Essays on Superman, Public Benches, and Other Obsessions

Escape into Meaning by Evan Puschak: Essays on Superman, Public Benches, and Other Obsessions

Overall, I enjoyed this book of essays from Evan Puschak of Nerdwriter fame. For the most part, the reader’s interests will dictate which essays they will enjoy the most. If someone was to pick up my copy of Escape Into Meaning, it would be easy to guess my favorites based on my highlighted portions.

Essays in the Collection Include:

  • Emerson’s Magic
  • I think the Internet Wants to Be My Mind
  • The Comforts of Cyberpunk
  • When Experts Disagree
  • Escape Into Meaning
  • Ode to Public Benches
  • Thinking in Oeuvres
  • Superman is Clark Kent
  • Jerry Seinfeld’s Intangibles
  • On Friendship 
  • Write a Book

I highlighted significant portions of I Think the Internet Wants to Be My Mind, several passages from Superman is Clark Kent and On Friendship (heavily weighed toward the Virginia Wolfe mentions), and nearly the entirety of Write a Book.

When I dove into Ode to Public Benches, I enjoyed the journey as the author waxed poetic on the communal quality of the simple park bench, but I was thinking, “Talk about hostile design! Talk about hostile design!” Thankfully he did, discussing the impact on society in general and the tendency in the U.S. to punish the homeless rather than address the societal structures designed to drive people into homelessness and make it virtually impossible for them to escape it. The number of unhoused is likely to grow substantially as housing costs climb beyond the reach of the average American.

The essays in Escape into Meaning aren’t required to be read in order. The arrangement flows well, but if you want to leave the book on your bedside to pick up and read whichever one catches your eye, you won’t lessen your enjoyment. 

I received this advanced reader copy of Escape into Meaning from NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.

Description

Producer, editor, and writer behind the highly addictive, informative, and popular YouTube channel The Nerdwriter, Evan Puschak presents an unconventional and whip-smart essay collection about topics as varied as Superman, politics, and public benches.

As YouTube’s The Nerdwriter, Evan Puschak plays the polymath, posing questions and providing answers across a wide range of fields—from the power of a split diopter shot in Toy Story 4 to the political dangers of schadenfreude. Now, he brings that same insatiable curiosity and striking wit to this engaging and unputdownable essay collection.

Perfect for fans of Trick Mirror and the writing of John Hodgman and Chuck Klosterman, Escape into Meaning is a compendium of fascinating insights into obsession. Whether you’re interested in the philosophy of Jerry Seinfeld or how Clark Kent is the real hero, there’s something for everyone in this effervescent collection.