Books I Loathed discussion

i thought this book was totally objectifying, not at all about love or acceptance, just one fucked up abusive family dynamic after another, kinda like flowers in the attic. i guess if you actually are an amputee or a person with a birth definition that could make other people see you as a "freak," the metaphor is not so entertaining.

I read this book years ago and it is still on my favorites list because of the first few words...When your Momma was the geek, my dreamlets... I stole the word dreamlets and have used it liberally ever since.

that's the thing, almost everyone i've ever talked to about it has loved this book. except for other amputees. nate, your comments are interesting to me, about love as currency... i think i felt so angry at the parents that i just wanted the kids to get out of that abusive environment, find some other freaks who were happy with themselves, and live a happy artistic life. the word dreamlet is nice. even though they're speaking of the objects of their genetic tinkerings... their children, created solely for their potential to make money. (shiver) it has been years and years since i read this book, but it has stuck with me.

You're not alone - I couldn't stand this book. I really admired some of it, the way it was written, the craziness of it, but it just got too gross and uncomfortable. I ended up hiding it under a table and then getting it out of the house instead of finishing it, it was kind of a miserable reading experience.

****Spoiler Below****
Am I the only person who initially picked up this book thinking it was about a computer nerd? ;) Not a for-real circus geek. Eeeewww! That is DISGUSTING! (That was not my most erudite statement of thought, sorry.)

It's the sort of tale that makes me admire the imagination of the author and fervently hope that no one actually lives like that all at once. My next thought is: What would drive someone to imagine something so twisted and dark?

I did sort of like the idea of freedom from being dependent on appearance for self-concept and esteem because that’s a personal struggle of mine, but to disfigure oneself in pursuit of freedom seems counterproductive. How is that different than relying on surgery to tweak one's appearance in any other way? Wouldn’t it make one more self-centered, not less? Also, I tried to like Oly and failed, but I did admire her devotion, first to her brother, albeit misguided, and later to Miranda. I did like Chick. His motivation was to help people. How could an individual literally molded for freak-dom be expected to have any type of morality? Yet, he had a moral code after a fashion.

PS I didn't loathe the book, but I didn't love it either. I gave it 3 stars.

I thought it was about computer nerds from the title, too! I am glad it was about circus freaks instead because they are WAY more interesting than computer nerds :) I loved Geek Love partly because of all the gory details and dark imagination. Also because of the brilliant way the author takes the most evil character and makes you have to admire him on some level. You have to be pretty evil to talk people into cutting off their limbs for your own entertainment. But you also have to be pretty smart to convince them that your handicaps are something they should wish for.

Iloved this book because it was so out there. I like some of John Irving's books for the same reason. I just finished Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay which is another totally weird and highly entertaining book. There are two previous books about Dexter which I will now have to read. I understand there is also a TV show about Dexter which I have never seen. I think what I most enjoy about books like Geek Love and Dexter in the Dark is the fact that I would never have thought of the plot line in a million years. I keep wondering "how did this person ever think of this?".

Nomy wrote: "i guess if you actually are an amputee or a person with a birth definition that could make other people see you as a "freak," the metaphor is not so entertaining. "

I better get this book then...

Don't bad mouth the flipper guy!