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The Running Man

The Running Man

Stephen King

The Running Man

Stephen King as Richard Bachman

Published 1982

334 Pages

Science Fiction, Dystopia

Review
The story takes place in 2025. In this future the rift between the middle and lower classes has grown much wider then it is today. While the middle and upper classes live pampered lives, the lower class lives are comparable to mid-evil times in terms of access to medical care and food. Everyone has free access to a smattering of television reality shows that promise big money. Members of the lower class are so desperate they are willing participants in these reality shows. Sound familiar?

Our hero of the story is Benjamin Richards. A member of the lower class who happens to be uncommonly intelligent, not just for his class, but for most of the human race. His unwillingness to play the game of life has resulted in a very unhappy one for him and his family. In an act of desperation he agrees to participate in the reality show gambit and wind up being chosen for the most challenging game available, The Running Man. It is the show with the largest potential winnings and also the largest potential losses because the contestant is, literally, running for his life.   
Nail biting suspense completely soaked in utter despair with a dash of the surreal and some rather surprising twists and turns. I was not bored for a nanosecond.

Some side notes...

Outdated Technology
I read other reviews that complained the book was outdated. I didn't really see that. It is true that dates like 2005, 2011, etc... are mentioned and technology that is presented as amazing would seem commonplace today, i.e. video chat. I did notice an intense lack of cell phones. But these aspects did not make the story less engaging to me.

Introduction
In the middle of reading this I ran across a review of this where the reviewer warned to skip the introduction by Stephen King on writing as Bachman because it includes plot spoilers. Fortunately I had quit reading the introduction early on out of boredom.

Movie
The movie is nothing... nothing at all like the book. Except for the name of the main character the two have nothing in common. Don't skip the book because you think you know the story from having seen the movie. You don't 

Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies

William Golding

Lord of the Flies

William Golding

Published 1959

208 Pages

Fiction, Adventure, Dystopian (debatable)


Review

I believe this was originally assigned reading when I was in 7th grade so I am just now getting to it, 24 years later. I don't know what took me so long. As with many classics, it is a timeless tale told well.

A group of British school boys, all probably elementary school aged covering the whole range from 5-12, are stranded on an island when their plane crashes. Why they were on a plane, where they were going, where they crashed or why they crashed - none of these questions are ever answered but it doesn't really matter.
What happens next is a fairly plausible tale of what might happen when children are left for a long time to fend for themselves. But don't let that stop you from reading it. There is plenty of suspense, horror, and intellectual stimulation to keep most readers entertained.

The thing that really struck me was that somehow I got away with not reading it in school. I kept wondering how I managed to pass an exam on it without having read it. There are so many details that could not be guessed at. It is a fine book for 7th graders to read but I think a bit of its meaning is probably lost on them. I would love to have a book discussion on this now as an adult and draw parallels between it and our current political issues and human condition.

A Whole New Mind

A Whole New Mind: Ehy Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future (Updated With New Material)

Daniel H. Pink

A Whole New Mind
Daniel Pink

288 Pages

Published, 2005

Business, Motivation, Toilet Paper

Review

Daniel Pink is an engaging writer and he has some interesting facts. That's it.     
 
Pink asserts that the future is High Concept High Touch and because of this, creative thinkers will rule.
I found some of his facts interesting but did not agree with his conclusions.   
 
My father is a retired aeronautical engineer and also designed promotional displays on the side. When ever anything breaks, he can explain the flaw in design that made it break and decipher whether that flaw was an intentional cost saving measure or simply ignorance. If he has a job to do for which the tool has yet to be invented or is not handy, he can engineer, design, and manufacture his own from whatever happens to be lying around. To this day, I covet the spatula he made in the 1950's from scrap metal when he was working at a factory while going to school and supporting himself and my mother. It is the best designed spatula ever. Pink recommends keeping a design notebook. Okay, that is a good idea. I have been trained by my father since I was very young to notice the design in everything. I notice, not just structural design, but also sociological designs like clever commercials or poorly conceived promotions. Enhancing a product through design is not a new concept. We have better designs today, not because all of sudden good design is held in high regard, but because we have advanced in technology and have more research data to inform us. 

Pink suggests how incredible it is that beautiful design has become accessible to the average consumer by describing, first a toilet scrubber that costs $ 30.00 at Target and then a gazebo one can buy for their yard for a mere handful of Ks. I am an over educated, underpaid academic. I love my job. I will never be so stupid as to waste $ 30.00 on a beautiful toilet scrubber. I don't care how attractive it is. And I will never have thousands of dollars of disposable income, let alone a yard. Mr. Pink is a tad bit out of touch with just who the average American consumer actually is.
 
As I read Pink's assertions that High Concept High Touch was a new concept, I kept thinking of Fountain Head by Ayn Rand which was written in 1943. The idea that the MFA is the new MBA, well okay, maybe. But when it comes to usable goods, the person who will always lead the pack is the type of person who has always led the pack and that is the person who can master the engineering that lies behind design, the creativity that inspires it, and the charisma that sells it.