I just finished reading Richard Russo’s Straight Man, a hilarious story of an extremely dysfunctional academic department. Over the course of a long weekend, the narrator, William Henry Devereaux , Jr, manages to be charged as a duck murdering terrorist, cry for joy from wetting his pants, and (almost) play in a donkey basketball game. While the storyline alone is comical enough, it is told with a sarcastic humor that shows up even when the tale turns more serious to deal with relationships both between parents and children and husbands and wives.

The root of the narrator’s problems is that he just can’t ignore the opportunity to make a joke or do something ridiculous. This is his way of rebelling against the stagnation of his tenured faculty position in a small Pennsylvania college. He feels like even if he acts out every ridiculous whim that occurs to him, his life will remain the same. Of course the book is a bit of an exaggeration of academic life, but admittedly it is a profession which seems to attract eccentrics, so parts are not too far fetched. Although the book is focused on an english department, I couldn’t help but wonder about how the story would be different if it were a computer science one–we certainly have our odd ball characters who would fit right in. The narrator’s boredom comes from the fact that he no longer actively practices his craft (writing fiction), other than to grade mediocre essays in his writing workshops. I think (or at least hope) that since scientific fields tend to place a larger emphasis on experimentation and are constantly evolving with new technologies, there is less monotony and more motivation for academics to stay involved with their field.

I highly recommend the book. At times it is sad or touching, but it is always hilarious.