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dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
After dying in a wood chipper accident and being reborn as a being composed of tears, Gary becomes part of Uncle Sam's traveling carnival where he's tasked with training the inanimals to copulate for the amusement of the crowd. But what is the dark secret Uncle Sam is hiding...?
Is Uncle Sam's Carnival of Copulating Inanimals the most bizarre of the New Bizarro Author Series I've read so far? Yes. Yes, it is. At first glance it looks like your average comedy: boy dies, boy gets reborn as a being of vitreous humor, boy joins carnival led by Uncle Sam and falls in love with his niece who later dies and is reincarnated as a futon. How many times have we read that tired old story?
All foolishness aside, Kirk Jones has written a commentary on the American dream, control, and conformity, and wrapped it in bizarro trappings. Or it's just a story about furniture having sex. It's fairly open to interpretation. It reminds me of The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton, only about American life rather than God.
Any gripes? Only that the characters other than Gary and Uncle Sam didn't have a whole lot of development. That and not enough furniture sex.
For bizarro fans that like their tales to have a message, this is one to watch for. 3.5 out of 5. Now if you'll excuse me, I don't like the way my couch is looking at my chair one bit...
Note: Here's an interview I did with Kirk Jones.
Is Uncle Sam's Carnival of Copulating Inanimals the most bizarre of the New Bizarro Author Series I've read so far? Yes. Yes, it is. At first glance it looks like your average comedy: boy dies, boy gets reborn as a being of vitreous humor, boy joins carnival led by Uncle Sam and falls in love with his niece who later dies and is reincarnated as a futon. How many times have we read that tired old story?
All foolishness aside, Kirk Jones has written a commentary on the American dream, control, and conformity, and wrapped it in bizarro trappings. Or it's just a story about furniture having sex. It's fairly open to interpretation. It reminds me of The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton, only about American life rather than God.
Any gripes? Only that the characters other than Gary and Uncle Sam didn't have a whole lot of development. That and not enough furniture sex.
For bizarro fans that like their tales to have a message, this is one to watch for. 3.5 out of 5. Now if you'll excuse me, I don't like the way my couch is looking at my chair one bit...
Note: Here's an interview I did with Kirk Jones.
jasminenoack's review against another edition
4.0
There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part; you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all! - Mario Savio
okay I'm with Karen on this one. I don't get this book.
Okay that's actually a lie, I pretty much completely get where this book is trying to go and I think it totally got there.
I mean when I was reading this I was totally feeling like I was reading the book the people who brought you the weekend, and back in the day I totally loved that book. The problem mainly being if I reread that book now, well I wouldn't be nearly the fan I was back in the day.
I would have thought this book was completely and utterly genius four years ago.
My dad told me when I was 18 that people grow out of being socialist, and when I was 25 I'd get over it and find better things to think about. On his logic I would still love this book. Sadly it took me around 6 months to stop caring. Right about the time I got a job. It's funny how you run out of time to care about things like the oppressed worker when you become one.
So lets take another tact. This book does do something impressive, if a bit academic. It brings those things that we know about our situation back to the front. I mean I spent years not thinking about any of this except in the ten minutes or so every month when I see those books while I reorganize.
Not only that but while bringing politics to the front this book also had a very likable main character.
I think overall this is an extremely successful book, and if I still had any friends who were socialist I would immediately recommend it to them.
Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine. -henry david thoreau
okay I'm with Karen on this one. I don't get this book.
Okay that's actually a lie, I pretty much completely get where this book is trying to go and I think it totally got there.
I mean when I was reading this I was totally feeling like I was reading the book the people who brought you the weekend, and back in the day I totally loved that book. The problem mainly being if I reread that book now, well I wouldn't be nearly the fan I was back in the day.
I would have thought this book was completely and utterly genius four years ago.
My dad told me when I was 18 that people grow out of being socialist, and when I was 25 I'd get over it and find better things to think about. On his logic I would still love this book. Sadly it took me around 6 months to stop caring. Right about the time I got a job. It's funny how you run out of time to care about things like the oppressed worker when you become one.
So lets take another tact. This book does do something impressive, if a bit academic. It brings those things that we know about our situation back to the front. I mean I spent years not thinking about any of this except in the ten minutes or so every month when I see those books while I reorganize.
Not only that but while bringing politics to the front this book also had a very likable main character.
I think overall this is an extremely successful book, and if I still had any friends who were socialist I would immediately recommend it to them.
Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine. -henry david thoreau
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