Lost in the Cosmos
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Average rating2.5
“A mock self-help book designed not to help but to provoke . . . to inveigle us into thinking about who we are and how we got into this mess.” (Los Angeles Times Book Review). Filled with quizzes, essays, short stories, and diagrams, Lost in the Cosmos is National Book Award–winning author Walker Percy’s humorous take on a familiar genre—as well as an invitation to serious contemplation of life’s biggest questions. One part parody and two parts philosophy, Lost in the Cosmos is an enlightening guide to the dilemmas of human existence, and an unrivaled spin on self-help manuals by one of modern America’s greatest literary masters.
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Going to be honest here: I think this was just over my head. I have a feeling I should take Philosophy 101 and then re-read it. Also there was a part in the middle that he said you should skip if you weren't interested in semiotics, and I don't really know what semiotics is, so I totally skipped it.
The book poses as a personality quiz in the form of multiple choice questions, which are really just thought experiments. These were usually at least somewhat interesting and thought-provoking, especially the last few. OK as I think about the end of the book maybe it's a 2.5 star book for me. I don't know. I think it's well-written but just not the type of soul searching I prefer. OH ALSO this book is labelled a “satire” of self-help books but it's totally not a satire. I mean it has funny moments and kind of a wry tone, but it's definitely a self-help book.
