Book Review: Santa vs. Satan

Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights
By Jake Kalish

Adam vs. Charles Darwin, Lucky vs. Skilled, Virgin vs. Whore, My Dad vs. Your Dad, Manic-Depressive vs. Obsessive-Compulsive, Married Gay Couple vs. Divorced Straight Couple, Dungeons and Dragons Players vs. World of Warcraft Players and, of course, the book’s title fight, Satan vs. Santa, are just a handful of imaginary battles author Jake Kalish lays out in detail in this book, which he dedicated to his folks, “who knew not to ask what I was doing in my room.”

In these “fights for our lives,” Kalish details the battles that determine the ultimate meaning of our existence, then follows it with expert analysis from bloggers, actors, scientists, humorists, pop culture philosophers, social theorists, experts in random fields and other visionaries.

If you’re tired of all the mushy and dramatic Christmas movies that run 24/7 on cable this time of year, this is a nice, not-so-politically correct, break.

“Who would win between…” has been a question asked for lifetimes, but most people can’t actually devote such thorough study to these fundamental inquiries. Luckily for us, Kalish has spearheaded this scholarly masterpiece.