Jon Peirce

Jon Pierce has worked at a wide variety of jobs, many of which involved writing or media, and has written over 200 essays in the past 40 years. This book collects about a third of those. Most are newspaper editorials from the early 1980s, but they address issues which are still relevant, sometimes sadly so, such as American responses to terrorism. As an American now living in Canada, Pierce addresses politics in both countries with a keen eye (and a leftist perspective). There are also humour pieces, business book reviews, and commentary on everything from working out to working late. Chronological outliers include a summary of backpacking through Europe as a teen, and a tongue-in-cheek consideration of university courses for seniors. Each essay has a short introduction providing some context or reflection on the content.

The essays are short quick reads, as befits their origins, and they are grouped into similar subjects, which is convenient to locate areas of interest but can make for subject matter overload if you tackle several in one sitting. Peirce suggests this book is a smorgasbord. That's as good a metaphor as any, and sounds much better than "ideal bathroom reading when you want something more thought provoking than Jokes for the John." An index would be a nice touch, but the ebook version can be searched. It's great to have these essays rescued from the near oblivion of pre-internet newspaper publication and made available to new readers.… (meer)