The Science of Kissing, by Sheril Kirshenbaum

On a whim, I picked up The Science of Kissing from the new releases shelf at the library.  I thought it would be a fun read, and I wasn't disappointed.  Kirshenbaum, a marine biologist and science journalist (and a research scientist at UT-Austin, but I'll try not to hold that against her), decided to delve into the nature and origins of one of my favorite things to do, kissing.  Turns out there's not a ton of primary research in that particular field, but she tracked it down, and did some original research of her own.

Why do we kiss?  Well, there are a number of possibilities.  The origin of kissing could be tied to the practice of mothers pre-chewing their babies' food and depositing it in the babies' mouths (this pertains to humans as well as animals).  She reveals her background as an evolutionary biologist when she observes that babies' mouths have evolved to be a perfect receptacle for a nipple.  That the system of feeding our young with mother's milk originated by design is completely outside of her worldview.  Kissing could be linked to the practice of smelling one another on greeting (again, humans and non-humans).  There are definitely chemical triggers and responses when we kiss, determining compatibility and guiding relationships.  "Kiss and make up" works for a reason: we trigger chemical reactions in one another.

Many animals kiss or engage in kissing-like behaviors.

Lots of what she writes is speculative.  Controlled experiments to observe chemical responses and neurological activity related to kissing inevitably interfere with the act of kissing.  The closest she came was  exposing subjects to images of kissing and measuring neurological activity.  But that didn't seem to lead to many firm conclusions.

Kirshenbaum's goal with The Science of Kissing seems to have been more about entertainment than serious science.  That's not meant as a criticism: she is skilled at engaging her reader while distilling good research, in ways that a layman can understand and enjoy.  This is a fun read, sure to make you want to put into practice what she writes of.  She does conclude with 10 (definitely scientifically based!) tips for kissing.  I like the final one best, and I will be sure to mention it to my kissing partner:

Kiss regularly and often.  Once you've found someone special, a kiss works to maintain the strong partnership you share by helping to keep passion alive--with plenty of assistance from those hormones and neurotransmitters.  Lots of kissing is a telltale sign of a healthy relationship, because the connection fosters a sense of security through companionship--which in turn has been physiologically linked to happiness.

Something old, something new, something borrowed: Clancy and Flynn

Back in 2009, I read the whole Mitch Rapp series (books 1-10) by Vince Flynn.  (Reviews here and here.)  As I noted at the time, these books feature super-agent Mitch Rapp, who has much in common with Jack Bauer of the TV series 24.  The books could each be a season of 24.  I also wondered about a link to Clancy.  The two are often compared, or I should say, Flynn is often compared to Clancy, as in "fans of Tom Clancy will like Vince Flynn."  Clancy is a master of spy/military/political fiction.  I won't say he created the genre, but I think he did prime an audience for Flynn and others.

With that in mind, I picked up The Hunt for Red October on CD.  Red October, the 1984 novel that vaulted Clancy to instant celebrity, set the standard for realism and accuracy in suspense.  This great story of the defection of a Soviet submarine commander introduces us to the hero of Clancy's books, Jack Ryan.  Clancy famously won a huge following in military circles with the realism and accuracy of the story.  Reading it now, 27 years after publication, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, I enjoyed the Cold War perspective.  What a different world, when the U.S was the beacon of prosperity and capitalism, and the Soviet Union was a slave state.  I'm afraid our beacon doesn't burn as brightly now, and we are closer to being a slave state than we have ever been in my lifetime.  Cold War-era books like this can hopefully stick around as a reminder that we have been, and still are, at least for now, the nation to which people will give their lives, or steal a submarine, to get to. 

Clancy, looking pretty military.

Over the course of the next several decades, Ryan moves on from CIA analyst to president to retiree.  His son takes up the mantle of American hero, and in Dead or Alive we find him fully enmeshed in a secret, off-the-books ops group tasked with hunting down Osama bin Laden and thwarting a major nuclear attack on the U.S.  OK, it's not really bin Laden, but the character in the book is clearly modeled after him.  Over the years, Clancy's books have become longer and more complex.  He handles the vast cast of characters and variety of settings well, but sometimes it just feels too unwieldy.  The nuclear plot Clancy creates for Dead or Alive made me wonder if any real terrorist had thought of it before, and if they hadn't, whether they would try it now.  Readers of Debt of Honor (published in 1994) had to wonder if the 9/11 terrorists got some inspiration from Clancy's rogue Japanese pilot who crashed a 747 into the capital during the State of the Union speech, crippling the government.

As I write this, a few days after the real Osama bin Laden was tracked down and killed in his home, I can't help but wonder how Clancy might have inspired some of those involved.  The raid was carried out by Seal Team 6, which sounds similar to Clancy's Rainbow 6.  I know there have been occasions where novelists and script writers have met with government officials to brainstorm about terrorism (and I'm sure may other things).  Surely Clancy would be at the top of those lists.

So how are they?  If you've never read The Hunt for Red October, do.  It's a great book, a great story, and the book itself has a great story.  If you've read some of Clancy's other books and liked them, you'll want to pick up Dead of Alive.  It's been a long time coming; it had been seven years since he published Teeth of the Tiger.  But a Clancy newbie might not embrace it.  There's an awful lot of reminiscing and hinting at the previous books, interrupting with the flow of the story, and, as I suggested, it is pretty cumbersome.

I don't know if Flynn would credit Clancy for inspiration, but the comparison is hard to avoid for fans of both.  Flynn's stories seem much more serial-like than Clancy's.  As I've said, one of his books could be a season of 24.  Clancy's could be 3 or 4 seasons.  In a way, that makes Flynn more enjoyable.  His books are generally shorter and narrower in scope than Clancy's.  His writing does not neglect great character development and depth, but are more action-oriented and fast moving.  His style may be different, but his themes, characters, and military descriptions do recall Clancy.

Flynn doesn't look so military.

American Assassin goes back to before Transfer of Power, the first Mitch Rapp book.  We learn about the Rapp's early days, his recruitment, and his first major mission.  It stands alone, but Rapp fans will enjoy meeting some of the regulars from the Rapp books, and will appreciate the back story here.  But it's not all back story; it's a hard-driving action story, too.  Rapp's fiancee was killed in the Pan Am Lockerbie explosion; now he gets to track down the terrorists behind the plot and get his revenge.  Of course, it's not as simple as it seems.  Once again, I am reminded of Osama's take down.  The plot the Seal Team 6 guys used could have been planned out by Flynn--or is it vice versa?  I have never been in special ops--far from it!--but from reports we hear in the press about raids such as the one on Obama's compound, Mitch Rapp is based on the real deal.  Insiders could, I'm sure, pick Flynn's descriptions apart, but it seems like Flynn, like Clancy, does his military homework.

Osama and his followers are the enemy.  Osama got just what he deserved: a shot in the head.  Flynn couldn't have written it any better.  I don't know about the American reports of efforts to treat Osama's body according to proper Muslim tradition.  He certainly didn't respect the lives of the Americans he murdered.  It would seem more appropriate to leave his body to be eaten by wild dogs, or whatever scavengers roam around in the Pakistani countryside.  But I digress.  Clancy and Flynn write great pro-American, pro-military action stories.  I hope they continue to inspire more men like Mitch Rapp and Jack Ryan to serve our country and fight our country's enemies.

Life Without Limits, by Nick Vujicic

Last year, a friend of mine won third place in a film competition, The Doorpost Film Project.  That was cool, but I thought he should have won first place.  (He did earn a job writing and directing a new feature film, Unconditional, scheduled for release later this year.)  The winning film, The Butterfly Circus, starred a young man with no arms and legs.  We're used to seeing Hollywood special effects remove limbs from actors, but this guy was the real deal!  It's a powerful film, and made me curious about this actor.

Nick uses technology and simple ingenuity to get around and be as independent as possible.

So when I saw that the actor in The Butterfly Circus, Nick Vujicic, had written a new book, I decided I'd check it out.  In Life Without Limts, I felt like I got to know Nick.  The strongest parts of the book are the personal stories.  Nick was born with no arms or legs, just a small, but thankfully somewhat functional left foot. He has never let that difference slow him down.  I loved the stories he tells of his adventures as a limbless man.  Some highlights:

• The blind girl he met who wanted to "see" him.  She was unfazed by the absence of limbs, but when she felt his beard, she freaked out! 
• Another little girl who did not speak to him all evening at a party.  When she was leaving, he asked if she would like to give him a hug.  She paused, put her arms behind her back, and, showing a high degree of empathy, leaned in for a "neck hug."
• His first and only schoolyard fight, when he left the older, bigger bully with a bloody nose.  I would love to have seen that!  Too bad this predated You Tube.
• His adventures surfing, skateboarding, scuba diving, playing the drums and keyboard. You can see some of this on You Tube.
• The fun he has helping people get comfortable being around him with his pranks and jokes.  "Can you lend me a hand?" 

Nick takes every opportunity to pull pranks like this.  One of his rules of life: do something ridiculous every day!

He mixes his stories in with pretty standard self-help, motivational message type of teaching.  Nick makes his living as an inspirational speaker, so it makes sense that this would be his content.  I usually groan at this Zig Ziglar, Robert Schuller school of writing or teaching.  But coming from Nick takes what might otherwise be trite to a whole new level.  Have a good attitude!  Be thankful for what you have!  Turn your struggles into opportunities to grow!  Life has setbacks--keep pressing on!  Whenever I was tempted to scoff at his "power of positive thinking" message, I stopped myself.  This guy was born with no arms and legs!  If I ever think I have it bad, if I think things aren't working out so hot for me, if I struggle with a positive attitude, I have no excuse!  Nick inspires me to remain thankful and positive and to seek opportunities to grow.

His life really is inspirational.  I have not seen him live or seen his videos, but I am sure the written word only captures a fraction of his good humor, love of life, and contagious joy.  Besides just enjoying his stories and taking in his practical teaching, the thing I'm left with most of all is the witness of his life.  If he can be happy in his circumstances, I can be happy in mine.  If he can be thankful in his physical state, I can be thankful, too.  You can't help but be inspired and challenged by this amazing man.

(I am grateful to WaterBrook/Multnomah for providing this free copy for review.)

The Black Mountain, by Alan Hillgarth

In my review of Operation Mincemeat, I mentioned that several of the players in this scheme to create a fictional airman to carry fictional documents to trick a very real enemy were novelists themselves.  One of those key figures, Alan Hillgarth, who, at that time, was naval attache in Spain, spent some time in South America searching for gold.  Out of his experiences there, he wrote The Black Mountain. 

Set in Bolivia in the early decades of the 20th century, The Black Mountain follows the exploits of an Indian boy of mixed heritage who leaves his village for good.  He ends up being taken in by a wealthy landowner, and, due to his relatively fair complexion, ends up blending in with the Spanish upper class.  As he matures, he comes to identify more with the Indians, and is swept up in the movement for Bolivia's independence.

At first, The Black Mountain reminded me of a Robert Louis Stevenson novel, with the young man heading off for adventure.  But it probably owes more to Rudyard Kipling's Kim, which follows the adventures of an Indian orphan during British colonial rule in India.  In fact, on the dust jacket, some editions of The Black Mountain call it "the story of a Bolivian 'Kim.'"

I didn't love this book, but I enjoyed it, mostly as an historical relic.  I'm not sure I would sit down and read a history of Bolivia, but Hillgarth captures a slice of it, while raising the questions of native rights, national independence, and colonialism.  Good luck finding a copy, though.  It's out of print, and most copies for sale online are pretty pricey.  I got it through inter-library loan. 

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand

Not too long ago, I read an excerpt of Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken in a news magazine.  The brief passage, describing simultaneous attacks by sharks and Japanese fighter jets on helpless Americans on a raft in the pacific, was compelling enough that I immediately requested the book from the library.  (Yes, I'm usually too cheap to buy books.  Book gluttons on a budget love the public library!)  After I brought the book home, I opened a recent issue of Runner's World which I hadn't read yet, and there was another compelling excerpt from Unbroken, this one an account of a track meet.  This broad appeal--a great war story and a great sports story in one book--combined with Hillenbrand's story-telling skill, have kept Unbroken on the NY Times bestseller list since its publication in November.

Louie Zamperini, a conniving juvenile delinquent in his hometown of Torrance, California, found his gift early: he could run--fast!  He became a local hero on his way to setting the high school record for the mile, 4:21.2.  The "Torrance Tornado" went on to compete in the 1936 Olympics in the 5000 meters, gaining some international notoriety for his speed.  Some speculated that he would be the first the run a mile in under 4 minutes.  Alas, before his running career peaked, war broke out.  The 1940 Olympics were canceled, and Louie joined the Air Force.

Stationed in the South Pacific, Louie raided Japanese bases and did search and rescue operations.  While searching for another plane that had disappeared, Louie's plane's engines failed, landing him in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  Most perished in the crash; Louie and 2 others miraculously survived.  On two life rafts lashed together, Zamperini and his 2 crew mates survived for weeks on rainwater, birds, and fish, while fighting off constant shark attacks, a typhoon, and strafing from the Japanese airplane.  After surviving all of that, one crew mate died, but Louie and his friend Phil continued to drift for weeks, until they finally spotted land.  Unfortunately, a Japanese navy ship spotted them before they could paddle to shore.

The "rescued" airmen soon found themselves longing for their little raft in the sea.  The hardships and deprivation they suffered at sea paled in comparison to the abuse and degradation imposed by the Japanese.  The dehumanizing treatment of the Allied prisoners in the Japanese POW camps almost make the Nazi's methodical, systematic murder of Jews seem compassionate by comparison.  I know that soldiers going to war may view the enemy as less than human; this makes it easier to kill them.  Of course, that an enemy soldier is less human is a lie, but the Japanese in the POW camps held such a view of the Americans and other Allied troops, and gave them good reason to hate the Japanese.

And hate them Louie did.  Hillenbrand goes into great detail describing the many trials of the POW camp, especially the cruelty of a guard nicknamed "The Bird."  In a way, Louie was lucky.  His fame as an athlete marked him as a keeper.  Otherwise, he might not have been kept alive.  The Japanese singled him out in hopes that he would be a propaganda tool.  They also had him run races for their entertainment.

A couple of heroes, Graham and Zamperini.

After his weeks of deprivation on the raft, and years of deprivation in the POW camp, Louie was not in the shape he had been at the start of the war.  When the war ended, he tried to resume his running career.  His workouts were promising, but an injury ended it for good.  He descended into depression and alcoholism, giving up hope.  Before he could totally hit the bottom, his wife dragged him against his will to a tent in LA where an unknown preacher named Billy Graham was holding meetings.  Louie remembered a promise he had made to God while on that raft, that if God got him home, Louie would give his life to serving him.  Radically saved and with a new purpose in life, Louie turned his life over to Jesus and began a career as a traveling evangelist.

Before he was saved, his driving purpose in life had become revenge on The Bird.  He was determined to hunt him down and kill him.  Jesus transformed his heart, giving him a spirit of forgiveness.  In what must have been a moving event for all involved, Louie traveled to Japan and preached in a prison holding Japanese war criminals, including some who had been guards at camps where Louie was held.  He never could have imagined offering forgiveness to these men and preaching the gospel to them during his time as a prisoner, but the transforming power of Jesus' grace made it possible.  (The Bird wasn't there.  He died before Louie was able to meet him again.)

Hillenbrand did not set out to write an evangelistic book or a spiritual biography, but I wish she would have focused more on Zamperini's miraculous conversion and the theme of forgiveness that came to define his post-war life.  I would be interested to know how many people's lives were changed as a result of his testimony: his miraculous, against-all-odds survival at sea, his determination to survive the POW camp, his despair to go on living, then his transformation from a vengeful, hateful survivor to one ready to forgive his tormentors.  God's hand can be seen at so many steps in Zamperini's life, protecting him, guiding him, and preparing him. 

I can't recommend this book highly enough.  It's a great story, about a great man, told by a great storyteller, with a great (though understated in this telling) message of transformation through Christ.  As you might expect, a Hollywood treatment is in the works.  (Hillenbrand also wrote the book on which the movie Seabiscuit was based.)  I'm sure this will be a great movie, but, in the first place, Zamperini's story is much too big for a movie.  Secondly, I fear Hollywood will miss the biggest story here, God's changing his heart from revenge to forgiveness.

The Roots of Obama's Rage, by Dinesh D'Souza

I've read and enjoyed Dinesh D'Souza's books in the past, but this latest book seems to be much different in character than, for instance, his compelling The Virtue of Prosperity.  D'Souza claims to have found the key to all of Obama's domestic and foreign policy: anti-colonialism.  In The Roots of Obama's Rage, D'Souza analyzes Obama's books, primarily Dreams from My Father, looking for what those dreams are.  Barack Obama, Sr., who deserted Barack, Jr., and his mother when Barack was a toddler, returned to his native Kenya with dreams of Kenyan independence and a socialist Kenyan utopia.

Even though Barack, Sr., the man, had very little presence in young Barack's life, Barack, Sr., the myth and legend created by young Barack's mother, loomed large.  You can't fault a single mom for talking up her son's dad, but she left Barack, Jr., with a fantasy.  Rather than remembering his father as a "polygamist who abandoned his wives, drank himself into stupors," lost both legs from a car accident in which he was driving drunk and ultimately died in another drunk driving incident, Obama remembers him as a heroic crusader against British colonialism in Kenya, fighting for Kenyan independence.

Using Obama's own words and arguments, primarily from his books, but also from his speeches, D'Souza demonstrates Obama's anti-colonialist leanings.  It's an interesting case, but I fear D'Souza has taken a myopic approach.  Convinced that Obama embraces his father's anti-colonialism, D'Souza runs everything Obama says and does through that filter.  Not content simply to report on the effective anti-colonialism of Obama's policies, D'Souza frequently attributes a deep anti-colonial motivation to Obama.  I'm not saying he's wrong, I'm just saying he may be overreaching by delving into the realm of "Here's what Obama's really thinking. . . ."

So what is D'Souza's concern?  Simple.  In the Obama, Sr., anti-colonial view, America is that last, greatest colonial power.  To the extent that President Obama shares that view, his anti-colonial mission has a devastating impact on the United States.  Given his anti-colonialism, it's no wonder that Obama's policies serve to weaken the power of the U.S. overseas, while increasing the power of the state in domestic affairs.  As an explanation for Obama's actions and policies, D'Souza's anti-colonialism thesis is quite strong.  The weakness is D'Souza's claim on Obama's motivation.  I agree, Obama is doing all he can to wreck the U.S. economy and weaken our military.  He is a scourge on our nation, and I wish he and his ilk would be removed from office immediately.  But I think his bad policies are a product of bad, but sincere, ideas.  I give him the benefit of the doubt; I assume he thinks he's doing what's best for America.  D'Souza thinks Obama wakes up every morning thinking, "What can I do to bring down the American Empire today?"  As a result, despite the compelling anaysis in D'Souza's insigtful book, he won't likely be heard by any but the most hard-core conservatives and Obama haters.


Down with colonialism!  Down with the Western oppressors!



Three by Cory Doctorow

In my Movie Glutton blog, I have started doing reviews of similar movies together, since I tend to watch movies faster than I write about them.  Same thing with reading.  I have a bit of a backlog, so I will occasionally review books together.  In this case, I have recently read 3 books by Cory Doctorow, a contemporary science-fiction writer: Makers (2009), Little Brother (2008), and Eastern Standard Tribe (2004).

Doctorow's novels tap into the cyber culture, projecting just a few steps into the future, looking at cultural trends, especially in the realm of personal technology and communications, and fleshing out the next movement.  In this sense, Doctorow's novels, at least these 3, don't have the feel of traditional sci-fi.  There are no space ships, aliens, or ray guns.  I know, that's stereotypical.  He writes in the sci-fi sub-genre of cyber-punk or cypher-punk, in which I've read a little, and liked little, but Doctorow stands above others in the genre.  In any case, I heard someone say that to be considered science fiction, there have to be at least 3 patentable ideas.   Doctorow definitely meets that standard.

Eastern Standard Tribe, Little Brother, and Makers have interrelated themes but have distinctly different story lines.  The first novel itself was a little disappointing, but the concepts and the framing of the story were terrific.  The title of Eastern Standard Tribe hints at a cultural trend which I haven't seen, but surely is out there.  People have always been drawn to affinity groups, based on common interests.  The internet and social networks have enabled our social groups to become more and more specialized.  So what if your specific interest group is centered in Hong Kong?  Or Southern California?  And you live in Texas?  You can adjust your sleep schedule so that your waking hours line up with your group.  The problem is the resulting sleep deprivation may effect your mental health; your circadian rhythms may never catch up.  Such is the plight of Art.  When his partner and girlfriend betray him and have him involuntarily committed to a mental hospital, he has a hard time proving he's not insane, since his sleep patterns have, in a way, driven him insane.

This theme of involuntary institutionalization struck a chord with me.  It reminded me of the work of Thomas Szasz , who wrote The Myth of Mental Illnessand many other works, and Jeffrey Schaler, author of Addiction is a Choice.  These two psychologists have written prolifically and profoundly against involuntary institutionalization.  Art experiences the dilemma of involuntary institutionalization: there is no practical way to prove that one is not insane.  While in the mental hospital, Art is kept drugged up and can't properly prove his sanity.  Doctorow doesn't explicitly address this issue, per se, but the novel raises the question in an interesting way.  The story starts with Art in the hospital, being driven crazy trying to prove that he's not crazy, then moves backwards to piece together how he got there.

Art provides the sci-fi requisite 3 patentable ideas himself.  He is a user experience (UE) engineer, a phrase I was not previously familiar with.  I thought it might originate with Doctorow.  A Google search brings lots of hits, though.  Apparently the concept, more commonly abbreviated UX or UXD (for user experience design), originated with Dr. Donald Norman, who expounded on UX in books such as User Centered System Design and Living with Complexity.  Doctorow never explicitly references Norman, as best I can remember, but he fleshes out Norman's ideas through Art's work.

Little Brother, billed as young adult fiction, features high-school-aged main characters and deals with youth culture, but can be enjoyed by adult readers as well.  He takes on some broader themes here, as San Francisco is hit with a large-scale terrorist attack.  Marcus and his friends are swept up as suspected terrorists after the attack, and upon release become sworn enemies of the Department of Homeland Security, who has become an occupying force in their city.  Using his electronic genius, fueled by his passion for justice, Marcus puts together an underground of rebels, linked together by Xboxes.  Together they thwart many of DHS's surveillance and control efforts, making themselves targets in the meantime.

Set in the all-to-near future, Little Brother presents a viable picture of government security gone too far.  In a sense, I objected, of course our government wouldn't behave in such a way!  But Docotorow forces the reader to think about the incremental way the federal government has chiseled away at our freedoms since 9-11, and the vigor with which agencies from the FBI and DHS down to local law enforcement have embraced their expanded authority.  I'm not sure how well I relate to the late-teen, early twenties gamer set who dominate Doctorow's story, but I sure hope I end up on their side when this future happens.

Finally, the most recent novel.  Makers is the most ambitious of the three in every sense.  In this very near future, the U.S. has suffered another economic downturn.  Lester and Perry have found their niche, making custom products from scavenged material.  These creative geniuses have taken advantage of the abundant technology, cheap computerization, and plenty of discarded electronics to create brilliant new inventions.  With a bit of notoriety and advancements in 3-D printers, they begin mass marketing their inventions and create a whole new type of market.  Imitators around the world mimick their methods, setting up shop in their basements and garages, many making lots of money in what comes to be known as the New Work.

The curve reflects the tech boom of the 1990s, with a few big successes, lots of little guys, plenty of failures, and an eventual bust.  Doctorow celebrates the successes of enterpreneurship and the impact entrepreneurs can have.  One character argues for the virtue of creative work,referring to the success of one of their creations: "That’s a half-million lives—a half-million households—that we changed just by thinking up something cool and making it real."

Doctorow does prefer the start-up over the corporation, and downplays the profit motive as lower than the creative drive.  The acquisition of the business by Kodacell (merger of Kodak and Duracell) leads to its demise.  In a conversation about business without structure, Lester tries to convince Tjan to leave Kodacell and come to work for him.  Tjan defends the structured approach: "Businesses are great structures for managing big projects. It’s like trying to develop the ability to walk without developing a skeleton. Once in a blue moon, you get an octopus, but for the most part, you get skeletons. Skeletons are good sh--.”  "Tjan, I want you to come on board to help me create an octopus,” Perry said.  “I can try,” Tjan said, “but it won’t be easy. When you do cool stuff, you end up making money.” 

Makers has a bit of a mixed message about business qua business, but his celebration of creativity and entrepreneurship is inspiring.  On great ideas: “It’s so obvious now that I see it,” he said.  “Yeah, all the really great ideas are like that,” Lester said.  With this theme, Makers started out to be a favorite book.  But in the post-New Work era, Lester and Perry end up creating a ride which takes riders on a nostalgic trip through the New Work, then it develops a cult following and is replicated around the world.  The story just gets a little jumbled and I stopped caring about 1/2 way through. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but finished it on the wave of the first half.  Not that it got bad, it just didn't live up to the start.  One complaint I have is the extremely explicit sex scene.  It's only a short part of a long book, but it seemed way out of character with the rest of the book.  It would have fit more appropriately in a porn mag than in a sci-fi book.  I've read sex scenes in books before, but never anything as extended and explicit as this.  Cory, save it for another forum; your novels are not a place for these fantasies!!  Little Brother, by the way, was not so explicit, but the teen sex scenes in there were certainly more explicit that I would want my soon-to-be teen to be reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed each of these books.  Of the three, Little Brother is my favorite for its great theme and start to finish completeness.  Makers petered out due to length or lack of inspiration, but I still liked it, mostly because of the ideas.  Eastern Standard Tribe was OK, it just didn't click with me as much as the other two.  I know these comments sound sort of tepid, but with the three books, Doctorow has definitely become a new favorite author.  My endorsement of his books as stories ranges from half-hearted to positive, but his weaving of brilliant ideas into stories saves the day.

One thing I should add: Doctorow makes all his books available for free on his website, craphound.com.  Seriously, even new releases.  You can download them in various formats.  Check it out.