I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined)

The author’s villains, the subway shooter, Goertz, comedian Andrew Dice Clay, he throws in Kareem?, Kobe and O.J. Of course , Hitler. I felt the essays were more like a high school student attempting to sound smart about pop culture and writing about villains. It doesn’t go deep enough what is a villain? Movies and books are interesting if the villains are powerful and mighty. In any movie or story -the more evil and wicked the villains the better the story. In the real world, villains are everywhere, some are disgusting and earned a special place in hell for them. What is a villain? He mentioned Alister Crowley a true villain who embraced evil. I think the author missed an opportunity to delved deep into I wear the black hat.

I have been a fan of Klosterman for years. Before that point, I had been aware of him even though I hadn't bothered to read anything he wrote. I don't remember what book it was, but someone lent me the most recent book that was out and I read it in a day. I went and got the others, and read those as quickly as I could.I then waited, and was blessed with another book of essays. Then there were two novels - interesting, but not what makes me want to read Chuck Klosterman as an Idea, you know. The best thing about Klosterman is that he is smart, but not overly academic. That means you can read his books and learn things and he's not necessarily thinking about how his cultural essays will look in front of the tenure committee.You know this already. You're probably a fan of his work; he's preeminent in the "non jewish non serious" demographic (as he puts it) and you have a story like mine. I bought this thing sight unseen except for the name months ago. I devoured it gladly, and now it's over.This is criticism, but it isn't as tight as some of his other pieces. By having a whole book to meander over who are villains and who are not, Klosterman gets a little self-indulgent at times (and this isn't a pure criticism, he excels at self-indulgence). Ultimately though it is rewarding, and he is great at a turn of phrase. For example , he is discussing Hitler (Yes, Hitler is covered in the book) and he muses: "No one ever talks about building a time machine in order to go back and kill Judas." He brings forth truth. The Hitler/Time Machine thing is such a trope there was a Dr. Who episode entitled "Let's Kill Hitler". Yet - Judas betrayed god. Dante puts Judas at the bottom of the heap for sinners, yet even he is part of God's plan. It gets complicated in a way that Hitler doesn't.Will you learn more about the nature of evil? Maybe and maybe not. I like his formula for figuring out who the villain is: the one who knows the most yet cares the least. I liked it, but I worry that it is ultimately ephemeral - though it may be more solid than the other books. Klosterman is definitely a critic of his generation, an a lot essays have an expiration date on them. This book should go stale more slowly than the others since it is tight around the theme, though it is rooted in time in place that is very recognizable for a middle-class white guy with some education in the here and now.The best advice in that case, is to get this book as soon as possible and read it right now.

I have read every non-fiction book Chuck Klosterman has written, and this is my least favorite. There are a couple of times where it feels like it will get interesting soon, but it ultimately stays too far removed from the subject of evil to really examine it. The result is a semi-interesting set of essays that are more about the idea of evil, but evil turns out to be the very boring younger brother of good. Despite the inclusion of Hitler and even Judas, the book fails to examine the true nature of evil.Things I liked:* The OJ discussion has some interesting points. Will probably (finally) pick up a copy of If I Did It.* The comparison of Batman to Goetz was vaguely interesting, though how Batman would be treated in the real world was intriguing.* Some interesting pop culture anecdotes throughoutReasons why it fell short:* No true examination of evil: any book about evil that includes discussions of the Raiders, Andrew Dice Clay, and Chevy Chase is not really a book about evil (or even villains)* Klosterman's books work because they examine society through the lens of popular culture. Typically, the books span a variety of topics. This one feels too narrowly focused and it missed the mark.* Big ideas, but no real insight into evil. The definition of a villain as 'the one who knows the most but cares the least' piqued my interest, but was never fulfilled.Try his other books first (especially  Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto  and  Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas ) if you are interested in pop culture. If you are a huge fan already, you will find something to like - just don't expect too much. Recommended for those who are already fans.

I just think it's over-priced. When you can buy Tolstoy's war and peace for much less and serve's a better job of exploring mankind's dark side and the universal themes attached - this book is very Anglo/American centric. So if you have little cultural collateral in regards to some of the icons of this culture post 60's then you will be unrewarded.

I do so well recommend this book- great gift and read it myself too! Gaurenteed to hold your interest to the end!

As a lifelong fan of Klosterman's writing, I went through this book in a day and a half. Its fun if you're a fan, but definitely the weakest of his essay books (maybe on par with IV).

I nice piece from Chuck Klosterman. A bit short if you like the book, but interesting, as it is always the case.

Ya esta abierto y maltratado, pareciera de segunda mano, muy insastifecho solo por que llevo tiempo buscandolo no lo devolveré pero no me quedan ganas, no lo compren