the book was a commercial and critical success, reaching number one on "the new york times" bestseller list and being nominated as a finalist for the pulitzer prize for general non-fiction. "time" magazine and several newspapers dubbed it "the best book of the year". critics praised the book for its wild, vibrant prose, and it was described as "big, daring [and] manic-depressive" by "the new york times." the book was chosen as the 12th best book of the decade by "the times".