August 1, 2016
Author Stephen King, despite his popularity, is largely derided in academic circles, typecast as a genre-fiction horror novelist. In this collection of essays concerning different philosophical views as they relate to King's work, Held (philosophy, Univ. of Central Arkansas; Dr. Seuss and Philosophy) argues that horror is the perfect category in which philosophy can thrive because it forces readers to be aware of things hidden deep and dark within our basest selves. What we fear goes a long way toward defining us as people, and King has always been well known for tapping into these anxieties and exploiting them in his writing. It is refreshing to see King finally viewed through a scholarly lens, with pieces on topics such as reading The Dark Tower as a nihilistic text, using Carrie to discuss the definition of womanhood as "Other" in a male-centric society, and Aristotelian friendship in The Body and Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. VERDICT King's "Constant Readers" will rejoice in this appreciation of their academically misaligned hero; students of philosophy, collegiate or casual, will also enjoy this text, giving them a familiar context to a field that can confuse the best of us.--Tyler Hixson, Library Journal
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