Escape into Meaning: Essays on Superman, Public Benches, and Other Obsessions
- Downloads：4466
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-31 08:52:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Evan Puschak
- ISBN：198216395X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Jake
，
There's some really good stuff in here。 I've been subscribed to Puschak's YouTube channel for years now and I'm very happy to see him landing on his feet with this transition to the written word。 I will confess I was worried after finishing the first essay， but I'm glad to report that every subsequent essay （minus the Seinfeld one， which was unceremoniously excluded from my ARC） is much more engaging。 A wealth of ideas imbue each piece so that even when readers are already familiar with the subj There's some really good stuff in here。 I've been subscribed to Puschak's YouTube channel for years now and I'm very happy to see him landing on his feet with this transition to the written word。 I will confess I was worried after finishing the first essay， but I'm glad to report that every subsequent essay （minus the Seinfeld one， which was unceremoniously excluded from my ARC） is much more engaging。 A wealth of ideas imbue each piece so that even when readers are already familiar with the subject matter being discussed， it nevertheless remains insightful and interesting。 Combine these with the essays that are additionally educational on new subjects， and you've got a recipe for great cultural conversation。 。。。more
Laci Cake
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When it comes to collections of essays， it's either hit or miss for me。 I either detest them or love them enough to recommend to friends。 There's no middle ground。 This collection falls in the later category。 I won this from a Goodreads giveaway， and as it's an uncorrected proof， I'd like to buy the finished work to compare， as I think it's going to differ from this （there are subjects listed on the back not covered in the proof version）。 I find with a lot of essays， writers seem full of themsel When it comes to collections of essays， it's either hit or miss for me。 I either detest them or love them enough to recommend to friends。 There's no middle ground。 This collection falls in the later category。 I won this from a Goodreads giveaway， and as it's an uncorrected proof， I'd like to buy the finished work to compare， as I think it's going to differ from this （there are subjects listed on the back not covered in the proof version）。 I find with a lot of essays， writers seem full of themselves， like they're talking down to you。 Evan Puschak doesn't。 It feels as if you're chatting with a buddy about life。 It touches upon similar themes as Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig， and while that is one of my favorite books of all time， it can get pedantic。 This was a nice escape into questions we all ask ourselves。 What does it all mean？ And the subjectiveness of meaning to begin with。 It's a great palate cleanser between the relentless slew of murder mysteries I love to gorge myself upon。 。。。more
Jen
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In ruminations and explorations of various subjects， primarily of those that are or are related to media， Evan Puschak’s Escape into Meaning: Essays on Superman， Public Benches， and Other Obsessions offers essays that go down rabbit holes and offer thoughts on topics， such as Ralph Waldo Emerson， the Internet， cyberpunk， public benches， Superman， and friendship， that might help readers think of them in new ways。To read this， and other book reviews， visit my website: http://makinggoodstories。word In ruminations and explorations of various subjects， primarily of those that are or are related to media， Evan Puschak’s Escape into Meaning: Essays on Superman， Public Benches， and Other Obsessions offers essays that go down rabbit holes and offer thoughts on topics， such as Ralph Waldo Emerson， the Internet， cyberpunk， public benches， Superman， and friendship， that might help readers think of them in new ways。To read this， and other book reviews， visit my website: http://makinggoodstories。wordpress。com/。The writing throughout this collection is relatable and fosters further contemplation， with conversational moments that address the reader to acknowledge the corniness of a phrase used or the excess of focus for an apparent tangent and easily conveys the level of obsessive， enthusiastic attention a particular subject garners; media explored within the essays openly embrace nerdiness as they are ones that have a significant stake in the cultural canon and most have a degree of fandom associated with them。 Within these essays there are some moments of clarity where Puschak conveys something that strongly resonates and， in fact， calls this out， setting the context for the collection， in first essay “Emerson’s Magic” that relates the “magic of articulation” that can be so gratifying to experience。 The essay， “When Experts Disagree” explores a vital point of individuals evaluating sources behind information and critical thinking， though when it began delving in to the world of academic journal publishing and Impact Factors， I groaned – I want to escape my job when reading， not have it bleed in， though most readers probably won’t have this same thought。 The essays are well-researched， indicated by the lengthy works cited， taking the essays beyond merely a general level interest in and obsession with the topics and content discussed and digging a bit deeper and applying critical thinking to them to present well-rounded information， even if the scholarly commentary aspect to it became somewhat dry and dense at times。 While all the essays are distinct entities， there are also referential comments and ideas that persist threaded between the essays， linking them all together as more of a cohesive whole。Overall， I’d give it a 3。5 out of 5 stars。*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Martin Maenza
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Escape Into Meaning: Essays On Superman， Public Benches and Other Obsessions comes out on August 30， 2022; Atria Books provided me an early galley to review。I was not at all familiar with the author or his YouTube channel; Puschak's occupation is listed as a video essayist。 I saw Superman in the title of the book and felt I might be the target audience for this collection of essays。 I did， however， check out his channel to see if I could get a feel for his approach and views。 Turns out， the vide Escape Into Meaning: Essays On Superman， Public Benches and Other Obsessions comes out on August 30， 2022; Atria Books provided me an early galley to review。I was not at all familiar with the author or his YouTube channel; Puschak's occupation is listed as a video essayist。 I saw Superman in the title of the book and felt I might be the target audience for this collection of essays。 I did， however， check out his channel to see if I could get a feel for his approach and views。 Turns out， the videos cover a lot more topics than I had first anticipated， a number quite scholarly in nature。 That really helped me level-set for reading his book。His approach is very structured and from a position of knowledge of the given subjects。 These are indeed well-thought-out commentaries meant to engage the reader into considering their own thoughts on the subjects as well。 Granted， not every subject he covered was a major interested to me but most touched upon hobbies and experiences to which I could relate。His approach is also very personal and honest。 After reading this book， I felt like he came across like someone whom I would have been friends with had we both gone to college together。 While they essays come from his own interests and experiences， they were presented in a way that was open for a broader understanding。For those uncertain of whether this is a good read for them， my suggestion of checking out his videos on YouTube first will help you decide。 If you get into what he's saying and how he is saying it there， you'll feel right at home with his book as it is much more of the same types of insights。 。。。more
〰️Beth〰️
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FYI Got this from a GR giveawayI have been trying to add more essays into my reading。 I was hesitant when I won this but ultimately enjoyed this collection。 Eleven essays， several linked， that are fairly easy to read。 I did not agree with everything Puschak put forth but he had me looking at things in a different way。 It helps I like science fiction and fantasy because those are the basis for many of the essays。
Michael Clancy
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I’ve never read a book of essays before this， and now I may never want to again。 It doesn’t appeal to me。 No story， no biography， no meaningful historical content， no depth。 Nothing but a lot of rambling on。 I guess I am not into commentary。 Got as far as‘The Lord of the Rings’ section and had enough。 Had to DNF it。 Received it as a Goodreads Advance Reader Edition which I do appreciate， but it was a dud for me。
Aisling
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Honestly this is a book where the title and subtitle really promise what they deliver。 This is a book on 11 separate （but really interconnected） essays which you can pick up and read and muse about for a while and feel like you've had a nice chat with a clever， interesting fellow。The chapters are full of intelligent references to Emerson， Camus， Woolf， John Stuart Mill， Erik Erikson， Yeats （my favorite） and so many more。 And then also Superman， Batman， Pulp Fiction， and the dreadful Cats movie。T Honestly this is a book where the title and subtitle really promise what they deliver。 This is a book on 11 separate （but really interconnected） essays which you can pick up and read and muse about for a while and feel like you've had a nice chat with a clever， interesting fellow。The chapters are full of intelligent references to Emerson， Camus， Woolf， John Stuart Mill， Erik Erikson， Yeats （my favorite） and so many more。 And then also Superman， Batman， Pulp Fiction， and the dreadful Cats movie。The first chapter is arguably important because it explains the why of the book but at first it reads a bit like a college essay on Emerson。 Stick with the book， I promise it improves and you do need that background and to understand the author's enthusiasm for Emerson to approach the remaining chapters。All in all a bit of a slow start but then I really enjoyed picking up this book and reading a chapter-- even when it was about something I have zero interest in （Superman）-- because the author is passionate about his subject and he writes well。 Even about the struggle of writing。Aside from the writing on Yeats （and this book is worth reading just for that， really） I found the essay on public benches/public spaces incredibly interesting and I could never have dreamed I would be interested in urban planning。 。。。more
Emily
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