The Future Dictionary of America by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Future Dictionary of America Reviews

• 
  Ian Laird

  When I set eyes on this understatedly attractive reference book I assumed it was a satirical response to the very very traumatising Trump period.
  
  In fact it’s McSweeneys’ effort to aid the leftie (over-educated, under-powered) campaign for enlightenment in the 2004 Presidential election, which leads me to wonder what was the need, compared with what was to happen later. The conservative incumbent won that election anyway, so the effort went for nought.
  
  Still, many of the 200 contributors have some fun along the way. Marilynne Robinson, usually not screamingly funny, opens with the future word Adulteration, which has the advantage of already being a word, but in a new guise, now meaning a movement to discover the inner adult, as a response to the overwhelming popularity of discovering the inner child, which only found ‘said child was a peevish, self-indulgent brat, hostile to the constraints of civilisation and bored to the point of rage by meaning and complexity.’
  
  Shoshana Berger contributes suturitis ‘any of several physical disfigurements through excessive plastic surgery.’ I like celebrititus (Siri Hustvelt) which is ‘an inflammation of the gray matter caused by over exposure to celebrity magazines, television shows, celebrity websites, and blockbuster Hollywood movies.’ Positive therapeutic results were achieved when heavy doses of poetry and philosophy were prescribed by neurologist Dorothea Brooke (over-educated).
  
  Many definitions are heavy–handed and possibly not funny, but I am Australian and therefore not completely understanding of American humor (sic) eg wankerzone ‘a place where hardcore liberals and conservatives go to hit each other with pillows’ (Arthur Bradford). Mmmm, Okay.
  
  I was naturally curious about the strikingly-named Laird Hunt, who confined his contributions to the letter ‘Z’, and indeed noted ‘Z’ is now (in the future year 2025) the first letter of the new alphabet because ‘it points both forward and backward simultaneously. This reminds us of the woes of the past and the bright possibilities of the future.’ Laird Hunt also gives us zogbite, ‘instances of content–free poll–inspired ostensibly focussed political sloganeering.’ I recognise the concept.
  
  But at the end of the day, a dictionary is a prisoner of its time, at best an accurate and useful record of language then in use. Accordingly, they date. The Future Dictionary of America may reflect a left-leaning sensibility shared by many, who were hopeful of exerting an influence on the political process, but now it looks like a quaint window into a time now well past.
  
  The rating: I thought two, but this highly to be desired future development raised it to three:

  silence parlor ‘a heavily soundproofed café, often equipped with noise-cancellation technology, in which consenting citizens may gather to talk, read, or sit quietly.' Jonathan Franzen.

  Oh, were it only possible…
• 
  Allie

  Maybe I'm just one of those psuedo-intellectual, pretentious, red diaper baby, "what white people like" poster-children who drank a bit too much coffee before thumbing through this book, but I rather enjoyed it. For the past month that I've had it, I've randomly picked several terms a day to read and laugh at. A little more than mildly offensive, it has a safe spot on any hipster who is trying too hard's bookshelf.
• 
  Adam

  This was everything I hate about McSweeney's in concentrated form. I like when McSweeney's-type people write about the human condition, but I have discovered that I hate it when they get political.
  
  Firstly, it read more like a rambling encyclopedia than a dictionary. That's sort of irritating, but not such a big deal. Secondly, almost the entire book was political things - which I expected from the description of it. What I didn't expect was how stupid and preachy it would all be. There were some interesting threads - like Shelley Jackson's stuff about the Interstitial States of America - but most of it was just the kind of uber-liberal self-congratulatory crap that makes me ashamed to call myself a liberal.
  
  For instance, one fool in his definition of a word explained how the word came about after all war stopped due to increased funding for the arts. Like increased funding for the arts will cause there to be enough potable water for everyone in Sudan. Idiot. A majority of the definitions were not that bad but still not good unless you like ignorant preachy liberalism. And they weren't nearly good enough to take away the taint of the horrible ones.
• 
  Sidik Fofana

  SIX WORD REVIEW: Read Nicole Krauss's definition of 'earthborn'.
• 
  Puty

  This book is written by great charming witty authors, however it's fully loaded with political content for American (yes, just like the title) making it not really enjoyable for daily reading. Also the dictionary format, for me personally, got you lost in the thought of: why should I read this book alphabetically (the reason how it took me 4 years to finish this book).
  
  However, I love the CD coming along with this book called "Future Soundtrack of America" with nice tracks from OK Go, Death Cab for Cutie and even Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
• 
  M Burke

  "The Library of Congress Subject Heading for this book is \Social Prediction,\"" a subject populated almost entirely with analyses of
  1984. But the Future Dictionary feels more like Dave Eggers took Orwell out for drinks, and this is the accumulation of scribbles on their cocktail napkins. Brilliant, tongue-in-cheek definitions that subtly (and not so subtly) mock the current administration. With contributions by about two hundred authors, most of whom have Pulitzers, Booker Prizes, or hefty New Yorker contributions."""
• 
  Jay

  This book is a much better concept than project (which could be said with some credibility about the whole McSweeney's endeavor.) We get it: you're literary hipsters.
  The cd that came with the book is pretty good--though if you truly are a hipster, you've already discovered and grown to hate these bands.
• 
  Cate

  This book is FUNNY and UNSETTLING at the same time. Writers have made up words with hilarious definitions and give existing words new meaning, with the Constitution and Kurt Vonnegut's Cold Turkey essay included in the appendices. A great idea for a fundraiser turned into a satirical romp through the 90s and early naughts - a treasure! I highly recommend it.
• 
  Meg White

  see, i used to read the webster's as a kid. this is one of those books i pick up when i'm depressed about the current politico-cultural milieu. i open it up and read a random definition, chuckle, and go back to reading the newspaper.
• 
  Dave

  Great idea -- but do they really expect me to read the dictionary?
• 
  Michael

  Fictional Historical Hillarity at its best.
• 
  Tiffany

  Such smart-asses. A smart-ass, witty, and intelligent commentary on the nation in 2004 (and, unfortunately, before and since then).
• 
  David

  Sometimes those mcSweeneys folks are just a little too clever for their own good. I'm sure this is brilliant in some meta kind of way. But it was also expensive, boring, and unreadable.
• 
  John

  Alternates between corny and brilliant.
• 
  Carmen

  Hilarious dictionary. I have fun flipping through random pages and picking out the first word my eyes rest on. Definitely one of the best books I have ever received from McSweeney's.
• 
  'stina

  bought sometime before the 2004 election
• 
  lia

  McSweeneys. I want to like you... but I generally don't.
• 
  Ryan

  pretty funny - especially foer's entries.