The Captain and the Glory An Entertainment

Dave Eggers — 2019

A savage satire of the United States in the throes of insanity, this blisteringly funny novel tells the story of a noble ship, the Glory, and the loud, clownish, and foul Captain who steers it to the brink of disaster. When the decorated Captain of a great ship descends the gangplank for the final time, a new leader, a man with a yellow feather in his hair, vows to step forward. Though he has no experience, no knowledge of nautical navigation or maritime law, and though he has often remarked he doesn't much like boats, he solemnly swears to shake things up. Together with his band of petty thieves and confidence men known as the Upskirt Boys, the Captain thrills his passengers, writing his dreams and notions on the cafeteria wipe-away board, boasting of his exemplary anatomy, devouring cheeseburgers, and tossing overboard anyone who displeases him. Until one day a famous pirate, long feared by passengers of the Glory but revered by the Captain for how phenomenally masculine he looked without a shirt while riding a horse, appears on the horizon . . . Absurd, hilarious, and all too recognizable, The Captain and the Glory is a wicked farce of contemporary America only Dave Eggers could dream up.

Reviews

Cindy Lieberman@chicindy

Mar 26, 2022

A biting satire with thinly disguised characters from the current presidential administration as the captain and crew of a ship that has lost its way. A short novella that I would recommend except for the many parts of it that made me angry or sad or both. Once there is a regime change and a new captain, and I can look back from the comfort of a new and more progressive administration, it will be much funnier (and less scary).

Samantha Alukas @samalukas

Feb 5, 2022

“This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to nefarious public officials responsible for the suffering of countless innocents is entirely metaphorical.” … lol but we all clearly know who and what this book is about… Big fan of satire, but pretty sure my nerves for politics have been sandpapered down to dulled wires over the past 6 years. Kinda meh for me, a little too on-the-nose, a little too fast. I prefer more breathing room in my satire. Does it deserve more stars? Maybe, idk. But I’m tired (so tired) and the story only reminded me of that fact. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood or feeling a bit ornery, but not a book I particularly needed.