"Every moment of one's life, one is growing into more or retreating into less." - Norman Mailer

Saturday, December 15, 2007

King Dork

So, I just finished this excellent little book called King Dork. It was recommended and lent to me by my good friend Luke. It's sort of a spoof on-cum-paean to Catcher in the Rye. In a way, it's an updated version or interpretation of Catcher. It is, at the same time, an exploration of how Gen X- and Y-ers relate (or don't) to their Boomer hippie parents (something I can definitely get into). It also is--for me anyway--a fascinating peek into the brain of a 15 year old boy, as the 49.5% of the world with XY chromosomes tend to utterly baffle me much of the time. Furthermore, it is chock full of musical references, including a "Glossary of Terms" at the back of the book which includes many l.o.l. definitions of various bands and recording artists of the 60s, 70s and 80s. Finally, it is also the best ethnography of high school ever written. It is a quick read and highly recommended for anyone who

(1) loves fiction
(2) was born between 1975 and 1990
(3) loves music
(4) feels they are a "nerd"
(5) knows and/or lives(lived) with hippies
(6) is or speaks Catholic
(7) has been or is a teenager

More info on the author, Frank Portman (who is also a member of the band The Mr. T Experience (MTX)), can be found here. Thanks for the recommendation, Luke!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i guess i have to read it now