2030 by Albert Brooks

In a word- depressing. I am impressed by Brooks thought process. He used the state of the nation today and followed it all the way through to his picture of 2030. It reminded me of a practice I use to stop worrying about something. I ask myself at each stage- what is the worst thing that could happen? And I might say, I would lose my job. O.K., and if I lost my job, what is the worst thing that could happen? And so on until I get to the very worst of the worst and then I ask myself- could I live through that? Could I survive? 

When I read this novel it felt like asking myself continuously- if that happened, what is the next worst thing that could happen? I try to stay positive about the way the government is handling things, or NOT handling things, as the case may be. I try to stay positive not because I believe that the motions and directions of the government are positive, but because if I don't I am petrified by my own answers to, then what is the worst thing that could happen? My mantras surrounding politics are focused on knowing that the destruction of the ways things have been done is the only way to rebuild and improve. The difficulty I have with this book is not that it isn't a good story, because it is. It is not because the writing isn't very, very good, because it is. It is not because I don't see the brilliance in the way Brooks processes and creates an alternate reality that is encompassing and visible, because I do. My difficulty with it is a direct result of Brooks' ability to answer me when I ask, and then what is the worst thing that could happen? During my time with this novel I found it next to impossible to chant my self reassurances about the necessity of destruction before the possibility of growth and change.  For me, this book was not just a work of fiction-it was a horror story. 


You will find an official plot line description at: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9875493-2030