Rating: 
Summary: Excellent on all levels; anti-post-modernists beware
Review: There isn't much to type about DeLillo's work that hasn't been typed; by now, you should already know the deal on White Noise.
It is a satiric look at the consumerism of American society through a very postmodern lens. Make no mistake, this is surreal writing. You can relate to some of the characters, but in any full, deep sense of the way like you could with a book of more traditional style. In White Noise, the characters are mere products of society, purposefully built up to be spiritually empty and mentally limited.
DeLillo's narrator is Jack Gladney, and ends up being the sole voice in the novel, an intentional device to monotonize the speech of the characters in the book and fully illustrate the dulling effect (DeLillo says) consumerism has on people. Philosophy is spouted not just from adults but from EVERYONE except the child, Wilder (an important detail) and it echoes throughout the prose. The chatter of faxes, radios and televisions pervades the text, creating a veritable literary prosopopoeia of the Title.
One should know going in, however, the DeLillo's prejudices are as numerous as his influences, and anyone who is easily offended by alternative takes on American society better get ready to be offended. Just like Pynchon, DeLillo is intent on deconstructing the idea of any sort of unified national, historical or existential persona, and the sarcasm he thrusts at concepts and norms that we are so familiar with and perhaps attached to will easily instigate anger in many.
Still, no one can deny the depth of this novel's architecture and the breadth of its commentary. I don't care if you hate intellectualism to death or if you call all postmodern authors writers of pretentious, turgid tripe--there is absolutely no denying that DeLillo's work here is complex, original and worthy of praise.
(...)
If you hate postmodernism, fine. It's not everyone's cup of tea. Maybe you'll like White Noise's commentary, maybe you'll hate it. It's not everyone's cup of tea. But a potent cup it is, rich, dark and complex in its nuances and sources. Hate it all you want, White Noise is a (at times coldly) intellectual tour-de-force of satire and commentary.
But don't worry; it's no Gravity's Rainbow.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated.
Review: This book was assigned reading for my contemporary American literature class. My instructor and most of my classmates raved and said how great Delillo is, calling him a genius. I could not disgree more. First of all, his style of writing and utterly pessimistic world views are not my cup of tea, therefore alienating me from the get go. Even worse, nothing he wrote was new to me. None of his ideas were original. If an author has nothing new to tell me & writes in a stlye that doesn't appeal to me, then I feel that book is a waste of my time (and money). Why the critics embrace Delillo is beyond me. I guess some writers are just en vogue and become very overrated in certain periods, much like Hemingway or S. King. I'd avoid this if I were you and read something by Vonnegut or T. C. Boyle. If this is considered the "cream of the crop" of American contemporay literature, we might as well watch T.V.
Rating: 
Summary: Imperfect
Review: WHITE NOISE is a book not about death, but the fear of death. It centers on a man, Jack Gladney, and his family. It's hard to figure out which of Jack's kids are from which of his several marriages, and even harder to discern their age (since all of his characters speak with the depth of a 50-year-old college professor). This all adds to the surreal feel of the book. In a way, I felt like Delillo was trying to create noise of his own. The ideas and themes and plotlines come all at once, from different angles, from different characters. There is an absurdity to it all-Jack is a professor in Hitler studies, his wife is taking a drug that helps her deal with the fear of death (something Jack desperately wants), his son's friend is trying to get into the Guiness Book of World Records by locking himself in a box with two dozen poisonous snakes, there is a train wreck and chemical spill which force the Gladneys to evacuate...It mimics the randomness of life, although everything is more dramatic in the book.
One Amazon reviewer called Delillo's style "uniquely contemporary," which I think describes it well. It is sparse, laced with sardonic humor and satire. His prose jumps from topic to topic without warning. It reads fast and kept my attention throughout. Parts of it, notably the satire of academia, are hilarious. But I felt like I was wanting either more or less of his themes. He rather heavy-handedly explores death and life through dialogue that sounds like nothing anyone would ever say (I didn't mind that aspect of it-again, it adds to the surreal nature of everything), yet repeatedly touches on consumerism but never does anything with it. I would have liked a little more development. I read WHITE NOISE because it was on some list of the top 100 contemporary novels. I'm not sure I would give it that. But it is good.
Rating:
Summary: BLEAK, FUNNY, SHOCKING: ONE OF DELLILLO'S FINEST MOMENTS
Review: White Noise is probably one of the best books I have ever read. It does not serve as entertainment; you don't pick this up for a read on the train. Instead, it serves as a slap in the face, disposing traditional conventions and giving way to his admirably ironic and philosophical view of modern day consumerism and death. It is vitamins for the brain. This satire about modern day society poses thought provoking questions. Our obsession with pop-culture is peerlessly examined and the results are enlightening. And why are we afraid of death? Delillo shows us the way to our graves and gives us a chance to attempt to understand demise and doom. White Noise is so sad, so full of eloquence and so deep. I read this book nearly a year ago and to this date it remains fresh in my mind. It is so well written and artful. There are so many piercingly shocking observations into modern day America. The idiosyncracies are so lovable yet disturbing and they ring true. The narrative is fresh and powerful, overwhelming and explosive; the main character and his family so eerily familiar, the dialogue so evocative and perplexing. Every chapter shines in its brilliance, every sentence has words carefully chosen for maximum psychological impact. The plot itself borders the line of being ridiculous and shallow, so people who want their thrillers and mysteries, you might wish to look elsewhere. But those of you who want something more challenging and rewarding, look no further. White Noise is a mind blowing trip to the finish. You will never look at life the same way again.
Rating:
Summary: Works as a commentary, but not really as a novel
Review: With WHITE NOISE, the Gladney family and any other characters exist primarily for the purpose of giving DeLillo a sounding board; they were created to give voice to the author's commentary on such diverse topics as comsumerism, death, religion and even the toxicity of the world we live in. As such, they serve their purpose, yet they really never come to life. They live in such a controlled environment that they seem to function more like experiments than actual people; DeLillo makes his points but his creations never achieve an existence that will capture the reader. What will fascinate is how prescient DeLillo is and how well he is able to capture so many truths about America. It is just a shame he didn't decide to do it with characters that might possibly have existed in the real world.
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