A Great Book for Summer Vacation- Don't Go There: A Tour of the World's Most Sinister Spots

 Don't Go There: A Tour of the World's Most Sinister Spots by J. W. Ocker

Don't Go There book cover

Traveler and author J. W. Ocker

Many thanks to Quirk Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of J.W Ocker’s latest entry into eerie-themed tourism Don’t Go There: A Tour of the World’s Most Sinister Spots. I’ve previously read Ocker’s The United States of Cryptids, where he explores each state’s unique creature or cryptid, and Cult Following, where details some of the most notorious cults from recent times, and explores the psychology of those who joint the cults. Don’t Go There is like both books in that Ocker explores areas and locations around the world and dives into the history, events, and culture that have created a sense of fear, dread, and curiosity about some of these spaces. Ocker’s writing is more than just informational in that he provides detailed descriptions and narrative like insight into the events that led to these areas becoming cursed or haunted, adapting the history to something more entertaining and engaging, while also keeping a skeptical perspective on the rational explanations behind the mysteries and unexplained phenomena related to these places.

Ocker organizes the areas into different groups: Fearsome Forests, Wretched Waters, Insane Islands, Deadly Deserts, Risky Ruins, and Spooky Snowscapes, and provides a useful list for further reading. I appreciated this organization as he is able to draw some parallels between the environments or conditions that helped lead to these issues. I really appreciated the fact that he’s writing about some of the places that I’ve always wanted to visit, including Centralia, PA, which I’ve been obsessed with since first reading about it more than 20 years ago. This was one of the places that Ocker has actually visited, so it was interesting to read about his own experiences and observations while visiting this town famous for its underground fire that continues to burn. While Centralia has a natural explanation for its infernal reputation, other places remain the subject of public curiosity because of mysterious events tied to their location. These include places like The Pine Barrens in NJ, Skinwalker Rance in Utah, Mount Shasta in CA, and the Bermuda Triangle. Ocker details the legends, myths, and strange events associated with these places, and often offers rational explanations for the events. Other possibly lesser known places are also of interest including Aokigahara, the Bridgewater Triangle, Isla de las Muñecas, and Dudleytown. I loved learning about these places, and since I’ll probably never be able to visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, it’s interesting to read more about it and how the nuclear accident has created interesting conditions for new plants and animals to grow, and fueled urban legends and a new kind of tourism industry in exploring this site. I also recently visited Paris and was disappointed to learn that the catacombs were closed when we visited. Not that my family would join me in exploring this underground necropolis, but Ocker’s reporting and descriptive history provides some further insight into how and why these bones were moved underground and arranged in such a manner. It was also fascinating to learn that groups of individuals were using the catacombs for secret parties until they were eventually busted.

This is a great book for those who are interested in mysterious places. I’m always interested in unexplained phenomena, and Ocker’s book not only provides insightful research into these areas, but also offers rational explanations that allow us to remain skeptical and offer plausible reasons for these irreputable retreats. Although Adam Parata provides great illustrations throughout the book that contribute to its eerie feel, I wish there were some real photographs of these places that were included in the book. Nevertheless, this is a fun and insightful read, especially for getting some travel ideas and possibly ignoring Ocker’s plea to Don’t Go There. Highly recommended!

Hilarious Stories- Thrilling Tales of Modern Men by Danny McBride

 Thrilling Tales of Modern Men: Stories by Danny McBride

Thrilling Tales of Modern Men book cover

Actor and author Danny McBride

Many thanks to Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Danny McBride’s aptly titled collection of short stories Thrilling Tales of Modern Men. I absolutely loved this collection, and I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining these stories are. McBride, whose creative endeavors span acting, writing, and directing, may be known more for his on-screen characters, but much of the development and creativity that goes into crafting these characters appears in the characters and situations in these stories as well. While McBride has been known for comedy, he also has collaborated with David Gordon Green on the recent Halloween and Exorcist: Believer films, and this ability to meld genres like comedy and horror is also apparent in many of the stories, as we witness characters who often find themselves at the mercy of an absurd and sometimes terrifying world that is beyond their control, while other characters allow their pride and masculinity to lead them into situations in which they cannot escape. Overall, this is an excellent collection that I found myself both laughing at the situations and responses in which the characters are involved, but also not wanting to put the book down until I finished the story. It’s a highly readable collection full of energy drink loving, flawed and insecure guys who seemingly want to prove a point about their masculinity, often complicating their own downfalls, but in some cases providing opportunities for redemption. In his acknowledgement, McBride cites a few writers who inspired him, including Stephen King and George Saunders, and I was thinking about how many of the stories feature the kind of absurdities of modern life and the desire for characters to latch onto their masculinity that are a feature of Saunder’s work in particular, but also some of King’s earlier stories and novels. This is a fun and entertaining collection that allows its influences to reflect in the best ways.

The first story, “The Illusionist”, is the longest in the book and firmly establishes the themes of insecure guys who are trying to re-establish their masculinity and dignity through absurd attention grabbing activities. Greg is recently separated from his family, but believes that resurrecting his interest in magic and illusions will possibly demonstrate to his children and his wife, if not the entire community, his strength and perseverance. Although it comes at the cost of his job and eventually his friends, Greg makes plans to remain suspended in a clear container in a mall (with food and water, of course), so that everyone can witness his brave attempts at survival and persistence. However, a mysterious figure visits the mall at night to try to derail Greg’s campaign. Will  this end his attempts to win attention with his illusions?

“Robocare™” is one of the stories that really reminded me of a Saunders story. It focuses on George, an older widower whose kids are concerned about him living alone. As a result, they decide to enter him into a trial of a new technology that involves an in-home robot aid. George feels his independence threatened and rejects the robot, whose algorithms and attempts to learn more about George’s needs and accommodations result in a humorous and disastrous ending.

Similarly, “The Vicious Kind” was another story about a dad who experiences a threat to his masculinity in public that leads him to a regrettable action against his neighbors. This story also had a kind of Underground Man feel in that his public humiliation at a fair during at attempt to bond with his son leads him to act out on his neighbor’s boat, and it leads to further drastic action to cover up his impulsive vandalism.

“The Book Burner” follows another instance of a man who believes he’s been wronged, but he takes his revenge by visiting bookstores and burning copies of the books of the author whose story he believes exploits his tragedy. Again, this takes a humorous approach to a dark subject, and it involves a man who was struggling in his marriage, and his attempts to have a family night out at the carnival lead to the death of his wife. Marcus Mel, the author of the story, is equally hilarious in his arrogance and privilege, and the fateful meeting of these two characters has hilarious implications.

It’s hard to pick a favorite from this collection, but “The Institute of Men” is among my favorites with how strange and unsettling the eventual ending of the story is. However, to keep it simple, Mitchie decides to visit the Institute of Men because of his receding hairline, and the questions and process for his hair treatment are incredibly odd and somewhat disturbing. Again, this reminded me of a Saunders story or something from Stephen King where there’s an air of the uncanny in which Mitchie thinks he’s visiting one place, but is really unprepared for what unfolds during his intake. Within a day, Mitchie’s hair begins to grow and grow, attracting new attention not only from his colleagues, but also from a van of men who kidnap him and cut off all his long, flowing locks. Although he doesn’t know exactly what happened with his treatment, Mitchie’s hair growth is continuous but raises questions about the consequences of this treatment.

“Last Night of the Runaway Adventure” is about 2 boys who run away to live in the woods. One returns home and struggles to adapt, while the other makes his way west. The story examines the harsh realities of life in the woods, but it also presents the hilarious ways that one of the boys manages to make money and move westward.

“Gerald’s Wife” was also one of the highlights about a disastrous turn of events at a party. Although the story somewhat focuses on Gerald, it really focuses on his wife Tracy and her contempt at all of the others at the party. He annoyance with everyone and attempts to maintain social niceties come into conflict, leading her to an impulsive act that may have been captured on a security camera. Other stories also highlight the use of home surveillance to capture these instances of impulsivity, which again reminded me of some of Saunders’ work in how our human instincts and reactions often collide with modern technology. Tracy’s fake niceties and her attempts to label all of the partygoers are hilarious.

“Mr. Liptrapp’s Sword” is one of the more adventurous stories in the book about a teacher and history buff who uncovers a mystical sword in a local Civil War battlefield. The sword’s power attracts various bidders who desire it and will take drastic action to possess its power.

“Fun Run” was another one of my favorites, largely because of Denny, one of the two characters who attends a motivational speaker workshop with other people from various workplaces. The story is also told in a different narrative structure where there are sections that alternate from the start and the end that eventually converge to resolve the events, allowing readers to understand how Paul ended up in the fun run with Denny chasing after him in a field by the highway.

“Dad’s Way: A Hilarious ‘90s Sitcom” is another strong story that focuses on a 90s sitcom actor who has continued acting but in lesser and lesser roles since the end of his iconic sitcom. The recent death of the sitcom’s creator allows for a reunion and one-off show, where the original actors are all brought together despite their different life experiences. I liked this story because of its examination of sitcoms and nostalgia, as well as Mike Gotts struggle with accepting his role as America’s dad, but also wanting to go back to his glory days. The story is equally hilarious and critical in questioning the role of nostalgia in today’s entertainment.

Overall, this is a great collection of stories, and none of them were boring or disappointing. They all feature ridiculous and insecure men who struggle with their masculinity, act impulsive, and often face consequences for their actions, but are also offered opportunities for redemption. I was surprised at how much I empathized with some of the characters despite their rash or impulsive acts. McBride’s writing and characterization establishes these complex but flawed characters who experience both hubris and humiliation. Highly recommended! 

Asking the Important Questions: What Happened to College? by Neil Gross

 What Happened to College? How Politics Broke Higher Education and What We Can Do to Fix It by Neil Gross

What Happened To College? book cover

Sociologist, professor and author Neil Gross

Many thanks to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for sending me an advanced copy of Neil Gross’s important and insightful new book What Happened To College?: How Politics Broke Higher Education and What We Can Do to Fix It. While most of us are assailed by bad faith assaults on higher education by bloviating modern Macbeths who are full of sound and fury but signify nothing (Chris Rufo), Neil Gross, a sociologist who teaches and is the chair of the department of Sociology at Coby College, has asked some interesting questions of the current research and engaged in his own inquiry of undergraduates, noting how their voices are often missing from the responses. As Gross untangles the research and pulls on surveys and statistics to investigate the question of “What Happened to College?”, we learn that there are many different factors across different domains that have contributed to more politicized, if not polarized, campuses in the US. However, it’s important to also pushback against the simplified and uninformed responses that proliferate on social media, conservative think tanks, and even from the government that try to implicate liberals with indoctrination and enforcing “ideological capture” in college classrooms. Thankfully, Gross’s deep dive into the research and his inclusion of student voices provides an antidote to the shallow thinking and bad faith arguments that continue to malign higher education. Nevertheless, Gross’s analysis uncovers issues and concerns, but he offers some reasonable and evidence-based ideas to improve teaching, communication, and socialization on campuses.

While Gross works in higher education and has observed changes through Colby’s campus, he notes that this campus, located in Maine, may not be representative of other campuses, and thus qualifies that much of the research and results we encounter about polarization and divisiveness on campuses should be viewed through the lens of the differences in schools. That is, students will perceive freedom to share and interact much differently on small, liberal arts campuses than they might on large, state school, research one, or elite college campuses. Another aspect of the book that appealed to me was Gross’s reminder that much of what we encounter in the news about incidents on college campuses reflect isolated events at some of America’s most elite and selective universities, yet the narrative that this is happening across all colleges is somehow perpetuated. My spouse also works at one of these universities that experienced significant disruption due to protests and encampments, and although Gross doesn’t mention it, it’s important to note that these incidents are disruptive to everyone on campus and, at times, involve members outside of the campus community. Yet, due to a lack of critical examination into these incidents, the blame is largely foisted onto administration, professors, and specific departments, and this blind acceptance of these scapegoats has real implications. People have lost their jobs, students have lost scholarships as schools continue to lose funding for research and scholarship. Gross’s research and analysis is an important reminder of the need for critical analysis of these incidents and to be a careful consumer of information we encounter on higher education.

In addition to being a professor, Gross also explains that his research was partly driven by his son’s recent college application process. While he notes that many students do not necessarily factor politics and institutional neutrality into their decisions, he notes that the framing of attention to political incidents on campus may affect how parents view college decisions. Thus, Gross’s book is a great read for parents whose children are planning to apply and attend college. He provides clear and well-researched information about the different types of universities and how their campus politicization has shifted over time. Furthermore, I thought that certain sections of this book would be a great read for first year students in introductory courses to not only explore the evolution of politics on campus, but to also gain a better understanding of how to support claims and ideas with research and how to analyze and evaluate existing research. Students would have an opportunity to examine survey and polling data, but also to question the methods, samples, and questions that researchers ask to raise further questions about the reliability and validity (as well as potential biases) that result from research methods. While this may seem highly technical and theoretical, Gross’s pedagogical skills make these methods accessible for a general audience and further help to promote the kind of critical thinking that is at the core of higher education.

What Happened to College? is organized around several areas of the campus- admissions, friends, hooking up/romance, politics in the classroom, cancel culture, and majors. Gross ends the book examining how education in general and higher education specifically is a progressive idea which ends up transmitting progressive ideas to students. He further explains how selective universities tend to be more progressive or liberal, which in turn attracts more progressive applicants. His research and analysis examines the traditions of higher education and demonstrate that it’s not ideological capture or indoctrination, but rather the progressive nature of education for all that tends to further influence people’s thinking. I found the chapter on majors to be particularly interesting, as Gross notes that some majors tend to have more conservative or moderate views, while others tend to lean more liberal, which kind creates this self-fulfilling prophecy. Students who tend to lean more conservatively or moderately are more likely to study fields like business, engineering, and sciences, where they encounter more students and professors with similar ideas and values. Conversely, students with more liberal learnings are more likely to select liberal arts, social sciences, and education as majors, where they also encounter others with similar values and beliefs. Other chapters that deal with teaching and cancel culture are also important to consider since students have expressed concerns about sharing their ideas in class. As Gross indicates, this is a documented concern for many students, but I also think that college classrooms have always experienced the challenges of getting students to share their ideas and experiences in a larger and sometimes unfamiliar setting. Part of this is developmental, as students are transitioning from a familiar high school setting to an unfamiliar classroom with changing classmates throughout their 4 years. Some classes may even be so large to limit any kind of dialogue. In my experience teaching in higher education, it can take some time to build trust and establish an environment where students feel comfortable sharing. I usually try to get students to use their own experiences as a frame of reference to make connections with the ideas and theories from readings. I also like to use small groups to help establish closer connections and develop more comfort with sharing with a small group before sharing with the entire class. Again, this can take some time and effort to establish the level of trust and comfort. Students in college are also, in the words of Mikhail Bakhtin, ideologically becoming, a kind of continuous process that is shaped by the interactions with the different people and values that surround them. As students move from their varying home experiences to college, they probably encounter a greater variety of values and backgrounds, some of which may counter what they believe. It’s important to remember that their development of their own ideologies are a continuous and ongoing process, and exposing students to a variety of different perspectives is not only healthy, but also important to their development. Gross notes the role that social media can play in students reticence. While social media can offer students immediate responses and attention to their ideas and thoughts, it’s not representative of the kind of dialogue and critical thinking that are an integral part of a college classroom. Furthermore, the exposure to echo chambers and divisive polarity that are often found on social media run counter to the kind of thoughtful dialogue and evidence based reasoning that are often found in college classrooms. Nevertheless, social media is something that professors and students have to contend with on today’s campuses, but as Gross’s research into the concerns about freedom of expression and careful consideration of ideas from students indicates, it’s all the more reason why college is so important for students today. Students need to learn to think and listen considerately to ideas, as well as to be critical consumers of the kind of information (and disinformation) they encounter online. College classrooms should play important roles in shaping this kind of critical thinking to question and counter the polarization present on social media. Gross’s conclusion recommends some practical applications that can be implemented to improve dialogue and interactions on campus to reduce polarization and create a better sense of understanding and appreciation. I really appreciated seeing the importance of teaching centers to help professors learn best practices for facilitating meaningful dialogue and engaging students in sound instructional methods to support deep learning. Furthermore, it was interesting to learn more about intentional rooming arrangements in some schools and other programs like those at Duke University that promote dialogue and discussion among students.

What Happened to College? is an important book to read, not just for professors and others who work in higher education, but for parents and students as well. Neil Gross’s thoughtful and critical analysis and evaluation of the research about the politicization and polarization in higher education helps to establish a more reasoned, impartial, and objective perspective on many of the issues that students and faculty face in higher education. This is especially important since the current narrative about ideological capture and indoctrination relies on spotlight fallacies and overgeneralizations that fail to document what is really happening on college campuses and classrooms. These logical fallacies and the media attention they have attracted have real world consequences on funding and opportunities in higher education that will ultimately result in a less-educated population. If anything, Gross’s research and analysis is an important reminder about the significance of a college education in raising more questions and interrogating the data and information we encounter. Highly recommended!