Gun, With Occasional Music

 GUN, WITH OCCASIONAL MUSIC

Jonathan Lethem

Books for Bigots

Another in the series of Books for Bigots now includes GUN, WITH OCCASIONAL MUSIC (1994) by Jonathan Lethem.  One may ask why I write these articles about the books that I have read when most people, if not all, are not in the least interested in what I have to say about them.  First, they are an effort to steer Bigots away from books that might offend them in some way.  Bigots, as we all know, are easily offended.

Secondly, the world doesn't need any more writers, it needs more readers.  There are thousands of books being published. scooted out of the publishing houses into an eternity of oblivion.  Almost all do not  make a ripple in the public consciousness.  This is unfortunate.  Books take time and thought to write and many provide either knowledge or incite into our lives or the age we live in.

Thirdly, authors actually garner some pleasure knowing that someone has read their book and, further, has taken the time to think about it.  A pat on the back as you might say.  The internet as we know is a powerful medium in which to publish your thoughts, if any you might have; and, it is easy, as you can see from my efforts.

I don't consider myself an expert in anything and I am not a literary critic as they are in academia or intellectual circles.  But I do read books and it seems to me a good thing to publicly comment  on them whether the comments have any value or not; hence, GUN, WITH OCCASIONAL MUSIC.  This is what appears to be a mystery with a seedy, unsuccessful, vulgar, and addicted private investigator, Conrad Metcalf, who in the book is referred to as a "private inquisitor".  There are some interesting features to the book:  prison sentences are referred to as "the freezer".  One is frozen for the number of years to which they are sentenced and awoken when the sentence is completed.  The now ex-con has no memory of the years frozen; it's as if they didn't miss a day.

The authorities are pretty much the bad guys though and this will not set well with Bigots since most Bigots rely on the authorities to reign in the most egregious behavior.  There isn't much sex, but what there is is fairly graphic.  Once again, the modern world does not view sex as as some sort of metaphysical event to be enjoyed by unhappily married couples only.  There is some violence and apparently everyone is using "make" - - a powdered form of mental enhancement.   This I know would fall outside the ambit of Bigotry approval - - one does not rely on illegal or legal mind enhancing or altering drugs to make it through the day.

So once again, it must be said that GUN, WITH OCCASIONAL MUSIC is not for Bigots.  They simply would not be able to cope with the life depicted in the book and it is better that they don't attempt to read it.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo

GIRL IN LANDSCAPE

 GIRL IN LANDSCAPE

Jonathan Lethem

Books for Bigots

You would think that this book, GIRL IN LANDSCAPE, might be an appropriate book for a Bigot, but then again questionable, as one thinks about it further.  A family, the Marsh's,  moves to the planet of the Archbuilders which requires being frozen twenty months for the trip.  Not like moving to Costa Rica or somewhere similar because you no longer like the neighborhood.

The problem is that humans have destroyed earth and everyone lives underground.  Apparently the lack of ozone in the atmosphere will allow the sunlight to kill you; you are required to wear a protective cone when going to the surface.  Not a good situation.  This is the first problem; most Bigots can not accept the idea that they, humans, are destroying their own habitat.  Once again we have in the first chapter a description of earth that most Bigots may not be comfortable with.  

A requirement for any Bigot is to deny the life in front of them and create some fictional, usually conspiratorial in nature, account of reality that meets with their ideas of how things ought to be, not as what they actually are.  Hence, it would be unlikely that a true Bigot would venture much further into the book than the first chapter establishing the premise that earth is literally cooked.

But once on the planet of the Archbuilders, one finds most of the original inhabitants, the Archbuilders, have moved on to other planets and what civilization remains is in ruins with a few of the original inhabitants remaining.  A person could draw the conclusion that the setting and interactions between the remaining archbuilders and the incoming humans, have an uncanny resemblance to the settlement of North America by Europeans and their interactions with and view of the original inhabitants where once again the original inhabitants must conform to the habits and customs of the newcomers if they are to survive further.

What the deciding factor very well may be in any decision regarding the acceptability of this book for Bigots are the allegations made against a couple of archbuilders of some sexual exploration between an archbuilder and a human.  The reaction is historically typical and certainly would meet with the approval of most Bigots.  One was killed and another almost killed, but saved by the main character who unfortunately did not believe in killing  based on false allegations.  The idea that such discrimination was not approved of by the main character nor the author would be another variable in any decision of a Bigot to not read this book.

Whether the allegations of sexual indiscretions are true is unclear. The allegations were meant to cause the archbuilders' demise in unseemly ways.  But, alas,  in the  end we have what appears to be a future of  harmonious fellowship between the remaining archbuilders and remaining humans. This would likely be rather unseemly to certain readers.  Hence, in the final analysis, this book is not one that would be enjoyed by a Bigot.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo