Even during the Bacchic frenzy that is Green Key, the average Dartmouth partygoer would admit that he or she considers beer -- especially of the Keystone variety -- as more of a vehicle than a destination.
If I got one thing out of reading Tom Robbins' latest book, the strange amalgam of a public-service announcement and marketing strategy gone dreadfully awry titled "B is for Beer," it's that we're not doing anything wrong if we only think of brewskis as a means to an end. In fact, according to the magical Beer Fairy of Robbins' invention, we can experience a "fifth element" known as "The Mystery" if we drink the right amount.
Although he typically writes for an audience of fellow boomers, Robbins attempts to broaden his fan base with "B is for Beer," which is subtitled both "A Grown-up Book for Children" and "A Children's Book for Grown-ups." In addition to his traditional following, Robbins also aims at a much younger crowd this time -- much younger, even, than the youngest generation of (legal) beer drinkers. It's just as well, since Robbins' sense of humor, at least as it appears here, is too corny and heavy-handed to suit college-aged readers.
Robbins shoots for a target audience that's younger still: the kindergarten crowd. His main character, a five year old named Gracie, is eagerly anticipating her sixth birthday when her crazy Uncle Mo will take her on tour of a brewery. But when the big day arrives, Mo injures himself and can't follow through, leaving Gracie all alone and feeling neglected. Her father is off on one of his frequent business trips, which Gracie notices always involve his secretary.
While Gracie's mother gripes about her husband to a girlfriend next door, Gracie wanders to the fridge and takes her first, rebellious sip of the beverage her uncle raves about. The rest is the stuff of fairy-tales.
Most likely, Robbins threw in the frequent, petty jabs at lawyers, the Irish and Italians, among others, to amuse adult readers rather than to instill stereotypes in the malleable minds of kids Gracie's age. Still, they add up to a depressing world view that's not anymore fun for grown-ups to confront than it is for kids to apprehend. If he succeeds on any level, Robbins at least accomplishes the commercial goal that I suspect drove him to write the book in the first place: it convinces you that the best way to deal with the grown-up world is to reach for a cold one.
