Title: |
The Book of Vice |
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Author: |
Peter Sagal |
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Category: |
Non-fiction |
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Rating: |
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Date Reviewed: |
June 15, 2008 |
Sagal explores several vices - by his definition, vices are "sin" - activitities that are not illegal, but are
considered immoral. Thus, he avoids illegal drugs or prostitution, and instead gives us a chapter on each of the following vices:
swinging, gambling, gluttony,
lying, stripping, pornography. The reviews make it sound like the book is full of hilarious observations, but it isn't that
amusing.
In the first section, Sagal investigates swingers. He and his wife attend a Saturday night party where
couples go each weekend with the intention of swapping mates. (Sagal only observes, he and his wife do not participate.)
Despite the sub-title of this book: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them), Sagal does not tell the reader where the
swinger's club is located, or how one can be joined; he deletes the name of the place and is careful not to leave clues
about how to find it, and he alters the names of everyone interviewed. Despite his interviews, it
is hard to tell from the conversations just how much the club members are enjoying themselves. Sagal leaves most of the
activities of the club to the reader's imagination. Since this is a personal survey of vice, Sagal doesn't offer any
statistics such as what percentage of Americans try swinging, nor is there any history (was it more or less common in
the 1960's? The roaring 20s?) Is it legal in all 50 states? - after all, it is adultery. The section on gambling mentions the hypocritical William Bennett, who rose to fame condemning the moral
failings of his fellow citizens - only later was it revealed that Bennett himself had a substantial gambling problem. Sagal
describes how the odds of gambling are in favor of the house, so of course casinos make money. Sagal also describes how
bored and unexcited most gamblers look - the people in casinos, throwing away their money, don't look to be having any fun
at all. However,Sagal ignores whole areas of gambling - what about poker tournaments or card games in private homes?
What about the excitement of horse racing, or betting on sports? Are lottery winners truly happy? But since he only has one
chapter on gambling, Sagal only has time to skim the subject, and so he focused entirely on casinos. The chapter on gluttony is perhaps the most interesting, maybe because Sagal actually joins in the vice
rather than just observing. Sagal and his wife have a dinner at a strange restaurant that serves elaborate tiny dishes,
each course is a mini work of art. There may be 60 of these tiny courses in a meal. The chef delights in preparing the food
in exotic shapes or with strange utensiles, the diners are often perplexed on how they are expected to consume the dish.
I think Sagal enjoyed this outing, especially since he could charge the whole expense to his book. I thought this was the chapter
where Sagal had the most fun - but is it really gluttony? Eating 60 tiny dishes isn't going to fill you to the point of bursting.
Sagal should have gone to an All You Can Eat buffet and seen how the other restaurant patrons behaved - and then made 5 trips to
the dessert bar. The chapter on strippers is probably the most depressing. Clearly, Sagal can not identify with the
strippers, nor with the patrons of the strip joints. He tries to give a non-judgemental description of the industry, but
clearly his heart isn't in it. I think this book would have been more fun if Sagal had actually indulged in the vices, rather than just
observing. But he is too straight laced to participate (or maybe he did partake and just won't admit it?) Maybe all the
people who endless tug at the lever of the slot machine really are having fun - how do you know if you don't try? Sagal
tries to be witty, but I didn't find this a funny book. Perhaps in the hands of someone like P.J. O'Rourke, this would have
been better executed book. |
