If you don't know who Tucker Max is by now, you must have been living under a rock. When The New York Times said that Max's memoir - I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell - was "highly entertaining and thoroughly reprehensible," it was right on the money. The title really does say it all.
Admittedly, there is no better way to spend a lame spring break than reading about the wild, albeit demoralizing, adventures of a favorite Duke Law student. (Luckily, he realizes his law days are numbered and now focuses on his writing; the world can breathe a big sigh of relief.) Max breaks all boundaries with his shocking real-life scenarios. Easily segmented and labeled, each tale begins with the date of its occurrence followed by the date Max eloquently wrote it. This not only provides clarity for the reader - it's nice to know that some details may be skewed due to the time lapse between the actual event and the date it was written - but it also allows for a chronological sequence of the events in Max's life.
Max never pretends to be something he's not. From the very beginning, he lets his readers know that his intentions are not good. He readily admits that he is narcissistic and self-absorbed. He knows he will never be welcomed at the pearly white gates - hence the title of his memoir - and that he will probably never find love. He knows outright what it takes a reader 271 pages to realize: Tucker Max is - as he states so matter-of-factly - an ass. His book is pervaded by two things: drinking and sex. Basically, Max's life is every college guy's fantasy. No wonder the book has been on The New York Times' Best Seller List 21 weeks in a row.
It's not just Max's experiences that make the book entertaining; it's the way he writes about them. Max is smart; if his Duke Law education was any indication, he knows a thing or two. He's witty. He says things that the average American thinks but is far too bashful to verbalize. But he does it, and he does it well. He has no shame … but to have done the things that he has done, you can't really be too high on the ethical totem poll.
As a reader, it's easy to get caught up in the raunchy behavior and forget that you are reading his life stories. Yes, he really did do that. And yes, he really just told you about it. In fact, when you think of it that way, it has a tendency to destroy any semblance of morality.
Honestly, after reading about his one-night stand with a fat girl, his Austin Road Trip where he paid for sex, his case of diarrhea in a hotel lobby (which permanently bans him from staying at any Embassy Hotel), the many, many, many lies he has told (including that he is one of the creators of Yahoo!), and the numerous girls he has tried to take home in the course of his book, it would be utterly shocking if Max hasn't at least hit on 20 girls on the Boston College campus. Unfortunately, none of you make it into his book. Better luck next time.
Admittedly, the book makes any normal female want to cringe. It's debasing and degrading. And yet, it's funny, and that's Max's saving grace. The book is humorous enough to make any relatively ethical person look past the debauchery and focus on the laughter. (Although, judgment is definitely being passed on every girl mentioned.)
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell is like a horrific accident that you just have to look at as you drive by; you have no idea why you would willingly put yourself through it, but you are drawn to it, incapable of turning away. Much like quicksand, once you are in it, it's impossible to get out. For Max's sake, I hope hell serves ice cold Sam Adams. B+
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