Asymmetrical Information

From the desk of Mindles H. Dreck:

Panned by Curmudgeons of All Ages

It has been uncomfortable for me to read the relentlessly negative reviews of "American Son" by my college classmate Rich Blow. Thomas Mallon ripped it to shreds in The Atlantic this month, and today Russ Smith took it apart in The New York Sun:

Ultimately, "American Son" is a mere footnote in the canons of kennedy iconography, not only because Mr. Blow is a dull writer, but also for the sad fact that John F. Kennedy Jr. will be remembered more for the salute he gave at this father's funeral than anything else he accomplished in his short life.

Here's a more intriguing part of the same review:

The single most fascinating nugget in "American Son" is Mr. Blow's recollection of New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd panning the first issue of George (Blow was Senior Editor of George). Incensed, Mr. Blow wrote her a note and received the following response: "Don't be mad at me, I'm paid to be a baby curmudgeon, and it's no fun. I'd go back to reporting in a minute. I've subscribed and I promise only plugs from now on."

What a strange response. Is she being sarcastic, or does she really "hate" her prime real estate on the Op-Ed? It would explain a lot.

UPDATE: Here's Jonah Goldberg's take on "American Son":

...for all of Mr. Blow's milking of his relationship with Kennedy, the portrait in "American Son" rarely gets richer than skim.

Ouch.

Posted by Mindles H. Dreck at May 6, 2002 10:31 PM | Technorati inbound links