Response to First Nine

Seemingly anyone reading this book for the first time might be offput by the author's apparent sporadic or disorganized nature. We as an audience come from a culture that expects information to be delivered in a certain way or format, one that follows a linear structure and doesn't confuse us. I was no exception while reading this. As I continued I did my best to see parallels between the many different subjects discussed in only the first nine pages. Of course I could find the symbolism behind the story of the stink ants and the intellectual researchers, Sonnabend and Griffith. They 'inhaled the spore' so to speak and rose above their peers to take their ideas to new creative heights.  But why structure these stories so indiscriminantly, taking very little if any time to bridge the gap between subjects that at first glance appear so unrelated? It's naive to say that I without a doubt understand where this book is going while only nine pages into it, but I've come to the conclusion that the Weschler is creating a specific atmosphere with his writing style, one not unlike the atmosphere and culture found within the Museum of Jurrasic Technology. With an intriguing anecdotal introduction about African ants that highlights the infective and inspirational nature of creativity, we are exposed to new information about interesting people and places so that we, too can be inspired; carrying on with the spore.