How I Became Stupid

I just finished the book How I Became Stupid by Martin Page. A very cute, short french novel about a young man going through a bit of a spiritual crisis. The book gets ridiculously silly in some parts while the author maintains a very grave tone.



Twenty-five year old Antoine is burdened by his intelligence. It permeates every aspect of life leaving him in a constant state of worry and depression. After trying, and failing at various apparent panaceas (alcoholism, suicide), Antoine decides to become stupid. He deliberately rids his apartment of every reminder of the worthwhile and sets on a quest to study all the well-adjusted stupid people he encounters. He gives his friends a time limit of six months...... if he is an absolute jerk by that time, they need to bring him back.



A fun, quick read, that scarcely got me thinking at all. But for its very judgemental separation of all the author deems intelligent and worthwhile from what he assumes to be stupid, inane, and therefore evil, the book was innocuously cute.

In other news: Britney Spears is in rehab, Chimpanzees make wooden spears for hunting, and a 'bat demon' is blamed for sex attacks on Tanzanian men.