-On my top ten of all time list-

Pre-Read Initial Impression
I must admit that a year before I had the pleasure of discovering Eggers for myself I noticed Staggering Genius' title in the New York Times Top 10 Best Sellers list and laughed at the Author's apparent audacity. It wasn't until I had the pleasure of reading Eggers myself (McSweeney's & Heartbreaking Work) that I discovered he actually did have the right to be that audacious. I just cannot wait for the joy of discovering his next over the top title on the New York Times Best Sellers list.

Initial Impression -
After two or three pages of Eggers' introduction I temporarily lost perspective on which way was up. When you encounter Eggers for the first time it is impossible to know whether or not you should take this person seriously or not. His introduction is peppered with random thoughts and ever-smaller fonts (those of you who came to a Heartbreaking Work as a reader of McSweeney's (http://www.mcsweeneys.net) will find this sort of rambling font chaos standard Eggers I am sure) as he wanders his way towards the actual beginning of the book.

I mean really, 'This is a picture of a stapler'? What is that all about? And what about his partial map of metaphors - do we take this seriously or is there something more sinister going on here? Is Eggers walking us down the path to understanding or is he attempting to veil the underlying message or pain that would otherwise be there for the world to see? In a word I was - Agog.

Post-Initial Read Impression -
After completing the book for the first time I was overwhelmed by the breadth of the complete story. We move from an eerily anhedonic retelling of his Father and Mother's passing to a description of life as he tried to take care of his kid brother Toph to the best of his ability. This really is a tragic story of survival that hits home if you even think about how you would stand up to that kind of pressure if life threw you a curveball like it did to Eggers. But a part of me can't help but wonder if this story would have sold if it weren't for the single-mom w/ kid factor. Are we attracted to the story or to the always-adorable Toph that is forced to survive with a selfish brother that is always thinking about himself. Does the book stand a chance if there was no Toph to take care of? Or, conversely, would the story be even better if it was only about Toph? Or rather, more importantly, the question ought to be - is there a story beyond the story? What is going on here?

Granted this really is a unique story - but in the back of your mind you have to wonder how many similar stories there are throughout the United States. Why does this particular story warrant publishing? And here is where we begin to touch Eggers' brilliance. He manages to speak to a bigger need, a larger desire for communing with his generation at a common level. He takes his story and uses it as a conduit for something completely other. Regardless of what many have said about this story this ISN'T a Rocky type - you can overcome sort of story. Eggers is all about being apart of and separate from at the same instance. A common particularity, if I can say that.

By taking his metaphors and looping them throughout the story he has essentially redefined his autobiography into a platform for his individual message. So draw back the curtains and what does the great Oz say to us? Only that he has a message, that he has innate meaning, that he does matter... this is his message I do believe. And although this might seem anti-climatic this really is important. This is the fate of all Postmodern authors who have deconstructed the world around them to ruins. What else is left, can even the author speak out for himself and say that he really truly does matter? Emotion is the great equalizer here. He is expressing a pain greater than the relativity and the irrelevancies that surround us each day.

Post-Secondary Read Impression -
Once the paperback came out I picked that up as well and read it over again. But this time I just decided to stop. I decided to forget the various platitudes and the symphonies of praise written about Eggers. I forgot the billions of reviews written in favor of this inscrutably enigmatic talent. I realized that this is the first piece of literature that made me feel like I was a part. The Postmodern destruction was leapfrogged and I really felt as though I was a part of the family, the friends, the angst and the passion. I all but picked up the phone and called the phone numbers listed in his book by an audacious Eggers, just to say ‘hello’.

Yes, he writes a brilliant line. The metaphors are folded and refolded until we have a beautiful origami swan transformed out of simple colored parchment. Yes, he does hold your hand as you begin rambling stroll together. It’s as though he is whispering in your ear as he gives you the inside story of at least a few of the double meanings peppered throughout his work of genius – and yes it is that. But isn’t that why we come away feeling all the more connected? Or is it because he is communicating a sentiment held by so many of us today, at least by his generation anyway.

Does it surprise you as much as it surprised me that Eggers was in shock when hardly anyone infringed on him by taking him up on his silly sociology projects in the foreword as he assumed they would? I mean really, isn’t that expected of family – that you won’t impose? It seems rather coincidental that this story follows the history of his life, because I believe we all can relate to the feeling of having a bigger story to tell… to yearning to be the spokesman for our generation. Not just to be the spokesman for our generation, but to actually be able to communicate perfectly with our generation by using his own personal story as a conduit. Literally this story comes off as a Mad hatter's Reader's Digest submission gone awry than a true autobiography. But we aren't all here adoring Eggers because it is psychobabble. We find brilliance in Eggers because we see the passion to be connected with the greater whole - to leap beyond the boundaries of our single solitary lonely existence. We desire to be complete... and Eggers has tapped into that urge perfectly.