Mean Boys: A Personal History

"Berlin’s techno scene, evangelical Christianity, Alcoholics Anonymous and the Isla Vista mass shooter – these are just some of the unexpected threads that Geoffrey Mak explores in his first book, which blends memoir, reportage and cultural criticism to great effect. In thoughtful and far-reaching essays, Mak writes about his own psychotic breaks and addiction; the limits of empathy, as well as the transcendent possibilities of self-discovery to be found in it; and his return to Christianity, which, as the son of a minister, he had once spurned. An intellectually vivid and curious collection that refuses to find simple answers to its complex questions."