Ehrenreich, Ben

Richly evocative, this is a book that begs to be reread, both for its biting social commentary and its wholly original contribution to the literature of planetary catastrophe.

For readers interested in social justice issues in late 20th- to early 21st-century America.

A welcome reminder to relax in the face of our own mortality, this is fast-paced, hard-nosed discourse. Sure to appeal to dissidents from the cult of wellness.

Emotionally evocative, at times disturbing, Ehrenreich's work is engaging and invites—no, demands that its readers question the world around them and everything they believe about it. The author's rational approach to researching "religious experiences" similar to her own, her mission to find an answer to: "Why are we here?" is profoundly relatable to those who have asked similar questions, who have wondered at humanity's purpose, and who have probed at the presence of the Other. Part memoir, part mystical journey, this is essential for anyone with an interest in religious studies, contemporary history, or memoir and biography.

This odd cross between Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian is full of captivating scenes, and the protagonist is interesting if puzzling. But the devices that Ehrenreich uses to create distance between the action and the reader leave the novel with an ungrounded feel. For adventuresome readers only.