2030 (novel)
2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America is the first novel written by American actor and comedian Albert Brooks
Synopsis
The story follows a diverse cast of characters in the year 2030, by which (hypothetical) time
- cancer will have been cured
- generational tension between the young and the old will have escalated, and
- a "half-Jewish" president of the United States will have been elected (hamstrung by massive federal debt) and will also be challenged by:
- a high-profile kidnapping of senior citizens
- massive reconstruction of earthquake-devastated Los Angeles in partnership with China, and
- a constitutional amendment which could lead to a foreign-born president.[2]
Development
According to Brooks, he "did an earlier version of the book as a
Brooks had already written "substantial portions of 2030" before pitching it to Elizabeth Beier, Brooks's editor at St. Martin's Press.[1]
Reception
The book received mostly positive reviews. Janet Maslin of
Kirkus Reviews summarized, "Actor Albert Brooks has fun imagining a world in the future—though not too far in the future to be wholly implausible" and "the tone is satiric, something Brooks usually does with a light touch, though occasionally he loses the playfulness and shows too heavy a hand."[2]
References
- ^ a b Itzkoff, Dave (May 3, 2011). "A Comedian Laughs All the Way to Dystopia". The New York Times. p. 2.
- ^ a b Kirkus (March 15, 2011). "2030". kirkusreviews.com. Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ a b Goldstein, Patrick (May 6, 2011). "Albert Brooks on his new futuristic novel: I wanted it to read like a news story". The Big Picture. Los Angeles Times blogs.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (May 1, 2011). "A Wry Eye on Problems of the Future". The New York Times.
- ^ "2030". publishersweekly.com. Publishers Weekly. March 28, 2011.
External links
- 2030, St Martin's Press page
- Albert Brooks page