Books for Writers: Super Sad True Shteyngart

-->             Gary Shteyngart's Super Sad True Love Story  (SSTLS) is equal parts satire and social prophesy.

The author, a scant year younger than me and a native of Russian, has created an American dystopia that feels like it's only days away. Our hero, Lenny Abramov, is one of the few readers left in a post-literate age and chronicles his life in what may be the last diary in the world. Lenny is well-off – he sells life-extension plans to the wealthy – but he's at least two large, social steps behind his media-savvy friends who broadcast their every move and interaction for the at-home audience.