This is a very interesting collection of essays. With that being said, many people may not respond well to the essays, especially in the hyper polarized time we seem to be living in right now.

American Rococo from Isham Cook is, well, about all I can say is that it is indeed a collection of essays. Essays, as compared with fiction and even informative nonfiction, are most prone to over or under appreciation depending largely on how the reader hears the writer's voice. For me, and this is true of the other works of his I have read, find his tone to be camouflage for an admittedly wide but not very deep understanding of what he writes about. Trump speaks on topics far and wide also yet no one in their right mind would accuse him of having any depth. The same holds true here, just without the unrepentant offensiveness of Trump. There isn't really any malice here, just not much meat either. Again, many essayists can get away with less meat by writing their opinions clearly as opinions. Cook pretends he is writing facts and valid analogies when, largely, he is just blustering.

So, I obviously find his voice both lacking and annoying. While I will stand behind what I wrote above I also know that many will find some substance in the essays simply because they hear his voice different from the way I do. If you have never read Cook and for some reason you want to (I don't mean that negatively, I just mean that perhaps someone recommended him so you want to read him) I don't think this is a particularly bad book to start with. The things he touches on that are more narrative and less pseudo-intellectual posturing are quite interesting. If they cause you to consider them independent of the essay then you will have gained something. If you're a fan or at least have liked his other work then I see nothing in this volume that would likely cause you to dislike it, so I would recommend this to you as well. If you have not liked his previous work or you have no compelling reason to read this then I would suggest reading almost anything else available, especially if you want to be mentally stimulated and challenged to (re)consider ideas or events.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Tricky to gauge - an interesting take on modern Americana but written apparently without qualification or expertise to draw upon.

These thirteen humorous and provocative essays encompass both historical and current culture. Though not all of the essays are "winners", there's something for everyone. I highly recommend this for those who are willing to step outside their comfort zones.

A complete review has been posted on UnderratedReads.

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Essays either bore or cause you to explore. I didn't even really want to read this but what a surprise. The topics are a broad range but even better they cause you to dig on your own and to develop actual thoughts and not just discussion through "volume". I think you will all be pleased

There are three things that one looks for in an essayist: good writing, deep thinking and range.

American novelist and essayist Isham Cook scores quite well in all three respects, particularly the last. His latest book, ‘American Rococo: Essays on the Edge’ is nothing if not eclectic, containing reflections on subjects ranging from the smartphone to Noh theatre, from John Dowland to Philip Glass and from Airbnb to atheists. Several essays are, however, connected by an interest in the human body, covering topics including sexually transmitted disease in Shakespearean London, Japanese konyoku onsen (nude mixed-bathing hot springs), and the features of People of Walmart. Indeed, in the essay which gives the book its title, Cook finds a “peculiarly American … rococo beauty” in the fleshy swirls of the morbidly obese.

This is characteristic of Cook’s willingness to shock and provoke. Sometimes this can work well. Any American teenager tempted to sext would certainly refrain from doing so after reading Cook’s account of how American sex laws (notably the Adam Walsh Child Act of 2006) actually work.

On the other hand, Cook can easily tip into preachiness (condemning monogamy in ‘My Problem with Atheists’) or even downright silliness (‘The Brest Etiquette Project’).

In the end, whilst many are likely to be impressed by Cook’s scholarship (for example in challenging the standard account of the development of the English language) at least as many are likely to be alienated by what they take to be his libertarian, or even libertine, views.

I wouldn't so much call these essays "far-flung" as I would call them disorganized, poorly reasoned (the breast ettiquette essay, ridiculous), and excruciatingly difficult to force one's way through. The topics were disjointed and even for a collection of essays, the only thing that bound them was the author's insufferably pretentious tone.