The Descent of Man - Kevin Desinger

In class we've been talking a lot about whether there is a constant identity and what our propensity for violence is. Mainly, it seems as if the most prevalent identity we assume is revealed once the threshold for violence is passed. In one of my favorite books, The Descent of Man by Kevin Desinger, Jim Sandusky is presented with this exact dilemma. Such a surprisingly good book considering it was a random pick off of the shelves of the Berkeley Public Library last summer. Waking up in the middle of the night, Jim discovers two men trying to steal his car. A normal man living a quiet life, Jim surprises his wife and himself as he heads downstairs to get the license number of the thieves' car. All of a sudden, something snaps within him and he steals the thieves' car instead. From there Jim is sent into a downward spiral, caught up in the lives of the conniving brothers, lying to the police, and finding himself unable to sleep, except in the red light district of town.

One of the amazing aspects of this book is how normal Jim appears initially. The book starts with the crime, so there is no surprise later on in the novel about what made him snap. It brings up the question of how easily are we influenced by our instincts and whether we become liars by simply following them. Natural curiosity and an overwhelming desire to protect what he loves drags Jim deeper down towards a journey of discovery. How quickly can man devolve? What is it like to live in a society that won't help you in your ambitions? What can save you when you commit your first, second, third, and continuous crimes? How can any one of us avoid the pit, or is living a life of deceit more exciting than the one we previously knew?

Jim's life tells the extraordinary story of an ordinary man caught up in a bad moment. Whether he would have shifted now as he did or later in life is unknown, but the fact that he did raises all of these questions for us. A gripping story about how one event can change everyday life gives us insight into all the little aspects of life, to which we must ask the burning question, "What would you do?"

Read summaries and reviews about the book below:

http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2011/04/the_descent_of_man_review_with.html

http://www.thelitwitch.com/book-review-the-descent-of-man-by-kevin-desinger/