Review: A Raw, and Often Glaring Examination of the Evolution of Life
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 15, 2013
Jason Najum's Delusions of Grandeur is a raw, and often glaring, examination of the evolution of life and of how human beings have navigated (or failed to navigate) that ever-rising and rolling tide.Stripped of formal structure, style, and categorization, Najum's writing reads like a fast-paced conversation or journal entry that forces readers to focus on the weighted value of the content, alone. The emotional lullaby that one comes to expect as Najum first presents himself as a common face in a sea of millions with a somewhat-troubled and emotional childhood and young adulthood, quickly evolves into a roaring, and at times, abrasive, deconstruction of today's society and cultural values. We, as readers, are transported into the mind of one man who dares to think, and to say, that something is missing. Something is wrong. Society has become stagnant--steeped in greed, unearned privileges, overexposure to certain liberties and personal freedoms, and the often crippling effects of having advanced technology at our fingertips.Najum's writing demonstrates a truly effective form of exposure by stripping away any and all evidence of sugar-coating, and with unabashed abandon, he turns the spotlight on we, the people, by saying, "We are the authors of our own demise." Najum then puts the mirror to the face of mankind, and through the powerful use of cultural metaphor, historical reflection, and pathetic irony, shows us what we have become. Failures of evolution.Najum emphasizes this point through reflection, saying, "Our culture is not evolving properly. We are not learning from our past." However, Najum then places a clear light at the end of this tragically honest tunnel by ensuring readers that hope never dies. Just as we are "the authors of our own demise," we are also the authors of our own fulfillment, growth, and success. We are reassured in knowing that the restoration of positive evolution is possible.We can, indeed, "change the world," if you will, but first, we must be willing to change ourselves.