Hummunah-DANG that is some lineup of writers, huh?! And each has contributed something that will make a modern boy laugh right out of his tighty-whities. It's like an old-fashioned hippie potluck, but with a big sack of Halloween candy where you'd expect the tabbouleh salad to be. But JEEZ I have been having trouble writing this review! I start off all right, I'm all, "Oh, I love guys, don't you love guys? Yeah, guys. Guys are gonna love this book," but then I get into having to give examples of why they're gonna love this book and all of a sudden the thing sounds just APPALLING.
So I'm not going to give any examples. Nope. Ok, here: in Christopher Paul Curtis's story "Iron John," the title character tricks his young children into thinking that he is so cold that his nipples have frozen, and he pretends to rip them off. And then his oldest son eats them.
See?
You put it like that, it sounds terrible! If you are not a guy, which I am not - and if you are reading this blog, and thus somehow interested in children's books, there's a 99.887% chance that you are not a guy either - the above paraphrase, about the nipples and all? will make you not want to get this book - and that would be a mistake. Because when you let Christopher Paul Curtis tell that story, I guarantee tears of laughter. I read that story on the bus, caught my breath, then passed it to my son. Then I had to grab it back because he was making kind of a ruckus laughing.
So no more examples, no synopses. After all, if I wanted you to see a movie, I would not tell you, "In the Oregon wilderness, a real estate developer's new housing subdivision faces a unique group of protesters, local woodland creatures who don't want their homes disturbed." That doesn't sound like a funny movie, does it?
Well but actually, that movie really does look awful, doesn't it? Brendan Fraser should so go back to doing things with his shirt off mostly naked.
Let's just take a moment, shall we? Hey and that's Leslie Mann with him, by the way - maybe he should give her a call, get her to put in a good word with her husband. That guy makes funny movies.
Speaking of Judd Apatow, wouldn't you say we're living in a total Boy Moment? All around the world, guys are saying, "Sex and the City... TWO? Nuh uh uh, not this time, hon - you go with your friends, I'ma stay home and watch Zombieland again." Between Superbad and The Hangover, all of a sudden it seems like the world has been made safe for the crotch shot, the fart joke, the booger fling. Only one of which appears in Guys Read: Funny Business.
I always bring it back around - you can trust me.
(It's the fart joke, and David Lubar works it into his story "Kid Appeal.")
What pleases me, the non-guy, the most about this book is that the humor is original, the stories are inventive, and there is a nice variety of types of story - we have a superhero story, two family stories, one with aliens, and a couple of stories about boys trying to connive their way into getting free tickets to something.
What pleases me the librarian the most about this book is the way that it introduces a slew of authors to the young man in search of something else to read. He might have enjoyed Paul Feig's story, the one with the aliens and the biker gang, and then look for Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut!. He might think Jack Gantos's gross-out spectacular "The Bloody Souvenir" is the BEST, and therefore take another look at the Joey Pigza
books. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
I love my job. And I love these guys for making my job easier, and for respecting the people they are writing for. And I love my autographed copy of Guys Read: Funny Business. It'll be read over and over in my house, and maybe in yours too.
now I want to read this
Posted by: blahblahblah | Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 12:04 PM
Great Review.. I haven't read it earlier but after reading your review I am eager to read it. Thanks for sharing the information.
Posted by: Grown Ups Online | Monday, July 05, 2010 at 02:54 AM
Really awesome. This kind of book what my husband and I would love to read...this really our interest! I better be hurry to grab this one :)...great review and very encouraging! Keep it up and more power...
From the Philippines,
Imee
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