Because I grew up in La Jolla, and graduated from La Jolla High School, class of 1962, I was only interested in the short story: "The Pump House Gang."

I know most of the characters in the story, and believe that Wolfe did a good job describing them. His account of the La Jollans visiting the Watts Riots was right on. I visited the riot zone myself, and enjoyed the same experiences as Shine, Nelander, and Sterncorb.

Wolfe came as close as any "outsider" has been able to do, in analyzing the La Jolla nut house, the institution where the walls fell down, and none of the inmates left.

Tom Wolfe pursues the idea that many Americans and Brits since World War II have been checking out of mainstream status competition in favor of pursuing status within distinct subcultures. This plays out in some interesting ways--most notably Wolfe watches Natalie Wood pursue status in a more traditional way by acquiring knowledge of art and even some Old Masters, while others play their own status game around photographing celebrities, in this case Wood herself. Essays on Hugh Hefner, California surf culture, and London mods are also worthwhile, as is a comic piece on Wolfe's misadventures with an "automated hotel". Wolfe does bog down at times, however, in the minute stylistic details of the groups he covers; if you are not that interested in style in and of itself, your eyes may glaze over those passages. Still, this is a good read for anyone interested in subcultures (especially of the 1960s) and status-seeking.

Tom Wolfe is brilliant in capturing a generation's feel. This collection of short stories describes the socialites, the freaks and the trend-setters. Wolfe's language manages to show the physical as well as the atmosphere within a few short sentences. If you liked his wit in "The Electric Cool-Aid Acid Test" and his observations (social x-rays) in "Bonfire of the Vaities," you will love this collection of social critical essays.

I liked this book. The quality of color and pictures guide you thru reasonable steps in making a wood face carving using a minimum of wood. Most books jump over steps and leave the reader wondering what should have been done in between. I have other of T Wolfes books and this is a better one in my opinion. A feature I would also like to see in his /any carving book would be more commentary on the use of 'grain' and how to get around the rough cuts that always deter from making a smooth carve.

Wolfe's little book is actually an extended polemic against the Bauhaus school and all its offshoots in architecture and design. Although never boring, I found nothing new here. In fact, I found several direct steals from Robert Hughes's landmark SHOCK OF THE NEW (1980), the book and teleseries which came out the year before Wolfe wrote his little screed. I'd advise anyone interested in pursuing the iconoclast's case against modern architecture to check out this earlier work as well.

This is Wolfe's second book dedicated exclusively to the fine(r) arts. The first one was "The Painted Word" where he skewers the art world. That was a *great* book. This one is not.

In this book, Tom misses a good opportunity to skewer the architectural world. (Whether or not such world should be skewered is irrelevant to Tom Wolfe. His goal in life appears to be to criticize all aspects of modern culture. Is he a Republican? :)

His major mistake is his oversimplification of the history of modern architecture. By failing to critically distill the difference between movements, he paints himself in a corner of contradictions. He praises Frank Lloyd Wright, but fails to mention that Frank incorporated elements from the Bauhaus school Wolfe loves to hate. He criticizes some of these "paper" architects for designing buildings that are never built, but fails to mention Lloyd Wright did the same too. (In all fairness, Frank did not get famous because of these drawings, unlike Le Corbusier.)

In "The Painted Word", Wolfe took several movements that to the untrained eye appeared different (compare Rothko and Pollock with Warhol) and found the common thread. He then was able to skewer the entire modern art world by criticizing the common thread.

On the other hand, because most of modern architecture (at least during the period the book covers) is organically related rather than a seemingly-obvious break with prior movements, Tom cannot skewer architecture and its follies in the same manner. Instead, he has to attack modern architecture as a whole. Well, that was more than he could chew, so the book is muddy at best. Too bad. It could have been a fun book to read.

Tom Wolfe, in this book, makes the same basic mistake as Karl Marx. He figured out what he wanted to say, researched it and made all his observations and all the facts concerning the subject fit his original idea. It really should be the other way around. I think Wolfe probably woke up one morning with a grudge against modern architects and decided to write this pamphlet attacking them and their buildings. While it is true that modern architecture has made some gigantic and monstrous mistakes, it has also produced some exceptional buildings. Norman Foster and Richard Rogers (to name only two of a wide range of very talented contemporary architects) would never be erecting HSBC or Lloyd's buildings if Le Corbusier and Gropius and Mies van der Rohe hadn't existed. In one instance, Wolfe criticises the latter for the Seagram building, claiming that it is full of contradictions to the Bauhaus rules. Perhaps, but the Seagram building is an architectural classic and it helped pave the way for a generation of sexy edifices. However, some of Wolfe's attacks are well founded. It is true that the Bauhaus architects believed themselves to be intellectual giants and that some of their ideas were spectacular and costly blunders (Will somebody please tear down Le Corbusier's Unite d'Habitation in Marseille?)Yet Wolfe strikes again with his brilliant idiosyncratic style that makes one forget the shallowness of his argument or the fact that it seems he bears a grudge against these people. It's a good book, it will make you laugh out loud and if you don't know much about architecture, it's a good start to get acquainted with the names of the main players and the buildings they designed.

I wanted to enjoy this book far more than I actually did: Wolfe clearly undertook a massive feat with "A Man in Full," attempting to weave together characters from a variety of racial and social backgrounds. And yet, beyond that, I was not certain what else Wolfe intended his novel to be: a profound commentary on social and cultural mores? A social satire? A lasting work of literature? Or just a hefty piece of popular fiction? This identity crisis plagues Wolfe throughout the book. There are moments of true brilliance--Charlie Croker himself is a masterpiece; were the book as a whole as inspired, as beautifully layered, Wolfe would have added a major character to the American literary scene. But the supporting cast--indeed, the whole of "A Man in Full"--just doesn't merit much attention. It's not profound or complex enough to be social commentary; and despite occasionally glints of brilliance, it's not funny or scathing enough to be social satire (which is disappointing; Wolfe clearly has a great sense of humor and a keen intellect--this book could have been as hilarious, as scalding, as unconventional as anything by Joseph Heller or Kurt Vonnegut, but Wolfe seems almost hesitant to try.) There are also problems when one tries to characterize "A Man in Full" as a deeply profound comment on society: Wolfe so often resorts to shallow, foolish plot tricks to move his characters forward, much of the plot seems cheap and contrived. A convenient earthquake halfway through the novel is the first straw; the abrupt, Zeus-inspired resolution of the novel is the last. Wolfe has been unfairly criticized by the American literati for his view of the novel as a large, complex, socially-motivated work of art. But whatever criticism he may have received for "A Man in Full" in particular is probably well-deserved. Wolfe is clearly a talented writer: I think he's capable of much better.

The novel "A Man in Full" by Tom Wolfe describes the society of modern Atlanta with its problems between black and white, rich and poor.
The main character of the story, Charlie Croker, is a successful real estate developer however he is deep in debt. To get out of this unpleasant situation, he searches for a solution that would allow him to keep his good position in society. As a former Football star he is asked to speak for a black Football player who is accused of having raped the daughter of Charlie`s friend. This way, Charlie could loose his debts.
With the use of motifs and interesting language the author describes the problems of corruption in politics.
After a surgery Charlie is introduced to the Stoics philosophy. This event changes his attitude towards money and belongings completely and he gives his possession to the bank. Surprisingly he leaves Atlanta and becomes a successful TV- preacher whereas the city is left in trouble.
Tom Wolfe used motifs of sexuality, relationship and the role of politics to show character roots and plot development. This helped to make the sometimes complicated story line easy to understand. However one has to invest time to read this piece of literature!
The author used beautiful language and interesting characters to make the story enjoyable. All in all the novel satisfied me in reading, altough the ending is a bit too short in comparison to the rest of the novel.
I recommend this novel to those readers who are interested in politics,like to follow the development of different characters and have enough time to read.

I have never read Wolfe's other novels, so i don't have to compare it to what many seem to think are his better ones. A Man in Full is a take on American life, particularly in the south to this day. It revolves around an old Southerner named Charley Croker (picture Tom Wolfe himself) who just hasn't quite gotten with the 90's. Even his gorgeous trophy wife (who's about half his age) notices. He's a bit bigoted in how he perceives society (not extreme, though sort of). He owns numerous things, a big house, a multi-million dollar company, and a Georgia plantation. Though he doesn't consider himself racist, all of his workers on the plantation are black and he sees himself as their savior (otherwise they'd be on the streets). He also makes it clear he's against homosexuality. Anyways, lately he's been in financial trouble, as a bank whom he's in serious debt to(due to a failed business venture)threatens to foreclose on him if he doesn't pay up. This is unbelievable to Charley, who's lived a life of luxury and can't picture himself giving it up. Meanwhile, a young black lawyer name Roger White II (people call him Roger Too White because of his elite education and interests include opera.)who represents Fareek Fanon ("the cannon"), an on the rise black football player at a Georgian University sees a way to deal with Charley by offering him a way out(Roger's friends with the mayor). It seems that Fareek's been accused of raping a young rich popular white girl(daughter of a businessman who's close to Charley).The rumors are floating on campus and outside as well, and if the story breaks out, the city could be torn apart. This of course, the mayor doesn't want. Meanwhile, a young man who works for Charley's factory in San Francisco is layed off. He was already strapped on his wage and now his life spirals downward.
The book itself is a yin and yang when it comes to character. Wolfe gets motivations right and the characters thoughts. There is something missing though. Sometimes his portrayal of things seem one sides or biased, as if only scratching the surface. Concepts he deals with are hiphop culture, and how it fits into how black youth's lives, and asian communities, specifically in California. An example of this would be some of the immigrant characters who always seem to speak terrible English. However, an interesting issue is how Roger looks at the young black youths at their "freaknic" parties. He looks down on them, believing himself to be more African b/c he's more in tune with his roots than these ignorant youths. But then, is he just jealous? The book also shows Tom Wolfe's inside knowledge of Southern culture and how Atlanta is striving to become an international city, on par with New York. The book is a package of modern America itself summarized and bundled together. Not a masterpiece but recommended.

I'd like to read it with agrand pleasure

Mr. Wolfe's caricatures are gross exaggerations of the human form and may not appeal to potential doll or figure sculpters. They are remarkable specifically because they are so grotesque! Mr. Wolfe does give several hints that would benefit dollmakers - create a concave hole in the end of an appropriately-sized dowel to sculpt eyeballs directly in the face clay, or to hold a separately created eyeball in position for adhering to the face clay. I'm glad I read through the book, but it's not one I intend to keep as reference material.

This tape is an interview with Tom Wolfe that was recorded at the Smithsonian. The interview lasts about an hour and Wolfe talks about his life, how he became a journalist, how he became a novelist and his philosopy of the novel.

The interview is much too short. Wolfe could probably talk on any one of those four things for an hour at a time. Many times on this tape the interviewer is getting to the "meat" of the issue - and then he changes the subject!

The best part of the tape is Wolfe's ideas on the state of writing. Too many novelists' today belong to what Wolfe calls the "Thumbsucking" school of writing - only concerned with what is immediately surrounding them and unwilling to go out and engage the world. Wolfe sums it up nicely as thus: "Emerson said that 'every person has a great autobiography to write'. The problem is he didn't say 'every person has TWO great autobiographies' to write"!

The box says this is "Volume Two" of some kind of some kind of lecture series. Somewhat odd as Volume One and Volume Three don't seem to exist!

Tom Wolfe does a fine job of carving a network TV news magazine crew with sharp, satiric strokes. He creates a situation that is both engaging and topical. It's an entertaining diversion, but ultimately I didn't feel particularly amused, enlightened, or otherwise moved by this story. In part, this is because there is no follow through with the key plot elements (murder, journalistic excesses) protrayed. More important, Wolfe settles for allowing key characters to fire off their points without effectively engaging one another. I had little sense that the narcissistic producer, Irv Durtscher, was any different at the end of the tale.

There was a story worth telling here. Wolfe takes on issues as troubling and challenging as homophobia & tradition vs. diversity in the military, and investigative and story-making zeal vs. accuracy and fairness in broadcast news. When a novelist of Wolfe's stature takes on issues of this size, to produce but a diversion feels almost li! ke exploitation. Can America come to terms with market-driven investigative journalism? Can America tolerate a military subculture intolerant of diversity, and can a military forced to relinquish part of traditional prejudice develop an effective identity? I think that Wolfe is very adroit at sketching self-absorbed caricatures that can amuse us with these themes as a backdrop. I'd like like to see him try his hand at characters capable of movement and growth.

I like Tom Wolfe, but this novella was a disappointment. It is surprisingly unhumorous, the story's climax comes too early, and the novella trails off at the end. The two protagonists at first seem like perfect targets for Wolfe's satiric genius. One is the TV newsmagazine producer: male, jewish, unattractive, and self-pitying. The other is the TV newsanchor: female, WASP, beautiful, and shallow. It's too bad that Wolfe gets so little comedic mileage from them.

Wolfe seems to have thrown in a pornographic section in the novella for no other reason than salaciousness. (Certainly it was not done as a plot device -- it is absurd and unbelievable.)

Edward Norton does funny redneck voices, but otherwise his narration is dull and flat.

Despite all the bad things I've written, there are some funny moments, and some of the satire hits the mark. Overall, this recording is so-so.

By the way, this novella now is in print in Tom Wolfe's new book Hooking Up.

The genius of Tom Wolfe lies not in his ability to devise ingenius plots; but like Dickens a century and a half before, he has the uncanny ability to capture many contemporary personality types with a very few verbal brush strokes. He then puts those created characters into a situation, consistent with contemporary reality. This is what he did in Bonfire of the Vanities, and this is what he did again in the audio novella, Ambush At Ft. Bragg. Anyone who has ever written a novel, which strives for verisimilitude knows that at some point your characters at least try to take over the story. We all find our original plot schemes bending,at least, as we interact with our creations. But in Tom Wolfe's case, one strongly suspects that it isn't even a battle. He first creates characters which perfectly reflect the contemporary American reality, and then chronicles the inevitable interaction of those characters. His novels plot themselves; and plot themselves with a reality which reflects the genius of their creation. In this short work one will see a picture of contemporary American TV "Journalism" that one may not like. But it sure does ring true! The man is a modern American treasure.