The Moronic Inferno by Martin Amis

The Moronic Inferno and Other Visits to America by Martin Amis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The title is a misnomer as this book is more than 50% reviews of books written by American authors. I much more enjoyed the essays, especially those on Hugh Hefner and his Playboy "empire" as well as Gore Vidal and Jerry Falwell.

Amis also delves into the AIDS crisis in 1985. It's a powerful, and early, call for sympathy, understanding, and action. And a rebuke of close-minded heterosexuals who see AIDS as solely a gay problem and disease. (Though Amis does engage in stereotyping gay men as hyper-promiscuous and dismisses monogamous gay couples as a "myth".)

Amis' droll wit and keenly deployed sarcastic-to-scathing pen provide great insight into a period of America (Elvis Presley in sad, grotesque decline, the rise of Ronald Reagan and the Moral Majority) I came of age in. The book reviews are quite good and expansive but I can't help but feel a little cheated that Amis' reflections on America weren't more numerous.

Cover Distraction Rating: With a title like "The Moronic Inferno" I know I'd be staring at whoever was reading it. What a provocative, intriguing title!

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