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Title: Pharisee bashing
Review: Excellent book. Lawrence is the only writer I know of who was able to trace the priggish type of American back to Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was a great man, but one of his more regrettable legacies appears in the modern WASP holier-than-thou type, the type that thinks it's inherently immoral to stay up late, and inherently moral to be a non-smoker. Take a close look at his interests and you'll see that it's to his advantage to preach what is, basically, servility. The rest of us Americans can't stand him (I'm convinced that Al Gore lost the election because he embodies this type), but his belief in his own piety remains unshaken to this day. Well, Lawrence gives him a perfectly-placed kick: check it out.All of these essays are thoughtful, funny, and insightful. Lawrence has a unique way of grasping the undercurrents of works of fiction, and many of his most surprising assertions ring true upon reflection.
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