The Terrible Twos

The Terrible Twos by Ishmael Reed is a social critique that assaults those who are empowered by greed and immediate gratification, quite frankly, Americans. Within the novel, Santa Claus, an actor hired by the North Pole Development Corporation, is kidnapped and replaced by a fake Santa that leads a country rebellion against the United States government and economy out of protest against selfishness. The fake Santa speaks to the people, “Two years old, that’s what we are, emotionally-America, always wanting someone to hand us some ice cream, always complaining, Santa didn’t bring me this and why didn’t Santa bring me that. Nobody can reason with us. Nobody can tell us anything. Millions of people are staggering about and passing out in the snow and we say that’s tough.” Meanwhile, St. Nicholas and a rasta dwarf named Black Peter work together with the President, a private detective, Nance Saturday, and a journalist, Jamaica Queens, to restore peace, order, and holiday cheer to the country. I did enjoy reading this novel and hope to read the sequel The Terrible Threes; in addition, Reed does do an excellent job in making unexpected comparisons and exposing societal errors. However, I do feel as though much of the humor and social comparisons surpassed my comprehension. I do look forward to reading The Terrible Twos again.