Stuff I recommend that you read

• James Wolcott, "Norman Mailer Sent Me," Vanity Fair; 1970s New York, rubbing shoulders in corduroy blazers, young people in the big city 
• Heather Horn, "Dickens In Love," The Atlantic; Pip, Nancy, Fagin
• Megan Abbott, "Twilight of the Boosters," L.A. Review of Books; THE LEFTOVERS, BABBITT, "It's A Wonderful Life"
• Adam Gopnik, "Broken Kingdom," The New Yorker; Dictionopolis, Sea of Knowledge, Conclusions
• Zach Baron, "Fear and Self-Loathing in Las Vegas," The Daily;"I knew we'd get into that rotten stuff pretty soon."