Escape into Meaning

March 21, 2022
Puschak, creator of the YouTube channel the Nerdwriter, mines pop culture in this quirky collection. In “Emerson’s Magic,” he recalls the jolt he received from discovering Essays and Poems by Ralph Waldo Emerson as a college freshman, which shocked him with its ability to solidify thoughts that had been “half-formed... in my mind.” In “The Comforts of Cyberpunk,” Puschak ponders dystopia as depicted in some of the genre’s classics including the novel Neuromancer and the film Blade Runner, arriving at a bleak conclusion: “Who could have guessed in the 1980s... that we would happily give up every crumb of personal information for packages delivered a few days sooner?” Puschak occasionally gets too niche as he follows his obsessions down a rabbit hole; in “Superman Is Clark Kent,” for example, he compares and contrasts story lines from various Superman movies and spin-offs at such length that only superfans need apply, and in “Thinking in Oeuvres,” a dense meditation on Quentin Tarantino’s filmography that includes a not entirely convincing comparison to William Butler Yeats, he similarly struggles to engage those not deeply familiar with the essay’s subject. Despite the occasional misstep, Puschak’s earnest search for meaning and incisive takes make him a writer to watch.

April 1, 2022

The Nerdwriter YouTube celebrity Puschak threads a theme of meaning through his sharp and sophisticated analysis of literature and entertainment in this eccentric collection. Comparing filmmaker Quentin Tarantino to William Butler Yeats and creating parallels between Bladerunner and Lord of the Rings, Puschak's collection of essays comes full circle in his large-scale but simple assertion that we have no purpose and so must make our own meaning. Puschak's debut is about lessons learned and a life built on discovering and absorbing the sparks of existence in an otherwise dark and pointless universe. There is belief and beauty in its pages, and something almost holy in its contents. VERDICT Readers needn't like John Oliver or cyberpunk to enjoy Puschak's essays; they merely have to be receptive to refreshing, original, and unpretentious written words and, maybe most importantly, have an appreciation for escapism and public benches. As readers and humans, we can surely all lean into that.--Alana R. Quarles

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2022
A popular video essayist deepens his observations with a probing, graceful debut in print. Puschak, a journalist and creator of the YouTube channel The Nerdwriter, surveys an uncommonly broad swath of literary, artistic, and philosophical ground in this inaugural collection, but he doesn't skimp on the particulars. Though the author sometimes rambles, he's seldom without a point, and the vast majority of these astute pieces show him to be an exemplar of inquiry and reflection. Puschak's voice is companionable and engrossing, as he digests, weighs, and speculates with such assuredness that it belies his own insecurities and unsettled views. The author's unifying theme is the power of gifted articulation, a skill he also demonstrates. The concept of the oeuvre is much on his mind, and he critiques those of luminaries as disparate as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Jerry Seinfeld, William Butler Yeats, Quentin Tarantino, and William Gibson while locating surprising parallels in their designs and obsessions. Apart from the book's apt title essay, an incisive take on Tolkien and the spectrum of meaning, particularly accessible and personal is "On Friendship," an examination of the concept of identity. Puschak traces the boundaries of individuality and finds them permeable, especially with groups of friends. "I'm used to thinking of individuals as the basic unit of humanity," he writes, "but maybe it's shared identities that matter most." A few pages later, he continues, "we aren't as discrete as the body implies. Our identities do blend, and the intricacy of that blending in a group of friends is a unity all its own." Some essays are outliers--e.g., "Ode to Public Benches," a celebration of "the pageant of the metropolis" that evolves into a rumination on urban planning. One may argue that Puschak occasionally overplays his hand; not every connection is plausible, nor does everyone he reveres genuinely deserve such largesse. Still, more often than not, he impresses. Puschak is a writer of enviable promise, pursuing substance with clarity and verve.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 15, 2022
In this thought-provoking if uneven debut essay collection, Puschak, the journalist and video essayist behind The NerdWriter YouTube channel, offers a myriad of cultural critiques on subjects running from Lord of the Rings to society's dependence on technology. Despite the light introductions to many of the essays, Puschak doesn't shy away from discussing heavier topics, including a takedown of the American education system, an attack on corporate greed, and a debate about the federal minimum wage. The book ultimately struggles to strike a balance between lighter issues and weighty ones, often skewing toward a more academic style. Fans of The NerdWriter will feel at home, but readers new to Puschak's voice might turn away at an opening essay about the eloquence of Ralph Waldo Emerson, for example. Despite its high entry point, Escape Into Meaning has a certain charm, and those who get into it will find themselves happy to have done so.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.