Dispatch from the Field: Joe Weighs in on Kultgen's Latest

"Chad Kultgen, author of two groundbreaking works that reveal the depths of the American psyche, The Average American Male and The Lie is back. And he's back with a vengeance. 

In his third novel, Men, Women & Children, Kultgen is tackling the American family. Here he follows the lives of a group of characters just entering their teen years, preparing to leave 8th grade for the rigors of high school. And these aren't the rigors of high school parents normally talk about; grades, etc. But the real stuff affecting kids: losing their virginity and trying to fit in. But there's more to these kids than just sex: they're also trying to navigate this internet-laden world of instant gratification and superfast expectations. Kultgen doesn't just follow the lives of these kids-turning-into-adults, he also follows the equally complex lives of their parents, navigating a world that is unlike the one they were promised. Dealing not only with their own choices, hormones, demons & desires, but while trying to raise their children the best they can.

How far would you go for your child? How easy is it to cheat on your spouse? How do you deal with lowered expectations? These are some of the questions Kultgen approaches with his sharp wit, unblinking eye, and laser of truth. Once more, the decisions and actions of the characters in a Chad Kultgen novel are not easy to read, but I feel like I've got a better understanding of this new American life having done so. Somehow he is able to cut to the quick of the questions, to dive into the meat that no one wants to talk about. Kultgen makes me cringe, but more often he makes me laugh. And he makes me think long after I'm finished reading his book. (And this is the kind of book you don't put down; you can't put down. I pawed through this novel in just over a day, reluctantly eating and sleeping.) The characters are real: flawed, subject to the base instincts that many of us think we can overcome. After reading this, I'm not sure I overcome these desires as much as convince myself I have...

I can not recommend this book highly enough. If you're a parent of a soon-to-be-teenager, this will be uncomfortable, but enlightening reading. If you're like me, and merely a student of society, this is a must-read book. "

-Joe