GEEK LOVE 

by Katherine Dunn 

Al Binewski inherited his family’s circus during troubled economic times. Not many people could splurge on a show for their family even after the Great Depression. The old familiar acts of the Binewski Fabulon were not enough to draw the crowds anymore. 

Al’s new wife, Lily the geek, was eager to help recast the circus as a must-see exhibition. Together, they devised a plan to grow their attractions using their love for one another. They tinkered with pharmaceuticals and mild poisons during Lil’s various pregnancies in order to produce mutated offspring that were guaranteed to bring in revenue.

Four of their experiments survive and grow up as the beloved Binewski children. The albino hunchbacked midget, Olympia, is the narrator of the story. Her twin sisters, Elly and Iphy, are Siamese twins connected at the hip. Her brother Arturo was born without arms or legs, only hands and feet like flippers. And last, boy Chick, has a specialty all his own. In the shelter of a circus, these children grow up accepted, even respected by the other workers and performers. And their parents teach them that their shapes make them highly prized.

Not surprisingly, this acceptance is at odds with what the Binewski children experience beyond the circus grounds. Laughter, sometimes horrified expressions, people staring without consideration. But the children have a core acceptance from their parents and loved ones, so they believe the outsiders or “norms” are the real freaks. 

The story develops those beliefs during the revitalization of the Binewski Fabulon. Over a period of years, each Binewski sibling discovers his or her humanity in how they react to the outside world. They learn to relate to the “norms” in their own way, causing conflict with the rest of the family. One Binewski discovers how to twist the reactions of his crowds to profit, and becomes a manipulative and abusive public figure. He attracts a cult following who mutate themselves using surgery.

Katherine Dunn’s narrative abilities are superlative, so even if you’re not the circus freak type, it’s worth a read. I consider Geek Love one of my all-time favorite books. Check it out.

generously reprinted from Denny Russell's blog:

http://w0rdbomb.blogspot.com/2012/05/geek-love.html

The 14 Forest Mice and the Summer Laundry Day

A librarian friend sent my daughter a bunch of discarded library books last year.  (I often find the best children’s books are discarded by libraries.)  Among that batch was the The 14 Forest Mice and The Summer Laundry Day, by Kazuo Iwamura.  It’s a story of a family of mice who pack up and take their laundry to the river to wash.  The mama mouse knows why her children are rushing–they’re excited for the accompanying swim.  Along the way, gorgeous illustrations walk the reader past delicately-rendered dragonflies and foliage.  Reading it feels like a hike in the woods.

My daughter loved this book almost as much as I did.  Quickly I looked for the other books in this series: there’s one for each season.  Finding affordable copies of the 1991 English translations by MaryLee Knowlton was a slight challenge.  I eventually found all three of the others, on eBay and abebooks.com.   Today, the winter book came, completing our collection.

I love how this series shows the mice making sleds and indoor games to pass the time during a blizzard, or forging a platform to watch the harvest moon in autumn, or rice dumplings for a spring picnic.  The illustrations make me feel like I’ve been out in nature: colors rich and vibrant, drawings not just of “flowers” but true species.  The wood violets look like wood violets.  I also love how the series can give a child a sense of the year’s cycles, and a focus on the natural world.  The mice create things by using curiosity and invention, and the materials around them.

The stories are elegant and simple, and illustrate how to live in harmony with nature.  The large family (grandmother and grandfather on down to a toddler) works together to do the stuff of life, the maintaining of home.  Though somewhat hard to find, if you are seeking books that show kids something other than our consumer-based culture, it’s worth the search.  Let me know what you think of them.

Reprinted with permission of Rebecca Kuder.
Original post: http://rebeccakuder.com/2011/07/02/the-exquisite-seasons-of-kazuo-iwamura/