The story was enjoyable and the characters were likable if incredibly lucky in a repeatedly semi-unbelievable fashion.
Mr Newman clearly has a political bias with a decidedly conservative bent. He assumes a conservative moral high ground that has not aged well given the treason/insurrection of January 6, 2021 and the conservative establishment’s embrace of outright lies and decidedly unAmerican ideals and a desire to move away from Democracy to a dictatorship. Given that statement, I clearly have, and freely admit to, a political bias of my own.
Part of this conservative bias is also expressed in a real lack of empathy for those who are not main characters in his narrative. He seems to equate empathy with weakness and naïveté. It is absolutely possible to tolerate differing opinions (some, admittedly, not all) without creating vulnerability. In this aspect, Mr. Newman’s story is superficial and lacks nuance.
I also feel compelled to comment about Mr. Newman’s views and expressions about the disease of depression and antidepressants. He is ill informed at the very least and malignantly ignorant in his views. His “just get over it and pull yourself up by your bootstraps” bespeaks a person with no real experience with severe depression either personally or even by association. It also speaks of someone who has never had to do what he advises as far as rehabilitating himself without assistance.
I would not be so foolish as to issue a blanket statement that antidepressants are anything approaching a panacea. They are not. They have been sorely abused and overprescribed by many practitioners, mostly non-psychiatrists, in an attempt to “handle” (ie: silence) anyone complaining about feeling down. But there is a class of depressed patients who cannot be talked into improvement and for whom antidepressants are a logical next step. They can be life saving in such circumstances, in conjunction with, not replacing talk therapy. Mr. Newman’s portrayal of patients on antidepressants as addicts destined for self destruction or violent attacks on those around them when their drugs are withdrawn only highlights his lack of understanding about how these drugs work and a woeful ignorance of their indications, side effects and either short term or long term effects. I will say this for him, he is very confident in his ignorance.
I am interested in finding out what happens with Cole in his adventures. I’m just not certain that I am interested enough that I want to pay (or expand credits on Audible) to sit through anymore pontification from someone who clearly lacks empathy for most of the people in his post apocalyptic world