An excellent combination of essays covering the spectrum of differing views on postmodernity, which is described in the book to be an important shift in the western culture comparable with the Renaissance. The preface material at the start of each part of the book does a great job of preparing the lay reader for the overall argument in the essays that follow. A warning though, many of the essays require some familiarity with basic "traditional" philosophical ideas and terms.

In his Primer, Natoli introduces us to postmodern thought. The book raises a number of interesting questions about life, understanding, truth, and reality. Natoli, a Professor at Michigan State University, presents the reader with an excellent introduction to the way of thinking, and, as a good postmodern book should, the Primer leaves the reader with more questions than he or she began with.

This is a very good book. It is beyond the cute "for beginners" type of books, yet friendly enough to be read in a weekend. It is the best introduction to pomo I can think of, for people who are smart but don't know anything about the subject. Full of useful references.