90-Seconds Book Review: Look, I'm Gone by James Howard Kunstler Exorcises Catcher in the Rye

 Look, I'm Gone by James Howard Kunstler is a coming-of-age novel set in New York City over the 1963 Thanksgiving holiday season. 

Jeff Greenaway, 12 years old, is a student at Ponsonby Hall, a New Hampshire boarding school for troubled adolescents from wealthy families. President Kennedy’s assassination disrupts the orderly life of the school, and school authorities decide to release the kids a few days early for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Jeff returns to his parents' home in Manhattan and spends the next several days exploring New York City, watching movies, and spending a wad of cash he obtained at a schoolboy poker game. 

On a whim, Jeff enters "Dreamboat Landing," a dance studio advertising "Girls, Girls, Girls... 25 cents a dance." He dances with Yvonne, a young, working-class woman who teaches him the box step and the foxtrot. 

During their brief encounter, Yvonne decides that Jeff is a screwed up but decent kid, and she impulsively gives him her copy of J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. "Here," she tells him, "the story of your life."

Jeff is enchanted by the novel, which he reads three times over a few days. He identifies with Holden Caulfield, the book's depressed and morose main character, and soon adopts Holden's persona, including the fictional character's habit of inserting the word "goddamn" into casual conversations.

Like Jeff, Holden Caulfield is a boarding school student on holiday in Manhattan. Jeff is amazed at how much Holden Caulfield's world resembles his own. He begins to feel that Catcher in the Rye was written specifically for him, like "a message in a bottle."

 Thanks to Salinger's book, Jeff recognizes "the phoniness and pointlessness of everything around him," and he embraces Holden's view that the “goddamn world is full of phonies." 

However, Jeff Greenaway is not Holden Caulfield, and his holiday odyssey in New York City differs from Holden’s. In a bold move, he talks his way backstage at a Broadway theater and persuades a beautiful child star to have dinner with him at a swank restaurant. 

And Jeff has another un-Holden-like experience. Jeff believes that the Russians assassinated President Kennedy, which leads him to stake out the Russian UN embassy. The Russian ambassador, touched by Jeff's naive intensity, tells Jeff that "truth will set you free," and that the CIA, not the Russians, killed President Kennedy.

Jeff's initial attraction to Catcher in the Rye leads him to search out Salinger's other books: Franny and Zooey and Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters. He hopes these works will be as inspiring as Salinger's blockbuster, but he finds them boring and incomprehensible.

On his return trip to boarding school, Jeff finds out where Salinger lives, and he manages to have an extended conversation with the reclusive author on a snowy New England night. I won’t tell you about that passage in the book, because that would spoil Kunstler’s story for people reading Look, I’m Gone.

Catcher in the Rye is often described as a coming-of-age novel, and the book is required reading at some American schools. But Salinger’s novel is not a coming-of-age tale, because Holden never achieves the mature self-awareness that young people must obtain to transition from youth to adulthood. At the novel's end, Holden is as depressed as he was at the beginning.

Look, I’m Gone is an exorcism of Catcher in the Rye. Unlike Holden Caulfield, Jeff Greenaway engages with the world around him, takes chances, and embraces new and unsettling experiences—like his meeting with a Russian diplomat and his brief encounter with a vibrant child actor.

Millions of young Americans will read Catcher in the Rye and become depressed, cynical, and world-weary. Thus, as an antidote, I recommend all Salinger fans to read Look, I’m Gone immediately after reading Catcher in the Rye.

However, one need not read Catcher in the Rye to appreciate Kunstler's novel. Look, I'm Gone stands on its own as one of the great American coming-of-age tales beside Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Richard Bradford's Red Sky at Morning, John Knowles's A Separate Peace, and Robert Anderson's Tea and Sympathy.

Image credit: Slate

The Governmnt Shuts Down But the Hummingbirds are Still on the Clock

 My wife and I recently returned from an extended vacation in the Desert Southwest. We spent a few days at our family cabin in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico, and then motored on to Utah, where we toured Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.

Our timing was fortuitous because the federal government shut down a few days after we returned home. Most national parks, including those in Utah, remain open, but who knows when the shutdown will affect park operations.

So far, at least, I haven't been inconvenienced by the government shutdown. My faithful postman still delivers my mail, and the politicians assure me that my Social Security checks will continue being deposited in my checking account.

Life goes on. I spied a hummingbird in my garden this morning, sucking nectar from a lavender plant. He's still on the clock.

 In another part of the garden, a mourning dove pecked around our sunflower patch, because doves adore sunflower seeds more than life itself. I walked within three feet of the creature, and it did not startle.

In the coming days, Progressive journalists will comb the country looking for hard-luck stories about people suffering because government offices are closed. However, most Americans are unaffected by the government shutdown, and many who are impacted will blame Senator Chuck Schumer and the Democrats.

For the present, I will enjoy the change of seasons in southern Mississippi, plant a fall garden, and give thanks for living in Flyover Country. The political turmoil in Washington, DC, has nothing to do with me or my family.

Lake Mary, Mississippi

Should Pregnant Women Who Hate Trump Keep Taking Tylenol?

In a recent news release, the Food and Drug Administration announced findings that pregnant women who take acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, may run an increased risk of autism for their unborn child.

In a news conference, President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr emphasized the importance of the FDA's advice. In his inimitable way, Trump urged pregnant women to "tough it out" rather than ingest Tylenol Tablets.

Democrats quickly renounced Trump and Kennedy's advice. Representative Rosa DeLauro, the purple-haired Democratic congresswoman from Connecticut, denounced Kennedy's Tylenol warning. In a prepared statement, DeLauro called Kennedy's warning "absurd" and urged women to ignore it.

The claim from President Trump and Secretary Kennedy is baseless. Scientists and doctors agree that Tylenol, or acetaminophen, is one of [the] few safe pain relievers available to women during their pregnancy. President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s claim is misinformation and it should not be taken seriously, as it could lead to women taking dangerous alternatives. 

NPR, ever ready to criticize the Trump administration, also cast doubt on Kennedy's Tylenol warning. NPR began its story on the topic with this headline: "Trump blames Tylenol for autism. Science doesn't back him up."

However, Kennedy and Trump's warning about the dangers of taking Tylenol during pregnancy is not baseless. In an internal email message, Rachel Weinstein, director of epidemiology at a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary (manufacturer of Tylenol), alerted J & J's global head of epidemiology about a disturbing scientific review. 

As reported in the Epoch Times, the review "concluded that nine studies suggested that use of acetaminophen—the active ingredient in Tylenol—by pregnant women was linked to autism and other neurodevelopmental issues in the women’s children." Weinstein added that “[t]he weight of evidence is starting to feel heavy to me.”

Professor Zehan Liew of the Yale School of Public Health had this to say on the Tylenol controversy:

We do not know yet for sure whether acetaminophen [Tylenol's active ingredient]causes autism. Multiple observational studies conducted across different populations have shown associations between frequent and long-term use of acetaminophen in pregnancy and some negative effects on a child’s neurodevelopment.

In addition, a Harvard study reached similar findings. Andrea Baccarelli, Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, reported on a "rigorous review" that "found evidence of an association between exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy and increased incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders in children.” The study recommended that "[a]ppropriate and immediate steps should be taken to advise pregnant women to limit acetaminophen consumption to protect their offspring’s neurodevelopment."

Americans can conduct their own review on the possible link between Tylenol and autism; it's easily accessible online. Nevertheless, everyone should know that the Trump administration's advice about Tylenol is not baseless or absurd. 

Congresswoman DeLauro urged her constituents not to take medical advice from Secretary Kennedy. I encourage them not to take medical advice from DeLauro or the rabidly anti-Trump media.

Pay no attention to the purple-haired lady wearing green glasses.

 

Stick a fork in the Democrats: They're Done

Like I have a potty mouth, especially when I’m mad.

Representative Jasmine Crockett 

 Perhaps you've noticed that the United States no longer has a two-party political system.  

The Republicans are alive and kicking, propelled by an energetic septugenarian president. The Democrats, however, have devolved into "the Resistance." 

As demonstrated by today's government shutdown, the Dems no longer see a need to compromise on significant policy issues. Their congressional leaders are content to engage in bombastic, profanity-laced rhetoric and embarrassing public spectacles, like Representative Al Green's tantrum during President Trump's congressional address earlier this year.  

At the local level, Democratic-run cities are unable to keep crime in check, operate functional schools, or control illegal immigration. They care more about transgender sports than children's reading proficiency.

The Democrats' elites realize that they have no hope of winning the next presidential election. The swing states are shifting red, and voter registration patterns favor the Republicans. California Governor Gavin Newsom has a better chance of becoming the Pope than being sworn in as the next POTUS. As for Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, he comes off to most voters as a real-life Jabba the Hutt.

The Democrats' new strategy is to sabotage American culture and undermine democratic values from their sinecures in blue states, blue cities, and safely blue congressional districts. Their party leaders--Chuck Schumer, Adam Schiff, Bernie Sanders, AOC, Jasmine Crockett, the Squad--seem to think their jobs are simply to be obnoxious.

However, the Democrats have one last chance to regain relevance. If they pour millions of dollars into key congressional districts during the 2026 election season, they may be able to recover the majority in the House of Representatives. 

If the Democrats regain control of the House, they'll pass an impeachment resolution to oust Trump. Of course, the Senate will never vote to impeach him, but the histrionics around an impeachment effort will give Democratic politicians media visibility.

Even if the Democrats recapture the House of Representatives, they are done as a viable political party.  Americans in the Heartland are sick of them, and there are enough voters in Flyover Country to consign the Democratic Party to the dustbin of history.

The Democrats are done. Stick a fork in them.

Our Madmen Assassins: Their Political Ideologies May Not Matter

Over the course of a few weeks, assassins with murky motives have murdered strangers with guns.  Robin Westman, an 18-year-old, shot up a Catholic mass in Minneapolis, killing two children and wounding 18 more. Tyler Robinson, age 22, allegedly assassinated Charlie Kirk, a young, conservative Christian spokesperson, while he was speaking on a Utah college campus. Then, more recently. Joshua Jahn, twenty-nine years old, shot into a Dallas ICE facility, killing a Hispanic detainee and wounding two others.

Two of the assassins--Robinson and Jahn-- shot themselves at their killing sites. Tyler Robinson, the man who reportedly killed Kirk, was captured alive.

Politicians and the legacy media have attempted to identify the political ideologies of these murderers. Some commentators blame right-wing politics for the violence, while others argue that political violence is most often associated with leftist ideologies.

I don't think the political leanings of these madmen explain their violent actions or are even relevant. They're all nuts. 

Without exception, the killers are young men suffering from mental illness, although a few identify as women. They are isolated, lonely guys who spend too much time playing video games, and most of them probably smoke too much marijuana. They don't have a girlfriend or romantic partner. None of these killers has a clear vocational identity or any hope of joining the workforce. None of them dream of owning a home, marrying, or raising a family.

 In short, all these sadsacks are losers, not in the perjorative sense but in the existential sense. These guys were never going anywhere in life, and they all know it. 

So, why not get a gun, preferably a semi-automatic assault rifle, and start killing people? By committing murder, at least they'll get their 15 minutes of fame, a brief burst of online notoriety.

Every time a school shooting or mass killing occurs, left-wingers call for gun control. But that horse has already left the barn. The United States has almost 400 million guns in circulation, more than one gun for every man, woman, and child. We will never get those firearms out of circulation, even if we had the political will to try.

And rifles and pistols are cheap. Even a guy working at McDonald's can afford an off-brand assault rifle. 

Our society is to blame for all this carnage. What kind of world have we created that has caused some men to invest in killing tools rather than marriage, a family, and a vocation?

ICE to Deport an Iowa School Superintendent: A Story with No Heroes

Ian Roberts, a citizen of Guyana, entered the United States under a student visa in 1999. He obtained four degrees in the U.S., including a doctorate from Trident University. 

While in the U.S., Roberts pursued a career in public education, holding jobs in California, Maryland, Missouri, New York, the District of Columbia, Iowa, and Pennsylvania. He is the author or co-author of at least three books, including Radical Empathy in Leadership, published in 2021, and The Power of Seven Second Chances (co-authored with Nicole Price in 2023).

In sum, until last week, Roberts was enjoying a brilliant career in public education. He was Superintendent of the Des Moines School District, Iowa's largest school system, pulling down a salary of $286,000 a year. According to his supporters, almost everyone in Des Moines loved him.

Then it all came crashing down. Unbeknownst to the Des Moines school board, Roberts was not an American citizen, and his federal work permit had expired. An immigration judge had issued a deportation order against Roberts in May 2024.

On Saturday, September 26, ICE agents sought to arrest Roberts, but he allegedly fled in his vehicle. With the help of Iowa law enforcement officers, he was apprehended and jailed. Police found a loaded handgun in his abandoned vehicle.

Roberts's supporters maintain that he's an excellent school administrator who should not be deported. Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris called for her community to show "radical empathy" for him, a sly reference to one of Dr. Roberts's book titles. Demonstrators protested Roberts's detention, whom Time Magazine described as a "beloved superintendent."

However, Roberts' civic record is not unblemished. He was cited in Pennsylvania for illegally possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle in 2022, and federal sources claim he was charged with a weapons violation in 2020. The loaded handgun that police reportedly found in Roberts's vehicle last weekend is another blemish on his record.

I confess I have some sympathy for Dr. Roberts. After all, he's resided in this country for a quarter of a century, and his federal work authorization didn't expire until 2020. Thus, he was a legal resident in the U.S. for more than two decades.  

Roberts's supporters say the embattled school leader is the target of an "overzealous and racist administration," but I disagree. It's more accurate to say that Roberts's predicament is an example of a poorly administered immigration process. 

Deportation is a harsh penalty to impose on a man who has a strong record of public service as an educator. Nevertheless, Roberts is partly responsible for his woes. ICE alleges that Roberts possessed a loaded handgun on the day he was arrested. If the charge is true, that fact won't help him avoid deportation.

Ian Roberts. Photo credit: Coppin State University

Would RFK Jr. be Welcome at Cid's Natural Food Market? Make America Healthy Again

My father built a cabin in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico not far from the historic town of Taos. My family has vacationed there for more than 60 years, and over that time I've seen the sleepy town of Taos transformed into an upscale vacation destination and skiing community.

It was inevitable then that Cid's Food Market, a natural food store, would open in Taos, where affluent, health-conscious shoppers can buy organically grown vegetables, grass-fed meat, and other food that isn't ultra processed or laced with preservatives.

Cid's groceries are expensive, but I shop there occasionally beause it's conveniently located on the road to my family's cabin. I dropped in a few days ago and bought a bag of groceries costing me $132.

Among my purchases was a green chilie and bacon quiche, expensive but very good. I also bought a loaf of rustic bread--all natural ingredients and no preservatives. Also very tasty.

I observed my fellow shoppers--a few aging hippies from the days of Easy Rider but mostly affluent people with ample disposable income and a desire to eat healthy food. I wondered: what are the politics of people who shop at Cid's?

I suspect everyone in the store are Democrats--people who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024. If I were to walk into Cid's in a MAGA hat or a Trump campaign button, I might spark a heated confrontation.

How do these folks feel about HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign? Do they appreciate Kennedy's efforts to improve our nation's food supply and eliminate ultra-proccessed corn syrup in so many packaged foods? Do they approve of his work to lower our obesity rates and diabetes diagnoses?

I hope I am wrong, but I suspect the nation's healthy food community lump Secretary Kennedy's MAHA campaign with Trumpian politics, Indeed, as some Democratic Senators maintain, they may have written Kennedy off as a wingnut and and anti-vaccine zealot.

If so, that is unfortunate. In this time of heated partisan rhetoric and hyperbolic speech, I believe Americans need to become more discerning in shaping their political philosophies. Whatever progressives may think about Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, they should celebrate the appointment of RFK Jr. as the nation's Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

Finally, a guy has shown up in Washington who is alarmed by the fact that Americans are the unhealthiest people in the developed world. Kennedy wants to make us healthy again, and we should show him our support. And we should rebuke the Senate Democrats--Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Maggie Hassan, Ben Ray Lujan, etc.-- who are trying to discredit and destroy him.