Scan barcode
A review by lo_loverun
Being There by Jerzy Kosiński
4.5
Rating my experience: 4.5 out of 5
I've read Being There by Jerzy Kosinski several times, first when a progressive high school teacher assigned it to me around 1988. I've always enjoyed it, and re-reading it in 2024 was no different. The storytelling is beautifully efficient, resulting in a short book that never feels lacking in detail. It's also worth noting that the 1979 film does an excellent job of expanding the visuals, but that's to be expected. I think it's fairly well-known that Being There is a critique of television. In some ways, it reminds me of the 1979 film Network, though Being There feels less like an explicit prediction of where media (especially news) would go. For me, the stronger theme here is confirmation bias—how humans tend to see what they want to see. That said, I don’t read this book to chase its profound ideas. I just enjoy the story. It's well-written, keeps me interested, and gets progressively funnier as it goes.
I've read Being There by Jerzy Kosinski several times, first when a progressive high school teacher assigned it to me around 1988. I've always enjoyed it, and re-reading it in 2024 was no different. The storytelling is beautifully efficient, resulting in a short book that never feels lacking in detail. It's also worth noting that the 1979 film does an excellent job of expanding the visuals, but that's to be expected. I think it's fairly well-known that Being There is a critique of television. In some ways, it reminds me of the 1979 film Network, though Being There feels less like an explicit prediction of where media (especially news) would go. For me, the stronger theme here is confirmation bias—how humans tend to see what they want to see. That said, I don’t read this book to chase its profound ideas. I just enjoy the story. It's well-written, keeps me interested, and gets progressively funnier as it goes.