In general, public opinion looks down upon the academic world for living in something of a vacuum. At first glance, their work generally seems very stuffy and esoteric. Academic essays often exist within a conversation that is only well known by the scholars of that particular strain of thought or literature.

Picking up an academic article is a daunting task. Words will crop up that you weren’t even aware existed. Obscure references are made. Above all, the article drags on for pages and pages and pages. Following the train of thought is difficult in each paragraph, and tracing the line of thought from opening to closing paragraphs is a feat in and of itself.

For this reason I was wildly pleased to discover about a visiting writer to Butler’s campus by the name of Chuck Klosterman. He brings the acuity of academic writing to the world of pop culture. In the opening chapter of his book “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs” he recounts the development of cold cereal from its original design as a puritanical sexual-suppressant  into the sugary, cartoon-marketed product we know today.

Chuck Klosterman will be reading at the Reilly Room on Thursday, January 31st at 7:30 PM.