American Savage - Dan Savage

American Savage

By Dan Savage

  • Release Date: 2013-05-28
  • Genre: Social Science
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 63 Ratings
Buy on Amazon

Description

Celebrated sex advice columnist and founder of the Emmy-winning It Gets Better campaign, Dan Savage delivers “powerful messages for both the head and heart” (Entertainment Weekly)
 
From the moment he began writing his syndicated sex-advice column, Savage Love, Dan Savage has never been shy about expressing his opinion on controversial topics—political or otherwise. In the height of his activism, he addresses issues ranging from parenting and the gay agenda to the Catholic Church and health care. Among them:

   •  Why straight people should have straight “pride” parades, too
   •  Why Obamacare, as good as it is, is “still kinda evil”
   •  Why what passes for sex-ed in America is more like “sex dread”
   •  Why the Bible is “only as good and decent as the person reading it”
 
Speaking to a broad range of subjects with brutal honesty and irreverent humor, American Savage is a pivotal piece that cements Dan Savage’s place as a provocative and insightful voice in American culture.

Reviews

  • A Great, Extended Column

    4
    By Liz_Sheehan
    I've been a Dan Savage reader and fan for years (all the books, all the columns, blah, blah, blah) so I was naturally excited for his new book's release. And...it's fine. Don't get me wrong, it's crafty, well-written, thoughtful stuff. But he covers a lot of different topics in under 300 pages. Maybe too many topics. What I loved, loved, loved about both The Kid and The Commitment was the focus. He had a story to tell, a cohesive message. Same goes for the It Gets Better essays, Skipping Towards Gomorrah, and even the column compilation. This one (save the final two chapters) feels more like an extended rant. An articulate and accurate rant, to be sure. But a bit of a rant. And I do love a rant. But what I love more than a rant is a writer as sharp as Savage with a side of heart. The book reads well, especially if you happen to agree with his positions on religion, marriage equality, and health care policy. But Savage is at his best when he seamlessly weaves the logos with the pathos (which he does masterfully in the final two chapters). American Savage - which I liked and would recommend - could've used a little more pathos.

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