Drawing Life [Hardcover]

David Gelernter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 1997

On June 24, 1993, David Gelernter opened a package that exploded, blowing off most of his right hand and damaging his hearing, eyesight, and chest. Ironically, the perpetrator, the technology-phobic "mad genius" we know as the Unabomber, managed to punish one of the very few people who are deeply skeptical about computers and openly critical of technology. Perhaps the greater irony is that the bomb meant to destroy a man's life remade it, and the wounds meant to break his spirit only strengthened it. Now, in this haunting memoir, Gelernter makes a metaphor of himself, seeing in his own near-death and recovery the same disfigurement and promise for American society as a whole. As he ponders his own spiritual condition and the healing power he found in family, religion, community, and art, he critiques the American soul and its devaluing of these very treasures. Instead of teaching and lauding the virtues of courage, critical thinking, and good judgment, Americans have made a media circus out of crime. We are so busy peeking pruriently into the twisted minds of madmen that we have forgotten the acts of violence are not significant because they tickle our bloodlust, but because they force us to rethink our priorities. In a power analysis of the media's response to his experience, for example, Gelernter points out that the Unabomber was described as a "genius, " as "sick, " as "fascinating, " but never as evil. Gelernter asks the chilling question: What does it mean when a culture no longer believes in evil? What happens to a society that has lost its ability to react morally in a crisis? After all, when a man is blown up by a bomb, we should question, not gawk; learn the deeper lessons, not bask in the lurid details. A gripping and poignant narrative as well as a thought-provoking analysis of our culture and where it's headed, Drawing Life is about the resurrection of an extremely thoughtful human being and the extraordinary power of one man's will to live.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In 1993, Yale computer science professor David Gelernter opened what he thought was an unsolicited doctoral dissertation. It exploded, destroying his right hand and eye and making his torso resemble a construction site. Gelernter, bleeding and "royally annoyed," walked to the local hospital, keeping his feet trudging along in time with "an old Zionist marching song with a good strong beat." When he got there, his blood pressure measured zero and surgeons barely saved his life. "Music is useful," Gelernter observes.

While doctors rebuilt Gelernter, he published three books. In this one, Gelernter talks about getting blown up and sewn up and vehemently argues that society is losing its lifeblood--its belief in moral authority. He blames this on the takeover of the national mindset by the liberal intellectual elite, whose anything-goes ethic has silenced the drumbeat of tradition that used to keep us all in line. Though he doesn't directly blame the intellectual liberals for the Unabomber's actions, he does locate the madman on a continuum of modern social degradation. Drawing Life is an impassioned, not tightly reasoned argument and will make few converts to Gelernter's brand of conservatism. It's interesting as all get out though, with lots of clever lines and quirky insights. It's a good thing the Unabomber didn't silence Gelernter--a stubborn mind is a terrible thing to waste.

From Library Journal

In June 1993, a mail bomb sent by the Unabomber critically injured Yale computer science professor Gelernter (his right hand and eye were permanently damaged). Ostensibly an account of the author's physical and emotional recovery, this book is actually an extended diatribe against the media, the ruling intellectual elite, feminism, and all the other liberal elements that have ruined society. For Gelernter sees the Unabomber's actions as a metaphor for what is wrong with this country. "The blast that injured me was a reenactment of a far bigger one a generation earlier, which destroyed something basic in this society that has yet to be repaired." Unfortunately, any sympathy for Gelernter is quickly dissipated by his heavy-handed and repetitious theorizing. Liberals (if there are any left) will fling this book across the room, while conservatives will simply be bored by the tedious prose. [See also Gelernter's Machine Beauty, reviewed on p. 208.?Ed.]?Wilda Williams, "Library Journal.
-?Wilda Williams, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1ST edition (September 17, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684839121
• ISBN-13: 978-0684839127
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #721,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish every American would read this book., November 13, 1997

By 

[e-mail] "[e-mail]" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Drawing Life (Hardcover)

This is an outstanding example of inspiration without the saccharine that afflicts most inspiring books today. Professor Gelernter survived the nearly fatal attack by the unabomber through gallantry, the ability to find something to be grateful for even in the midst of tragedy, and the support of his family, his friends, and his faith. He has shed nearly all of his bitterness, and his story is a text for recovery from tragedy. It is more than that, though. It is also in the tradition of authors like George Steiner, seeking to diagnose the ills of a society in which, using Gelernter's own words, the twentieth century has become itself a crime scene. Gelernter writes sparsely and bluntly about the transformation which has taken place in America since the 1960's. Traditions and restraints have been broken, and putting things back together will take a long time and a lot of perseverence. We have spent our grandparents' moral capital and have surrendered traditional values to the new intelligensia. Whether you accept all of Gelernter's social criticism or not, you must read the book for the stirring recitation of recovery which rejected victimization in favor of redemption. The tale of a gallant and noble soul.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking, excellent work, October 26, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Drawing Life (Hardcover)

For one of his last targets, the Unabomber selected David Gelernter, a computer science instructor at Yale. Wouldn't you know, Gelernter writes, that this anti-technology terrorist picked one of the few computer science people who doesn't even like computers? But Gelernter dismisses the Unabomber as a worthless fool undeserving of serious attention, except to put him to death for his murders. Instead, Drawing Life uses the attack on the author as a starting point for a critique of our nation's culture of "victimology," of undue tolerance, of liberals, and of intellectuals. Full of sharp opinions, Drawing Life is bound to anger many who would prefer simply to sympathize with Gelernter for his injuries. The book is full of digressions, returning to Gelernter's personal situation from time to time as though only to renew his energy for another attack on the intelligentsia. But the writing is superior, and the arguments are cogent. If it does nothing else, Drawing Life should provoke worthwhile discussions on the direction in which our society is headed.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Iconoclastic, a healthy response to being "blown up", October 1, 1997

By 

inquiring psychiatrist "taobeat" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drawing Life (Hardcover)

As a psychiarist I am most interested in how injured souls assign meaning to personal tragedy. Gelernter, in this highly personal book, is able to metabolize his injury and set out on a crusade to heal a culture which "understands the validity" of the unibomber. His own healing is through healing others. This is the right stuff. In Freud's day being "outspoken" was a virtue. Gelernter is outspoken, provocative and an iconoclast- given the icon is celebrating tolerance. I was thoughtfully provoked and recommend Drawing Life to all who are concerned about our cultural life.