White Noise

This is one of the finest books I have ever read. I am not much into cultural studies as they call it...but this books IS a timeless work OF cultural studies. I love the short quick dialogue, it's hilarious, those family chats in the car, the husband and wife going round and round often about meaningless thing, just as the family of 4 does in the car. It's a masterpiece indeed to me, and besides capturing perfectly those little moments between the huge moments in life, it also really captures the whole modern dilemma about information and branding and consumerism and religion. I laughed so much between my amazement at the short quick dialogue.

This was my first taste of postmodern literature, and it got me hooked. The book was hilarious and funny with this dry humor and deep and thought-provoking. Simple and easy to read with depth if you’re willing to take your time, I cannot wait to read more from this author.

There really is no story line - more like random ideas that the author had and threw together in a book

De Lillo's White Noise is a modern classic. What I especially like about this edition (Viking Critical Library) is the extra material: articles and critical essays on the novel. Reading it was like taking a small course in cultural studies, or something... recommended!

White Noise by Don Delillo was a book that should be read by all ages. It's basic concepts that were brought out were the acts of consumerism and death. There was also some sex involved in there too. As you can see, a perfect book for the growing college student. I also liked how Delillo brought in some humorous moments when they were during his grocery shopping and watching television. This novel basically describes the typical American family and shows how this family is just as normal as the rest of us, but shows the side we never really see. I particularly like how Delillo displays Jack as this bizarre man who really focuses on death. He can't help but think about it. I really liked him in this novel because he reminds me of myself as I walk around and think "outside the box" if you know what I mean. This book constantly made me laugh, especially when the father fights with his son. That whole argument is hysterical! The book throws some good twists to American society that most of us never see. My basic thoughts on this novel are that you should read this because it will really make you laugh, and make you think about your typical day of work and life.

In "White Noise" DeLillo proves himself to be the Balzac of the contemporary era, particularly that of america suburbia. Very basically it portrays the negative effects of technology on our society. Overwhelmed by information, we become anesthesized to our environment....we must filter out some the data that bombards our system, and indeed we filter out most of it. Our systems so burdened by the information that we treat all things with indifference....except for our own death, which remains the one thing we would like to filter out of our consciousness but dont seem able to do so.Now, this all recalls the dry writings of Heidegger or Baudrillard, but instead DeLillo will have you laughing til you cry with certain passages. We have a Professor who is head of the "Hitler Studies" department (one thing about information overload is that people specialize in minutiae). His colleague, Murray, who philosophizes over food labels, wants to start an "Elvis Studies" department. The concept of the "hyperreal" is evoked. For example, there is a tourist site near the college. It has no other appeal than the fact that it is the "most photographed barn" in America. Throughout the book we see the characters, just like many of us, concentrate on image rather than substance.I have noticed that there is a review below by a man that claims that neither he nor his "brilliant" wife the engineer found anything of interest in "White Noise". I, too, am an engineer and know, by the way, that most engineers find themselves (often victims of self-deception) "brilliant". I speculate that the reason they could not understand this book is that they are too submerged in the "white noise" world of consumerism and information. In addition to that many engineers are afraid to address the issue of the dark side of technology.