Beauty Queens in Ask Libba Bray - Special One-Day-Only Group

Jul 19, 2011 Sara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-lit

I’d just like to start by saying in my review of Bray’s Going Bovine I asked for footnotes…ask and ye shall receive! I was so excited to see footnotes which, instead of giving clarity to an idea, enhance the satire Bray is known for. Not that Bray sticks to the satirical style in this book, nope, she includes elements of magical realism, fairy tale, campy movie, and commercial breaks. The whole mix serves to entertain while taking on the issues of consumerism and gender roles.

I’ll admit that I w I’d just like to start by saying in my review of Bray’s Going Bovine I asked for footnotes…ask and ye shall receive! I was so excited to see footnotes which, instead of giving clarity to an idea, enhance the satire Bray is known for. Not that Bray sticks to the satirical style in this book, nope, she includes elements of magical realism, fairy tale, campy movie, and commercial breaks. The whole mix serves to entertain while taking on the issues of consumerism and gender roles.

I’ll admit that I wasn’t as interested in the themes of consumerism. They are played to the point of parody and while I can very much see the truth in Bray’s handling of the topic I don’t think it was as well executed as the gender roles theme. Consumerism hits you over the head while the unveiling of the Beauty Queen’s personalities and secrets was oh, so much better. The over the top pagent-ness of the girls. Throughout the book they call each other by their titles (Miss Ohio, Miss New Mexico, ect.) and upon surviving a tragic plane crash begin to practice their routines (three-quarter turn y’all, lol). The horror of the beach-crash site including dead contestants and a girl with a tray-table stuck in her head are juxtaposed with Miss Texas giving a pagent-worthy inspirational speech about prettiness being the light of the world. Forget scavenging for food, in the beginning this plane crash was going to be a diet worthy of a master cleanse.

It doesn’t take long for the fake exteriors of these girls to fall away revealing the real person underneath. A trans-gender contestant, a girl lying about her upbringing, child abuse victims, a journalist assuming a role, and a lesbian brought up in the juvie system, among others. It’s easy to see the metaphor in each of these girls hiding under the guise of a Beauty Queen instead of simply being who they are. Their childhood has taught them that no one will understand them, no one has time for a girl who isn’t simply pretty. In the secluded world of this island the girls will shed their defenses like a facial mask, coming together to build a new world and way of thinking that doesn’t make a woman say “sorry” for having an opinion.

This book is a wild ride of fun…and should be required reading for every girl, teen or not. This book will make you laugh out loud and take a look at what type of Beauty Queen you present to the world. Mascara and eyeliner or no, we all choose to present a version of ourselves to the world. This book gives insight to what would happen if we let that persona fall and accepted each other for who we are, not what we should be.

Loved it, Loved it, Loved it…

http://thelibrarianreads.wordpress.com ...more

Like · see review

Jun 17, 2011 Laurie rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction-y-a, fiction---y-a

Yes, it's disappointing, especially for a Libba Bray fan.

This parody/social satire seems to have gone to press way too soon: way too many characters that seem pre-cast with Hollywood A-listers just waiting for the screenplay; unsuccessful shifts and lapses in rhetorical stance; attempts at (David Foster Wallace-esque?) footnoting that jar us out of Bray's trademark breezy, forceful plotting; surfacey attempts to address dozens of social issues faced by teens and our society at large; and fantasy ...more

Like · see review

May 22, 2019 kasey rated it liked it

3.5-3.75 I really don't know if I like this book or not. I went back and forth pretty much constantly while listening to it. This probably would have been a 5 star read for me if I'd picked it up back in 2011. I did really enjoy that the audiobook was narrated by Libba Bray herself. ...more

Like · see review

Jun 17, 2011 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, lgbtq

This book was fantastic. It was hilarious and smart. The way it was written, all the characters... I couldn't find a thing I didn't like. Not like I was looking, I was too busy laughing to try. If you're going to read one book this summer, make sure it's this. Besides making you laugh, it'll make you think and realize so many things. You'll love it.
This book, the footnotes and commercial breaks weren't meant to be taken seriously. They were absurd, and funny, to make fun of society. Come on, did ...more

Like · see review