With TV shows that recommend extreme cosmetic surgery for those who are struggling with their looks and our nation’s obsession with whether or not Janet Jackson gained a few pounds this week, The Flawless Skin of Ugly People could not have come at a better time.
The quirky novel, by Doug Crandell, tells the story of Hobbie, a man suffering from severe acne, whose life is defined by his looks. He secludes himself in the North Georgia Mountains while his obese girlfriend suffers a similarly depressing existence. When she suddenly disappears during a stay at a weight-loss clinic, Hobbie’s life is turned upside-down.
Crandell’s story is sure to touch anyone who’s ever felt ugly at one time or another. (And is there anyone who hasn’t?) It questions the true meaning of beauty and our tendency to equate self worth with the way someone looks. The book explores these challenging topics while still remaining really easy to read. Read more…
We’re really loving the way this movie looks.
Recently, Jodie Foster seems to have the market cornered on movies about desperate women fighting to right a terrible wrong. In her newest film, The Brave One, she plays a woman seeking revenge after her fiancé is brutally murdered and she is beaten within an inch of her life. From the previews, the movie seemed like it might be a trashy revenge thriller, but with a first-rate director and talented cast I figured there could be something more going on. What’s the verdict?
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SparkLife is cutting back on gummy bears for a little while…
Help us choose next week’s SparkVideo by emailing a link to contribute@sparknotes.com.
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon
In 2002, Michael Chabon, fresh off the huge success of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, his dynamite novel about superheroes, Nazis, and how to draw a comic book punch so good it leaves your jaw sore, announced that he was bored. Bored with contemporary fiction. Bored with the way the literary establishment views certain kinds of fiction—adventure stories, ghost stories, detective stories, and pretty much everything else with an exciting plot—as being trashy and beneath the notice of serious readers. Somebody ought to do something about this, he said. Somebody ought to show everyone that you can write serious fiction that is also exciting, fiction that has something to say but also has a great story to tell. Read more…
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