A funny and brutal satire on the way capitalism hijacked the American Dream in the late 19th and 20th Centuries. Also a very witty parody of the picaresque narratives of the 18th century and Horatio Alger's dewey eyed novels celebrating America as the 'land of opportunity'.

Many reviewers here have dismissed this novella as racist and misogynistic based on the way it comments on and represents racial groups and rape, but to do so is to totally misunderstand what West is up to here. He certainly doesn't pull his punches, but the bigotry in the novella is never representative of the author's personal values, but is instead a reflection of the values in America that placed it in danger of becoming a fascist state in the first few decades of the the 20th Century. For instance, the narrative is full of antisemitic tropes, but as West was Jewish they're clearly not there because he believed in them personally.

In the world of MAGA, Q-Anon and the rabid and mindless excesses of right wing politics in the US and elsewhere in today's world, West has plenty still to teach us here. I'd strongly recommend it.

Basically this is a shitty, racist, rape-joke clone of Candide by Voltaire. It's not particularly well written or constructed, either. There are other books from the era which have aged much, much better.

The bitterest book of America’s bitterest writer. Yet there’s too much honest anger behind the horror to be cynical.

This book is surprisingly good. It is amazingly absurd and poignant, trending from amusing to downright cynical.

The craziest thing, though, is that this book---first published in 1954 and taking place in the mid-1930s---carries the narrative of "class warfare", American individualist optimism, corruption, Wall Street, etc straight out of today's (2015) media. It always amazes me when the major corruptions and perversions of sociopolitical systems of today are represented in nearly the exact same form in books that are decades old. Either we improved and regressed, or never improved at all, both of which are sad.

In any case, this is a great, very short book that is entertaining and awesome.

In this vicious, upside-down Horatio Alger parody, I've found what must be the source for Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events! Poor Lemuel Pitkin, swindled out of his home, falls prey to a series of disasters that result in the loss of an eye, his teeth, a thumb, a leg, his scalp, and ultimately his life. Check out the hilarious Shagpoke Whipple, ex-president, ex-con, and template for the pirate currently occupying the White House. Funny book, but not for the faint of heart.

not really discussed in the (substantial) body of criticsm on west; i found this to be a hilarious send-up of Algerism in american fiction. its politics are a bit simplistic, but i think its various catastrophes foreshadow the end of The Day of the Locust. eminently worth the time: short, funny, engaging. West's career batting average, in my mind, was .750, with three hits (this, Miss Lonelyhearts, Locust) and one serious miss (The Dream Life of Balso Snell). I'd rate it a must-read if you're interested in any kind of american countercultural literary history.

"Hail, Lemuel Pitkin!"
"All Hail, the American boy!"

This wonderfully meandering short novel (with top pacing) joins together a harsh political satire with the endless optimism seen in Candide, heavens my destination etc..

While for me this book may have gone a little wild in the end, I love the style. The unwavering optimism paired with the incessant gloom throughout the book is great fun.

A brutal picaresque satire on America, optimism and politics.

Horrifyingly timely.