This month we discussed Boomsday by Chritopher Buckley. This book was not well liked by the group. An interesting point is that the people who listened to the book on CD thought it was very funny and the people who read the book did not find it as funny. This story was slow moving but at times it was very witty as well and readers will probably have mixed opinions.
The book is about a young blogger named Cassandra Devine. Cassandra devised a scheme to get the government to reexamine the Social Security System so it will not go broke in a few years. She politely suggests that Baby Boomers be given government incentives to kill themselves by age 75. Her modest proposal catches fire with millions of citizens, including "an ambitious senator seeking the presidency." The issue of euthanasia for Boomers (called "transitioning") raises objections by the Religious Right, and of course, the Baby Boomers, who are offended by demonstrations on their golf courses and retirement resorts.
As a story about the social security crisis in America, it makes you think about the rising debt and the inability of the younger generation to support the program. Cassandra starts out as an independent strong woman but ends up totally dependent in the men in her life. The book started out well and lost many of us in the middle where the story just went nowhere. If you like a little political satire this book may be for you.
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