Amazon.com
A wild, often horrifying, novel about freaks, geeks and other aberrancies of the human condition who travel together (a whole family of them) as a circus. It's a solipsistic funhouse world that makes "normal" people seem bland and pitiful. Arturo the Aqua-Boy, who has flippers and an enormous need to be loved. A museum of sacred monsters that didn't make it. An endearing "little beetle" of a heroine. Sort of like Tod Browning's Freaks crossed with David Lynch and John Irving and perhaps George Eliot -- the latter for the power of the emotions evoked.
Book Description
Geek Love is the story of the Binewskis, a carny family whose mater- and paterfamilias set out–with the help of amphetamine, arsenic, and radioisotopes–to breed their own exhibit of human oddities. There’s Arturo the Aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of Genghis Khan . . . Iphy and Elly, the lissome Siamese twins . . . albino hunchback Oly, and the outwardly normal Chick, whose mysterious gifts make him the family’s most precious–and dangerous–asset.
As the Binewskis take their act across the backwaters of the U.S., inspiring fanatical devotion and murderous revulsion; as its members conduct their own Machiavellian version of sibling rivalry,
Geek Love throws its sulfurous light on our notions of the freakish and the normal, the beautiful and the ugly, the holy and the obscene. Family values will never be the same.
Customer Reviews:
Geek Love.......2007-10-01
I greatly enjoyed this story. If you like books like Fight Club, you will too. I have a feeling that this is the sort of book that you either love it or hate it. It was a little slow to begin with but I stuck with it to the end and was glad that I did because overall it is worth the read. I liked it so much that I purchased another copy to be shipped to my brother in Florida. This story was surprisingly and refreshingly different. I would advise parents to read it before allowing their teenagers to due to the fact that there is some adult content. I would rate it a P-13 borderline R but some readers may feel differently so don't take my word for it, go read it yourself! I will be looking for more books by Katherine Dunn!
strangely odd , but just as lovely even odder.......2007-06-30
Read this book years ago, and I read it fast not being able to put the book down for a day and half. I had to finish it, and hating that it came to an end. This book has stayed with me for some reason that I can't name. Don't think you are going to read a book about the life of circus folks, you are going into depths that can frightened you and make you throw you head back and laugh all at the same time
A PERFECT DESIGN.......2007-06-22
Okay, if you are on Amazon to look for a new book to read, and decide to read the reviews first, than listen up. Read the "synopsis", see what it's about? Yeah, it's not a novel about Nerds who fall in love; it's a fantastical novel about a family that is designed to be full of horror, wonderment, shock and awe, literally. If you cannot stomach reading descriptions of deformities, or people who are cult followers to the nth degree, or talk of injuries to both body and soul and mind, than do not buy this. If you do, than soon you will be on here reviewing this and saying "it was disgusting, and horrific, and I didn't get it" This book isn't for the faint of heart, or the simpleton who just wants quick read before settling into beddy-bye for the night. You must be able to wrap your head around profound, well written, scarring literature. If you choose this for a readers circle, or book club, make sure that everyone has an open mind, you don't want to choose this and than have a bunch of people look at you like you grew fins and a hunchback.
We all have handicaps, physical or mental. I know that I can personally blame my parents for the struggle and afflictions I have had in my life, they might not have designed me that way, but they sure as heck didn't think before they acted. I fell in love with this book because I fell in love with the sublime mystery of It all, I couldn't wait to see how it unfolded, and how it came to be that Oly was on her own looking after both her daughter and her mother, and neither knew who she was. I will forever treasure this book.
And I'd figured I'd come to the end of being amazed........2007-06-05
"And I'd figured I'd come to the end of being amazed. Run out of it, like you'd run out of sugar. But when I saw you lovely girls I thought to myself, maybe there's more to life yet."
An astonishing, grotesque, sharp-tongued, and lovingly written family memoir and the most entertaining work of fiction I've read in years. Reduced to archetypes, it's the story of a family struggling with its own hubris (a la the Magnificent Ambersons or Royal Tenenbaums) and a meandering reflection on small-town America -- an unsentimental road-trip comedy dotted with soft drawls, murder, prostitution, tigers, telekinesis, a cult of amputees, and lots of security guards. Think Willie Nelson and the Quay brothers collaborating in the milieu of HBO's Carnivale, and you have a rough idea of the premise and aesthetic of the novel.
Though it's thoroughly entertaining, the flaws are stark: at about the two-thirds mark, Dunn steers the storytelling away from a first-person recollection to 'journalist's notes,' a decision which, depending on how you frame it, drags down the pace considerably or is a judicious bit of editing that compresses the formidable challenge of exposition and actually speeds the action. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it's there and it gives Dunn the opportunity to drop in a few smart epigraphs that would otherwise have been non sequiturs. Some characters are painstakingly and hilariously dressed but given few lines; while I hoped that some of them would have more presence in the story arc, I know that if my obituary is to be published, I want Dunn to write it.
Something else to keep in mind as you read this book: a majority of the action happens between characters who are children, at most adolescents, in the 20th century. While in the 21st century, I might no longer look upon carnivals or freaks or even acts of extreme sadism in awe, Geek Love reminded me of the thrill of audacity, and that achievement on its own is amazing to me.
One "Freaky" Book.......2007-06-05
This is a tough book to review because it is definitely weird - but not so twisted that you should pass it up. I don't go out of my way looking for books this strange, but I did enjoy it. You would have to know a person pretty well to know whether they would like it or not. It kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out where it could possibly go after starting with such a bizarre premise.
Customer Reviews:
Cirque Du Freak.......2007-09-06
I am using the series in my Contemporary Literature class and the students love the series! We have moved from the first to second book and they are very into it. It isn't common for middle school students to get into reading. This one is the bomb!
Just can not stop reading.......2007-07-14
love the story! I can keep reading on my bed and without falling sleep, even I had read the translated edition defore.
books #1 and 2, cirque de freak.......2007-05-07
i recommend these books to any child who loves to read or who doesn't. my son literally has to be forced to read but once he read the first book he was hooked. he enjoyed them so much that i bought the box set for him!! the books held his interest and had enough of fantasy with the real world thrown in. besides, what kid isn't interested in monsters!
My daughter loves these books.......2007-05-07
It isn't always easy to get a high school girl to read, but my daughter found one of these books in her school library and she was hooked. She devours a book in just a few days and comes back ready for more. We will be purchasing all of them and now she is looking forward to the next collection by the same author. Amazon Rocks!
Freak Show.......2007-02-16
This book is a great one to read if you like freaks at a circus. There are a lot of weird but incredible things in this book like the Snake Boy or Madam Octa or even Gertha Teeth. The Snake Boy has scales all over his body and even slithers like a snake. Madam Octa is a red, green and purple spider and in one bite she can kill a human. But the weirdest thing was that she was trained to obey a special flute. When Mr. Crepsley blew a certain tune she would do some incredible trick. Gertha Teeth was even better; she could bite anything. One time she bit a bunch of holes in a big radiator. She picked three volunteers to show how strong her teeth were. One guy had a sledgehammer and a chisel. The second guy had a hammer and a chisel. The third guy had a saw.
Even though this book is very good it probably needs to be read from fourth and up. It may even be a little scary for fourth graders because of the vampire and the Wolf-man. To find out what happens you have got to read this book
Amazon.com
What if you were an unwilling vampire? You needed to drink human blood to stay alive, but you weren't some horror-flick villain; you were you, born human--a nice person, even. Thus is the dilemma of the young narrator-protagonist, Darren Shan, in this tremendously suspenseful, oft-sickening sequel to Cirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan. In the first book, Darren becomes a vampire's assistant to save the life of his friend Steve. In order to do so, he has to fake his death, get buried alive, and head out--half-human, homeless, and friendless--into the world. The Vampire's Assistant chronicles his new lonely life as a half-vampire, pumped with the cursed blood of his vampire guardian, Mr. Crepsley. Darren has much to learn about his freshly supernatural state. He doesn't grow fangs, for instance, like he thought he might. And he can't change shape or fly. Garlic just gives vampires bad breath... And they eat bagels. Some of the hardest lessons of all come when he joins the traveling freak show Cirque Du Freak, the show that got him and Steve in trouble in the first place. Readers won't be disappointed by this fast-paced, gory, but strangely amiable sequel. In fact, the plot is much better paced than the first and the dialogue far more natural. Deadly pythons, a snake boy, Cormac Limbs (bite off his finger and it grows back!), and an entire cast of dreadfully creepy characters offer excitement beyond expectation. Along the way, we come to really like Darren, who will do absolutely anything for a friend. British author Darren Shan promises more adventures in 2002. (Ages 10 and older) --Karin Snelson
Book Description
Darren was just an ordinary schoolboy-until his visit to the Cirque du Freak. Now Darren joins the powerful vampire Mr. Crepsley. As he struggles with his new life as a vampire's assistant, Darren tries desperately to resist the one temptation that sickens him-the one thing that can keep him alive.
Customer Reviews:
Very Amusing.......2007-07-28
I enjoyed this book. It was fast paced (my favorite type of pacing) and the plotline was good, and definitely not predictable. My only gripe is that the characters seemed under-developed, and didn't quite suit my taste. Overall, I enjoyed it, and I read it in one sitting. Well written.
Cirque Du Freak - The Vampires Assistant (Book 2).......2007-04-28
After reading the first book, "A Living Nightmare" you'll definately get hooked into the story and will wan't to know what happens in book 2. Well this book is a little better than the first in my opinion. In this book, Darren and Larten join up with Cirque Du Freak and Darren meets a lot of new people and actually ends up being about best friends with one of them, but i'll let you read that.
This book, is basically about Darrens life at the Cirque Du Freak and him meeting new people and still learning more about his vampire life. I definately recommend this book only AFTER you've read the first one!
The best!.......2007-03-10
This is probably the best one I've read (I'm on book 6). It shows a very real problem that I feel for. Darren, half-vampire, needs something. He's been blooded, and is living off of animals...but that isn't enough. He needs the blood of a human in order to survive. Early on in the book, it shows Darren reacting with the real world, and that is almost conflict enough itself.
For the most part, though, this book hangs out in the Cirque du Freak, which introduces an array of colorful characters, including Evra Von (the snake boy) Cormac Limbs, R.V., and Sam Grest. It's an awesome read, if a bit short...But the ending is sad and depressing. But that's part of what makes this so good. That, and Darrens ever-increasing need.
The Vampire's Assistant.......2007-03-08
I think that this book is good for kids who like scary things like ghosts and vampires's. I liked the begining about Steve and the monsters. That was very descriptive and had lots of detailed expressions. There are a lost of points in the book where the author leaves you hanging. The chapters are nicely portioned for those who have short attention spans or those who don't like to read a lot at a time. Overall this is a great book and has a lot ofscary sequences. That's why I give this book a 5 star.
Vampire's Assistant.......2006-11-03
This is a really good book, I would recommend it to anyone. Darren has to decide wether or not to give up his humanity and drink human blood, or die of starvation trying to stay somewhat human. Along the way he meets some interesting people. he desides for a while that he is too dangerous to have friends, but then gives that up. one of his friends betrays him trying to do what he believes in, but he didn't undestand or predict the dire consequenses to come. Iwould recommend this book and this series, it is exciting and keeps you reading. I would recommend that people read the series in order it is easier to understand and better reading.
Average customer rating:
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Bringing Ezra Back
Cynthia DeFelice
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
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Weasel
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The Ghost and Mrs. Hobbs
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The Ghost of Fossil Glen
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The Higher Power of Lucky
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Devil's Bridge (Avon Camelot Books)
ASIN: 0374399395
Release Date: 2006-08-08 |
Book Description
September 1840 marks five months since twelve-year-old Nathan Fowler’s life-threatening encounter with Weasel, the heartless man who stalked Nathan like a wild animal through the forest. Nathan hasn’t been the same since, wary of every new person he meets – including the visiting peddler Orrin Beckwith. When Beckwith shows Nate and his family a handbill advertising a show with a “white Injun,” a man without a tongue, Nathan is sure the man is his friend Ezra, who lost his tongue to Weasel’s knife. Determined to save Ezra from this traveling show of “human oddities,” Nathan sets out with Beckwith from Ohio to Pennsylvania. On the way, Nathan encounters more people than he’s ever met before, and he begins to learn a thing or two about human nature. The biggest shock, however, is Ezra himself, and it will take more than Nathan bargained for to bring him back home.
This long-anticipated sequel to Weasel is a masterful adventure story, in which Nathan Fowler triumphs over the legacy of fear left him by the villain Weasel.
Customer Reviews:
Good Kids' Book.......2007-05-24
Bringing Ezra Back is a sequel to DeFelice's Weasel (1990) and is set in 1840 on the Ohio Frontier. Twelve year old Nathan still has trouble trusting strangers since his frightening experience with a man named Weasel. When Nathan learns that his friend, Ezra, is in Pennsylvania with a traveling show of "human oddities", he knows he must find him and bring him home. As he journeys alongside a traveling peddler, he begins to watch people to learn about human nature, and discovers that not everyone is like Weasel. In the process, he also learns about his own strength.
While this book can stand alone, I would have had more insight into the characters involved if I had read Weasel first. From reviews I have read, that book seems to be much more suspenseful and mysterious than Bringing Ezra Back. However, this sequel is a good novel in its own right, and watching Nathan and other characters develop is quite interesting.
Average customer rating:
- Must Read on Political Frames
- Fear of psychology
- The Sound of One Hand Clapping
- How to tilt public perceptions
- A book about the shadow, arguing for the importance of the substance
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Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-Reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
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Whose Freedom?: The Battle over America's Most Important Idea
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The Way We Talk Now
ASIN: 1586483862 |
Book Description
A captivating and outraged account of "The Great Relabeling" of American language and thought, by the well-known "Fresh Air" commentator and author of Going Nucular
Geoffrey Nunberg breaks new ground with this fierce and funny narrative of how the political right has ushered in a new world order, aided unwittingly by the liberal media.
Democrats are well known for their "lousy bumper stickers," as Joe Klein puts it. As liberals wade through the semantics of "social security lockbox," "single payer," and other wonky locutions, the right has become harder, meaner and better at getting out the message: the estate tax became the more menacing "death tax" and a contentious education initiative was wrapped in the comforting (and memorable) blanket of "No Child Left Behind."
But Nunberg shows that the real story is more subtle than just a bumper sticker war. Conservatives' main goal wasn't to win voters over to their positions on healthcare, education, or the environment. They had a much more dramatic ambition. By changing the meaning of words like "values," "government," "liberal"; "faith," and "freedom," conservatives have shifted the political center of gravity of the language itself to the right. "Whatever our politics," Nunberg observes, "when we talk about politics nowadays, we can't help using language that embodies a conservative world-view."
Customer Reviews:
Must Read on Political Frames.......2007-01-05
This is a must read for anyone in America who cares about politics--which should be everyone! If you thought Lakoff insightful on the differences a frame can make, wait until you read Nunberg. I teach this stuff and know whereof I speak. Talking Right is one of those rare hybrids that's right for the classroom and right as a trade book for the typically older, post-college reader. I've ordered several copies for friends.
Fear of psychology.......2006-11-05
Well done for what it is, but Nunberg exhibits the classic fear of delving below the psychological surface. He seems to believe that the left will lose the common man even worse if it starts thinking psychologically about why it's losing him already. He disses Lakoff's look at policital metaphors and doesn't even bother to dis explanations that are even better, such as those of Alice Miller, Stephen Ducat, and Lloyd deMause. It frustrated me to no end as I read Nunberg advocate a return to the populist rhetoric of Truman and Clinton, hardly big winners. Truman's was a nortoriously narrow win, and Clinton's first election was a gimmie from a thrid-party candidate on the right. Nunberg seems to set his sights on the unlofty goal of 51% of the vote rather than a true strategy that will dismantle the psychological tricks the right plays on the populace like stroking their machismo, their fear, their weath fantasies, their need for scapegoats, etc.
Wake up and smell the psychological coffee, Nunberg. The right has.
The Sound of One Hand Clapping.......2006-11-04
We swim through words like fish swim through water. Metaphors are accepted as reality by many. Legends become gospil truth. This books was an informative and fun view at a very important (not just politically) subject. And now, at last, I know where the word "pinko" came from and what it means.
How to tilt public perceptions.......2006-10-22
"Talking Right" by Geoffrey Nunberg is a timely analysis of the lopsided and dysfunctional status of U.S. political discourse. Mr. Nunberg is a linguistics professor who explains how the Republican Party's privileged relationship with the media has helped to define the political narrative, which in turn has effectively tilted public perceptions to the political Right. However, by deconstructing the manner in which the Right's political language has been frequently served up as a smokescreen to obscure its radical neoconservative agenda, the author helps us understand how the political Left can present an alternative discourse that could resonate with the vast majority of Americans. Assiduously researched and cogently argued, this thoughtful, nuanced and highly readable text should interest a wide audience.
Mr. Nunberg presents a brief history of the neoconservative movement to recount how language has been deployed in order to associate particular words and phrases with politically-charged meanings. For example, the phrase 'cultural elite' was introduced by Vice President Dan Quayle in 1992 and succeeded in connecting Hollywood entertainment with sectors of the public who might have felt apprehension about social change. Indeed, Mr. Nunberg points out that since the 1960s the Republican Party has adroitly manufactured and magnified the importance of Pat Buchanan's 'culture war' in a way that has convinced large blocs of the working class to vote against its own material interests. Unfortunately, as liberals are reduced to a snobbish and out-of-touch caricature of the consumer culture imagination, Mr. Nunberg contends that the Democratic Party has failed to articulate a meaningful narrative of its own to inspire the faithful or to define the Party's mission.
Nonetheless, Mr. Nunberg believes that the Democrats can yet prevail if it dares to once again speak truth to power. Mr. Nunberg cites Bill Clinton's highly effective narrative about the powerless versus the powerful during the 1992 campaign as an example of how a message can resonate with an increasingly insecure working class beset with economic grievances. To that end, the author goes on to argue that in the wake of the Bush administration's disastrous policies (including preemptive war, fiscally irresponsible tax breaks and reckless environmental rollbacks), liberals have an excellent opportunity to articulate a new popular narrative of working-class struggle in the pursuit of economic justice and equality.
I highly recommend this important book to everyone, and especially to those interested in media and politics.
A book about the shadow, arguing for the importance of the substance.......2006-10-17
Government, John Dewey famously said, is the shadow cast by big business over society. And political language, Geoffrey Nunberg argues in Talking Right, is the shadow cast by government. Democrats, he points out, seem to think language has a talismanic power, that if only they can find the right catch phrase or slogan, they can pull people over to their side. "Liberal" must become "progressive", "family values" must become "valuing families". There's an intellectual cleverness to such stunts, and as a Berkeley linguist, Nunberg must want to believe in them. But he doesn't. The words, he explains, are just a side-effect of the larger political situation. Dewey explained that attempts to change the shadow will have no effect without a change in the substance, and Nunberg heartily agrees.
It's hard to see how it could be otherwise, but Democrats have suffered from a stubborn literalism in political discourse: thinking they can beat the charge of big government by launching programs cutting down on bureaucratic waste, thinking they can reclaim the issue of values by pointing to their love of tolerance and fairness, thinking they can dodge the charge of latte-sipping by donning a hunting cap and rifle. In reality, the issues go much deeper: big government is an attack on the notion that government can do good, values refers to a feeling of national morals run amok, and the latte-sipping charge is an attempt to distract voters from bigger issues of class. Nunberg even chastises his colleague George Lakoff for assuming that the current packages of political positions have any deeper meanings, rather than just being accidents of history.
Nunberg is an essayist--his commentaries for NPR's Fresh Air are a national treasure--and his style, while eminently readable, doesn't translate well to a long book, where his points get lost in a field of anecdotes. But beneath all the stories about how conservatives eat more brie and liberal used to be a mantle claimed by everyone, Nunberg's point is a familiar one: if the Democrats want to win, they must begin telling full-throated populist stories about how the economic elite are capturing the wealth of our country and how we need government to take it back. The point is no less true for being popular, and it's heartening to find that investigation from yet another perspective yields the same conclusions.
Book Description
Billy Bloom is gay, but it's mostly theoretical, as he hasn't had much experience. When he has to move to Florida, he can't believe his bad luck. His new school is a mix of Bible Belles, Aberzombies, and Football Heroes, none of which are exactly his type. Billy's efforts to fit in and stand out at the same time are both hilarious and heartrending. In this novel from adult author and media personality James St. James, readers are in for a wild ride as he tells Billy's fascinating story of bravado, pain, and unexpected love, inspired by his own experiences.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Read!.......2007-08-02
Being a fan of James St. James other novel, Party Monster, I was so excited for this book! He captured my attention and I couldn't put it down! Everyone can relate to the main character, whether you were a teenage girl or a homosexual male (not outted yet) in high school.
an absolte must-read.......2007-08-01
whether you're gay, straight, bi, transsexual, transgender, young, old, or a little bit of everything, this book will change the way you think. i loved every minute of it. james st. james really knows how to evoke all kinds of emotions in the readers. i liked it better than party monster.
One of a kind.......2007-07-07
This is a very funny novel about a drag queen in a conservative private high school in Florida. The main character is charming, his voice is unique, the pace is fast, and the writing is hilarious. After reading a lot of young adult novels, it was so refreshing to read this one. It really stands out from the pack.
Extremely Strange but Fabulous.......2007-06-11
I have been a fan of James St. James for years. I had previously read Disco Bloodbath and watched Party Monster (both the Movie, and the Shockumentary). James St. James is awesome with words and has a gift of interpreting them. From the very first sentence of Freak Show, I knew the book was going to be over-the-top fabulous. I made the mistake of starting to read it right before I went to bed. I could not put the book down and as a result I only got 3 hours of sleep. I read the whole thing in one sitting. It was just too good to put down! I suggest that everyone read Freak Show. As strange as it is, one can also learn from the book.
Loved It.......2007-06-05
Imagine "Disco Bloodbath" without the sex and drugs, and guess what? It's still a blast! This novel is a witty romp through the perilous high school world of one very special 17 year-old boy named Billy Bloom. It even has a happy ending, though not quite the one you might expect. I loved it. Tears, I'm telling you, TEARS WELLED!
Party Monster: A Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland
Book Description
From 1840 until 1940, freak shows by the hundreds crisscrossed the United States, from the smallest towns to the largest cities, exhibiting their casts of dwarfs, giants, Siamese twins, bearded ladies, savages, snake charmers, fire eaters, and other oddities. By today's standards such displays would be considered cruel and exploitative—the pornography of disability. Yet for one hundred years the freak show was widely accepted as one of America's most popular forms of entertainment.
Robert Bogdan's fascinating social history brings to life the world of the freak show and explores the culture that nurtured and, later, abandoned it. In uncovering this neglected chapter of show business, he describes in detail the flimflam artistry behind the shows, the promoters and the audiences, and the gradual evolution of public opinion from awe to embarrassment. Freaks were not born, Bogdan reveals; they were manufactured by the amusement world, usually with the active participation of the freaks themselves. Many of the "human curiosities" found fame and fortune, becoming the celebrities of their time, until the ascent of professional medicine transformed them from marvels into pathological specimans.
Customer Reviews:
Pretty Good Freaky Book.......2004-09-27
I read this book and I will probably read it again. The subject is handled with respect - I appreciated that. Sure - it could have more pictures and maybe more "gossipy stuff - like the tall man who ran way with the fat lady behind the lion tamer's back, etc" = but I still found every page had something for me.
for Freak Geeks Only.......2002-08-02
I loved every page of this book. It gave me the most in depth information on the development of the side show and the expoitation of human beings. Also was included little known personal information on some of my favorite oddities. A very intelligent read.
history of the sideshows.......2002-01-02
This book is a book that tells you about the ins and outs of how the freakshows started and profited. I had no idea that it was a social book. I thought that it would be a a book about "freaks". I was wrong. It is a good book though. I enjoy reading about oddities and liked learning about how they were brought about into the public eye. It's worth taking a look at.
A great introduction to the sociology of deviance.......1999-11-16
I have been using Freak Show in my Introduction to Sociology class since it has been published. I find the book to be a great way to introduce students to a qualitative approach to the sociology of deviance. Bogdan's fresh approach to the material makes the experiences of the so-called "freaks" come alive. Discussion that ensues covers the range from the construction of disabilites, how non-white "races" were constructed as "inferior," and the way modern-day "Freak shows" live on in TV-talk shows. I have frequently cast about for a newer supplemental reading to offer my students, but have always come back to Freak Show. And for all you non-professors out there, I recommend the book as a great read!
freak shows in their historical context.......1998-10-31
The author did an excellent job of writing about freak shows in their historical context. Even though written as sociological qualitative research, the lay person can read and enjoy this book. I am buying it for my mother who is not involved in the world of academia. It is well written and provides the reader with an appreciation of the history. I would recommend it.
Book Description
Do you breed rats and mice that could preen like poodles in a pet show? Have creative juices yearning to be set loose on a 20-ton block of packed snow? Possess a melodious voice best suited to singing the praises of SPAM? Nope? That's okay, with America Bizarro, you can find out all about people who do!It's a weird place, America, and even if you have a hobby or interest that no one you know shares, there's probably a group of people meeting somewhere in America to enjoy it together. Not only that, but someone else's obsession or bizarre display of civic pride is being celebrated right near you. Organized state-by-state, and illustrated with some pretty funny pictures, America Bizarro is an hysterical armchair read which doubles as a practical guide in case you want to:See the Jumping Frog competition immortalized by Mark Twain in Calaveras County, CA Be a delegate at the Dukes of Hazzard Fan Club Convention Munch on Rocky Mountain oysters at Montana's Testicle Festival Get lost in Grandpa John's Amazing Maze in a Nebraska cornfield Tickle, caress, and seduce the ivories in Las Vegas' Liberace "Play-A-Like" Competition Join Polar Bear plungers in the Atlantic in February at the Jersey Shore Win a truck in Texas' famous Hands on a Hardbody contestYou never know. You could be the next International Pack Burro Race champion or just enjoy taking in the annual ArtCar Parade in San Francisco. America is what you make it, so make it Bizarro!AUTHORBIO: Nelson Taylor is a Content Editor at iUniverse.com and has written for Maxim, Details, Time Out New York, and Paper, among others.He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Customer Reviews:
It's a start..........2004-12-28
I just received this book as a gift and I'm a little disappointed. It does have some weird events to visit and I'll be putting most of them on my TO DO list, but I guess the book itself wasn't what I expected and seems somewhat limited. I really like Roadside America just because it has absolutely SO MUCH stuff to see and do. I like this book and I'll use it in my crazy travels, but I'm not as excited about it as I was when I read the other reviews and put it on my wishlist.
A Fun Trip into America the Wacky.......2004-09-27
This book is getting a little dated - however it is still a great resource for those wacky Americians who will put on a show for a nickle or a dime. I have read it twice and appreciate the author's attempt at covering an ever growing awareness of out wonderful Country - the U.S. OF A. - this book makes me proud to be and Americian.
Not just "Burning Man" but obscure funky happenings..........2000-09-25
This takes precendence over "Roadside America"...for ultimate in eccentricity. Includes Texas Aggie Bonfire, (World record on height,'69) as a last minute choice just after the Nov.'99 accident, of which there is a commemorative statement. To add send inquiries to: americabizarro@hotmail.com
This ain't your parent's guide to America!.......2000-09-04
Mr. Taylor takes us for a walk on the wild side in this guide to the off kilter, out of hand and off the beaten path fests, events and happenings. Wondered if America really was as strange as you suspected? Wonder no more. Organized by state, America Bizarro is... well, Think Tom Robbin's Another Roadside Attraction meets that outrageous show from the 1970s - Real People. This Book is for everyone who just can't stomach one more summer roadtrip to overrated, overdone and overpriced attractions. Hell, the Big Mouse down South doesn't need any more of your hard earned money... so get a copy of America Bizarro and start checking out the freaks, geeks and charming underbelly of the land of the free to be you and me.
Average customer rating:
- Absorbing, wonderful novel
- Rollicking read
- WOW!
- I'm Glad I Read This Book!
- A Dreamy Adventure Novel With A Historical Twist
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Freaks: Alive, on the Inside!
Annette Curtis Klause
Manufacturer: Margaret K. McElderry
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
1800s
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Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
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Fantasy
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Science Fiction
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Klause, Annette
| ( K )
| Authors, A-Z
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ASIN: 068987037X |
Book Description
Abel Dandy feels all alone, a normal teenager who lives in Faeryland, where his parents perform with other "human oddities." His extended family includes dwarves, fat ladies, and Siamese twins, and his first kiss was with Phoebe the Dog-Faced Girl. Everyone has an act to perform, for in 1899 there are not many ways for these "freaks" to earn a living. But what can boring Abel do? Determined to seek adventure and find a girl without a beard to kiss, Abel runs away from home.
But Abel finds a harsh world outside of Faeryland. Nothing seems to go as planned and he is even more alone -- except for a beautiful dancing girl who haunts his dreams and seems connected to his ancient Egyptian scarab ring. After misadventure and mishap (complicated by a little problem he thought he'd left behind), Abel stumbles upon a shabby traveling freak show run by the sinister Dr. Mink. It holds secrets that break his heart. Abel's grand adventure takes a dark and dangerous twist, but the dazzling girl of his dreams beckons him onward as does his own true soul.
Annette Curtis Klause has woven humor, adventure, history, and fantasy into this exhilarating epic. Step inside and see the show -- if you dare. You will never be the same again!
Customer Reviews:
Absorbing, wonderful novel.......2007-08-22
There are moments when you go to the bookstore with a specific purpose in mind, and you come home with the treasure you set out to find. There are other moments when one can wander around the bookstore experiencing myriad temptations, but nothing speaks to you. And then there are times like I had yesterday afternoon. Times in which you wander quite aimlessly to and fro and then a book catches your eye and you feel its pull and you just know that you will have to leave with that book. Yesterday that book was Freaks by Annette Curtis Klause. The full title of the story is Freaks: Alive, on the Inside, but I prefer the simple title and will thus refer to it in that regard for the remainder of this review.
There is no mystery regarding my initial attraction to this book:
It was the James Jean cover that did it! The cover art of James Jean never fails to illicit that response in me. The fact that this book was written by Annette Curtis Klause, whose novel Blood and Chocolate is a New York Times bestseller, sealed my fate.
I was currently in the middle of another book, but true to my nature I arrived home that day with the intention of just taking a taste of this novel before returning to my current read. Dame Fortune had other plans. An introductory quote by Edgar Allan Poe and the line, "When a boy's first romantic interlude is with Phoebe the Dog-Faced Girl, he feels the need to get out into the world and find a new life." was all it took...I was lost.
Freaks is the story of 17 year old Abel Dandy, an oddity amongst oddities, as he is the only non-freak in the freak show. An ever-present sense of not fitting in prompts Abel to leave the only family he has ever known to seek his fortune elsewhere. A parting gift of a scarab ring and words of fate spoken in his ear bring Abel Dandy dreams in which a beautiful and mysterious woman beckons to him with words of passion and pleas for rescue.
Freaks is a teen novel, and as such I was not sure what to expect. Having seen Tod Browning's controversial 1932 film of the same name, I had visions of this novel treading along those same paths. I had no idea, however, of the truth of that film's inspirational influence on this novel and found myself pleasantly surprised with the depth of emotion and the powerful sense of community and family that inhabits these pages.
Annette Curtis Klause has written a thoroughly researched tale of life during the time when freak shows and traveling oddities were a booming business. That research (which she discusses in an afterward) lends such a strong sense of history and realism to the story. Set amidst that backdrop is the story of a young boy coming of age, struggling to find identity during the twilight of adolescence and the dawn of manhood. And if that isn't enough, Klause deftly weaves a mysterious Egyptian reincarnation romance, reminiscent of the subplot in the film The Mummy Returns, into her tale.
Within a few pages, Freaks becomes a page turner. Mystery, suspense, and danger rub shoulders with romance, adventure, and intrigue. Powerful messages about acceptance of those around us lie just at the surface and yet those messages are never preachy or forced. Klause uses her words to provoke such an immediate sense of caring about these characters that you feel their plight and from the very beginning you are rooting for their success.
Annette Curtis Klause deserves praise for writing an adolsecent male character with a voice that feels genuine. The sexual urges of a seventeen year old boy are a very realistic part of the tale and yet the references to that aspect of adolescence are never treated as lurid nor included to shock or titillate. Those aspects are treated with respect as are the urges of teenagers to leave the comfort and protection of their parents behind to make their own way in life. Maybe men just aren't that hard to figure out, but I still give Ms. Klause her props for giving voice to a male protagonist that will resonate with males who read this book.
This is a beautiful little trade paperback book that tells a beautiful story of love and friendship, of the cruelty of the world and of the need to stick together to fight that cruelty. I could not put it down and yet I am very sad now that I have finished it. I miss the characters in this book already and imagine that I will be revisiting them again in the future.
In the author's note Ms. Klause says, "...and I didn't know that I would fall in love with my characters as much as I did". I didn't know that I would either, but I am so glad that I was given the chance. They are wonderfully realized and I already consider them old friends.
I highly recommend this book. It is a fascinating look into a part of our past that no longer exists wrapped up in a wonderful, adventure-filled romance. I look forward to reading more of Annette Curtis Klause's work soon.
Rollicking read.......2007-08-01
This book gripped me from the very first page. I never could quite get into Annette Curtis Klause's previous books, but this one was up my alley. I've always found circus freaks interesting--the way people were marketed just for being different, regarded by the general public with awe, fear, and/or fascination, how they must have lived in this strange combination of fame and admiration and being set apart from the rest of the world. Ms. Klause captures all this and wraps it up in a fascinating story.
There is a large cast of characters, but she handles them all well, creating a memorable, distinct and highly likable group. I especially liked the sweet (and sometimes bittersweet) romances between some of the "freaks" that play out over the course of the book. The book is also a great page-turner, with constant action, but it never seems like page-slogging action like some books...I was always invested in Abel's fate.
If I have one complaint, it's Abel's own romance...although the scenario was intriguing (I won't give away too much), I wish the girl had been better developed as a character, and several flashbacks didn't quite work for me. However, this is a very small nitpick--I enjoyed this book as I have enjoyed few other YAs to come along in recent years.
WOW!.......2006-09-14
I have to say that this book had me hooked. I had read some of Annette's other books, and as soon as I saw this one the shelf, grabbed it up for myself. I read it within the first two days of buying it, and I'm still in love.
It's a great book, it could be for people of every age... Well, except for some younger ones. There is some suggestive themes, but I'm glad to say it's not overly graphic.
This is a wonderful book, I recommend it to people all the time, especially when I know that there into the same mythical, historical, strange, and heart trobbing, just as I am. It's a great book with many of different subjects all mixed into one.
Enjoy the book!
I'm Glad I Read This Book!.......2006-07-10
I almost didn't read this book. I was in the signing area at Book Expo America, and a friend pointed the book out to me. I grabbed a copy thinking "why not." As soon as I got home, I put it on my shelf, but something kept drawing me to it. I decided to put the book I was already reading aside, and start Freaks. I fully expected to read a couple of pages and put it down, but I was hooked from the first sentence on. This is a great read for Young Adults. Abel Dandy is a great character and the Freaks are worth the price of admission. Klause has written a wonderful story that has you cheering out loud for the good guys, and jeering the evil Dr. Mink (not to mention Ceecee.) I highly recommend it.
A Dreamy Adventure Novel With A Historical Twist.......2006-02-02
Seventeen-year-old Abel Dandy has a problem. He is too normal. In a home that is far from typical, Abel lives in Faeryland, a carnival-type land where visitors can see performances that include "an extravaganza of amazing oddities, mystifying the audience with their uncanny skills, death-defying deeds, and wondrous physiognomy." Abel's parents are performers where they can put their anomalies to use. Papa has no legs and performs as the bottom half of a torso in Uncle Jack's illusion act. And Abel's Mama has no arms, but can knit up a storm with her toes. Abel's parents are lucky because in 1899 there are not many ways for people like them, "freaks," to make a living.
Abel has lived in Faeryland most of his life. Along with his parents and uncle, he has grown up with an extended family of dwarves, fat ladies and Siamese twins, as well as Phoebe the Dog-Faced Girl and her brother Apollo the Puppy Boy. Abel is the only one without an act or oddity. He fears that if he stays in Faeryland, he'll be doomed to a life with Phoebe as his wife. She is the only girl his age at home, and he has a brief romance with her, but inside he longs for a normal girl --- one without facial hair.
Abel is tired of feeling like a normal freak among the oddities and a "freak" among the townies. He decides to run away to seek fortune and find the girl of his dreams. Ironically, a girl does come to him --- in his dreams. Abel recently was given an Egyptian scarab ring from one of the Siamese twins. The twin claimed that a scholar told her to give the ring to Abel because a goddess in a dream told her to give it to him. As soon as Abel has the ring in his possession, he begins to have strange dreams about a mysterious foreign woman he calls Lady Adventure. In his dreams, he falls in love with her, watches her dance, and then listens to her pleas for help.
As Abel sets out into the world beyond Faeryland, he finds that life is not as great as he had hoped. He isn't any happier and often has to do horrible work under even worse conditions. He also learns that the outside world treats people like his parents and friends back home terribly. Often times, they are sent to places like asylums and are given no chance at a life for themselves. Then, Abel comes upon a traveling freak show, Dr. Mink's Monster Menagerie, with a terrible secret, and his adventure becomes even more dangerous but also more important.
FREAKS: ALIVE ON THE INSIDE! is an adventure novel with a historical twist. As author Annette Curtis Klause notes at the back of the book, many of the characters in this story were based on real-life human oddities from the late 1800s. This, perhaps, is the most interesting aspect of the story. The characters are clearly unique, and the story is driven. At times, the dream sequences with Lady Adventure seemed to come out of nowhere, but in the end, it comes together more clearly. Overall, FREAKS is truly an original.
--- Reviewed by Kristi Olson
Customer Reviews:
Don't waste your money.......2006-07-09
This graphic novel tells the story of Midori, orphaned and forced to work for Mr. Arashi in his freak show. Tormenting Midori are The Human Worm, The Mummy Man, Kanabun the Boy-Girl, Hohichi The Human Pretzel, The Giant, The Snake Woman, and Mr. Arashi himself. Masamitsu The Bottled Wonder joins the freak show and befriends Midori.
That's about it. The story doesn't really go anywhere else except into 'Confusion Land'. If the Japanese graphic novel industry were based on this one book, the entire world would be scratching their heads wondering just how such a smart country could read such stupid trash.
The graphics are black-and-white, detailed in sketching but simplistic in presentation. In spite of some nasty images including snakes, one or two $exual frames, and some awful puppy-stomping, the drawings try so hard to be gross that they wind out being funny. There isn't enough backbone in the written storyline to hold up either gross or funny, unfortunately, and this graphic novel simply winds out being a loser all across the board. Don't be tempted to buy it because it looks and sounds cool, it's garbage.
Surreal and lovely........2005-02-16
Suehiro Maruo, Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show (Blast, 1992)
Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show was the first of Suehiro Maruo's manga to be translated into English, and it's pretty easy to see why he developed a cult following among extreme horror fans almost overnight. From the opening panels of this twisted, disturbing graphic novel, Maruo is going to go for the gut. You're probably going to like it for the images alone. Which is good, because the story is told in impressionist form, to the point of losing a good deal of the story (an old folk tale about a girl tricked into becoming the slave of a sideshow) in the process. Granted, some of that could be happening in the translation, but I doubt it; pages of panels would have to be intercut for a truly faithful retelling of the folk tale.
Still, it's a very pretty thing, as long as extreme gore fits your definition of pretty. *** ½
Whoa..........2003-08-03
The freak show in this manga is really, really, REALLY freaky. I kind of feel for the protagonist's suffering even though she really isn't a "freak" per se. The story and art rather disturbed me, yet I did, somehow, enjoy it. I recommend this to folks who have a strong stomach and a twistedly open mind...
Mister Arashi's Amazing Freak Show.......2001-08-08
Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show falls within the "grotesque manga" genere of modern Japanese comics, and should not be read by those of weak heart, stomach, or wit. The story follows the main character, Midori, on her unfortunate side-show life, filled with laborous days, dangerous nights, and dark twists of reality. Maruo's compelling, complex imagery is unparalelled by satyrical and ironic storytelling mixed with poetic nuances.
I was very impressed by the story presentation and layout of this book. True to its Japanese content, the publishers have refrained from flopping pages and attempting to erase large page portions to hide katakana sound effects and kanji banners. Almost every minute detail is translated for the Engish reading eye; and though this book does read "backwards" by Engilsh standards, to preserve the original art masterpieces, this is by no means an obstacle to overcome. I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in Japanese subculture; it gives true insight into the hidden layers of Japan.
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