to laugh or cry when faced with this reflectionit's our inevitable sob-guffaws that attest to the power of Sullivan's work.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
blurb
m.galehuxley
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image

I‘ve been in the biggest reading slump I‘ve been in for the past few months. It‘s actually pretty upsetting not enjoying or feeling engaged with the books I‘ve been reading—like a part of myself is gone. That sounds pretty dramatic, but it‘s true. Things are starting to get back to normal now though. Revenge of the Lawn and Men Without Women (Murakami) started pulling me out of the slump. This book is doing a good job of getting me back on track.

blurb
rkreish
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image

The first three essays are stellar.

review
AMVP
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image
Pickpick

Finally finished this excellent collection of essays. If there's any unifying theme to the book, it's transience and loss, either from the subject at hand (dead friends, underappreciated artists, lost or changing cultural movements) or from the author's own life (his departure from religion, his interestingly strained relationship with his house). By turns hilarious and deeply moving, contemplative and ridiculous, this is one to seek out.

blurb
AMVP
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image

#catchingup on #marchintoreading

3 - Recent Non-Fiction

A little unsure if essays count towards non-fiction; I guess there're elements of bias in even the more straight-forward textbooks, but I appreciate the acknowledged subjectivity of this kind of writing. Reading about the healthcare debate as it was back in 2009 (i.e., when it was off my radar) is pretty surreal.

quote
AMVP
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image

"Once you've known Him as a god, it's hard to find comfort in the man."

#Riotgrams day 25 - Favorite Quote

Can seem hokey to say a writer speaks to you, speaks for you. Reading "Upon This Rock" in a shopping mall all those years ago, that's what Sullivan did. The most human article on one's relationship with faith vs religion (Still identify w/ the former if not the latter) I've come across, and a salient look @ "Christian Rock" music to boot.

5 likes1 stack add
quote
Shylock
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image

I remember Ricky and me running into each other in the hallway the first day of seventh grade and with a confusion that we were far too young to handle, both being like, “Why aren‘t you in any of my classes?” When I think about it, I never saw those boys again, not after that day. Axl got away.

quote
Roos
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image

Pulphead is about a range of topics American. Some of Sullivan's essays I loved, not least for his tone of voice, but sadly there were also many that went over my head. I am not quite versed enough in American (social, political, and economic) history.

blurb
smccallum
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image

This made me panic about a wasted life then laugh very hard

6 likes1 stack add
review
smccallum
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image
Pickpick

I have an endless love for essay collections and this did not disappoint! I felt there were definitely one or two ones I enjoyed less but I think half of the reason why is because so many of them are brilliant. Highly recommend!

blurb
smccallum
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image

That's a wrap! #24in48 First #readathon attempted:
Time - 19h57
Finished - 3
Partially read - 3
Pages - 858 (and an audiobook)

blurb
smccallum
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image

Time difference has murdered me in these the waning hours of #24in48 but determined to see it and this through in the last hour! #readathon

blurb
smccallum
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image
review
bookriot
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image
Pickpick

Doing the #2016ReadHarderChallenge? Here's a great recommendation for "Read a collection of essays." This is a fascinating look at American culture, with deep dives into subjects like Axl Rose, Michael Jackson, Christian Rock, and more. Here's the rest of challenge: http://bookriot.com/2015/12/15/2016-book-riot-read-harder-challenge

78 likes9 stack adds
review
Liberty
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image
Pickpick

Revisiting one of my favorite essays, a piece about Axl Rose, in this amazing collection by JJS. If you're doing the #readharderchallenge, this is a perfect book for the essay selection. It's full of fascinating and strange subjects. 🤘🏻

daena 🤘🏼 8y
TheLondonBookworm Well if it's Axl Rose I'm expecting nothing but fascinating! 8y
BookBabe What timing! I'm going to see them this weekend! 🤘🏻🔫🌹 8y
See All 7 Comments
BookishFeminist Love this essay collection 👍🏼 8y
Cinfhen Saw GNR last week in Philly! They played for 3 hours and my ears were ringing for 3 days!!!😜 so fun but so loud! 8y
Gayan I need the Duff books, I have the rest. 😁 8y
Ngoris I didn't know they have books. They are my all time rnr band and I love them. 8y
166 likes19 stack adds7 comments
blurb
moraghastie_author
Pulphead: Essays | John Jeremiah Sullivan
post image

SusanInTiburon Oh, such flowers! 🌸 8y
MrBook Great pic! 8y
42 likes1 stack add2 comments