Umberto Eco takes on the world and its various absurdities in this witty and insightful book of short essays. I know that when most people see "short essays" they understand "boring and pompous diatribes that should never have been published", but this book breaks the mold. Eco combines deep insight into human nature with a roll-in-the-aisles, die-laughing sort of humor. He seems to regard the human race as a collection of bizarre, confused, yet well meaning absurdities. While Eco is mocking, he is never malicious. Though some of his essays betray his academic nature by showing a love of detail that may not be entirely healthy, the majority of the pieces in this book are accessible, and greatly outweigh the dryness and detail of the others.
