Roomanitarian
by Henry Rollins
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Book Summary Information
Author: Henry RollinsEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-10-27
ISBN: 1880985772
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: 2.13.61
Book Reviews of Roomanitarian
Book Review: An important book
Summary: 5 Stars
This 2005 work from Henry Rollins is different from some his more familiar journal-based works, like "Get in the Van" and "Black Coffee Blues." It is a collection of topical works, quite wide-ranging in both tone and subject.
One of the two main threads to be discerned in "Roomanitarian" is Rollins' adoption of another persona to explore various ideas and personalities. For example, separate sections of the chapter "Ended" have him writing first as a plastic-surgery-addicted inhabitant of a gated community, and later as a Russian citizen comparing recent American history to life under Stalin.
These vignettes provide a dizzying and poignant read. Imagine Kierkegaard if he had been born to a single runaway teen and been left for dead in a dumpster behind an L.A. McDonalds.
There are hints among these short pieces of greater things to come. Two must-read sections of "Ended" have Rollins wielding a command of fiction-craft that is much deeper and mature than one would suspect from his journal-based works.
The first is a short story that begins with a man and woman on plane discovering common interests, but which develops through surprising shifts of perspective. Another extended section has Rollins evoking a stark, David-Lynchian atmosphere as a man's everyday surroundings become increasingly ominous. My hope is that these portend a novel from Rollins at some point.
Another main strand through "Roomanitarian" addresses this question: How can a guy who draws sellout crowds to his gut-busting spoken word manage to bring his talent for humor to the page without trying to duplicate his live act? The answer: satire.
Rollins' written work has always provided source material for his talking gigs, but hearing or going to the gigs was always necessary for really catching the humor in his stories. He was never one to include the little one-liners and non-stop quipping that career humor-writers do. The fun was in the live delivery.
But now comes "Roomanitarian." Through the use of satire he has managed to write a book that is funny without seeming forced. None of that Dave Barry insert-punchline-here hackery.
Satire is criticism and it is also humor. Rollins is a critic of culture and politics, but he has never set himself up as a great arbiter of truth. You read his criticism somewhat like you would listen to a crude but shrewd guy down the street. There are gems of wisdom, but you don't expect some grand treatise.
However, with Rollins, your "guy down the street" is one who has packed about three lifetimes into one. The signal to noise ratio is accordingly much higher.
Both in the satirical pieces and in the fictional ones, readers will discover a political edge in "Roomanitarian." From his first Reagan-era book "2.13.61," Rollins has always had a few nasty things to about those in power. In this latest work the anger comes to a white-hot head. In the "Letters to whitey," "To Ann Hitler," and in several sections of "Ended," Rollins applies a keen blade to the throat of the Bush administration and its supporters. He seems to channel the anger of millions of us who felt betrayed by the farcical Iraq War and 2004 election.
Here is a quote from a standout Jeremiad in "Ended," clearly directed at Bush: "Do you know what parents consider themselves when they bury their sons? Failures. Will you admit that you never knew what you were doing and you were never ready to give what you made others give? That you are and always will be a coward? A weakling who preaches strength, who sends in the best to do the worst." (p.8)
"Roomanitarian" is an important part of Rollins' output in many ways. It will be seen as a transitional book for Rollins. It will be a book in which one can discern several lines of his later development maturing.
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