236 Pounds of Class Vice President, by Jason Mulgrew

Jason Mulgrew spent his formative years growing up an an area of Philly that was more an extended family than a neighborhood.  He discussed the lonely and dangerous terrain of middle and high school, discussing such things as puberty, academic achievement, rites of passage, such as getting a driver's license, and the rocky terrain of teenage relationships.  And he does this all in a bawdy, tongue in cheek manor that appeals to fans of snarky humor.

Every now and then, one comes upon a book that changes the course of man kind, that appeals to the greatest minds of our time, that sends man on a soul searched trek in the desert.  This is not that book.  But what this book did, instead, was leave me laughing my butt off.  Mulgrew tells the stories of an awkward childhood, one to which I think most of us can relate to.  One reviewer suggested if one has a happy marriage or a healthy view on sexuality, this book will be disappointing.  I disagree. I read a particularly bawdy section regarding masturbation out loud to my husband, and we both laughed until tears rolled.  And the reason it is so funny is, we have all experienced these embarrassing, ridiculous, uncomfortable, and completely real moments in life, whether it is regarding masturbation techniques or failing your driving test.

As with his first book, I think that if one looks past the raunchy (and hilarious) stories, one sees a whole lot of earnestness in these stories.  We all knew kids like this in school, and in some ways, we were kids like this in school.  One certainly must have an open mind and a sense of humor to enjoy this book; luckily I have both.  I think the book will appeal to readers who like humorous memoirs, as well as anyone who suffered a few awkward childhood moments of their own.

I received a review copy courtesy of the Amazon Vine program.

 

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