Finish It! “You shall know our velocity!” by Dave Eggers

It’s summer, so you actually can Finish It!

Intimidation factors:

• You will come in with expectations too high.
• You are afraid of jealousy induced travel writing.
• You are over Dave Eggers–he was “so early 2000s.” (Elitist much?)
• Nothing.

This summer provides an opportunity to kick back and read what you want to read, instead of the bank-busting dense textbooks you’ve been cramming into your young mind this semester. Here’s an enjoyable book for you to add to your summer list.

“You Shall Know Our Velocity!” by Dave Eggers

Dave Eggers, with “YSKOV!,” has written a moving and hilarious novel about two friends traveling around the world to give away $32,000 and free themselves from a profound loss. The book explains the grief of dealing with the death of a friend who was far too young to die — deep down it’s about friendship and love and all that you hold dear. But it’s also about living life and enjoying the time we have by living out dreams, or in the case of the two main characters Will and Hand, creating them as you go go go. Early on, “YSKOV!” pokes fun at the USA-centric viewpoint displayed by the characters, “What? No direct flights from Greenland to Rwanda? What is the world coming to?” The first part of the book shows the far-fetched fantasy of traveling the world, as if with snaps of the fingers travelers can transplant themselves into any country. But reality crowds in on the characters’ mindsets, and what actually happens with them is a very believable and breathtaking dash through some countries that popular literature usually passes by.

“YSKOV!” makes you want to drop everything and travel the world, and it makes you feel like you haven’t truly lived until you have done that.

“You Shall Know Our Velocity!” is Dave Eggers’ first novel, and it reminds us what an important, necessary talent Dave Eggers is to our generation of restlessness and stagnancy.