Comments on: John Green: Why I’m Behind

By: Infinite Summer – Week 9 « The Feminist Texican

Infinite Summer – Week 9 « The Feminist Texican — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:23:01 +0000

[...] look because I don’t want to read any spoilers. Imagine my relief when John Green’s Why I’m Behind article popped up. Finally, I could join the community [...]

By: missginsu

missginsu — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:32:37 +0000

Ugh. I *wish* I had a post so eloquent to follow an admission of being horridly behind. I’m just plain old negligent in my reading at this point.

Any way I can apply for an incomplete and get an extension?

By: ec

ec — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:21:05 +0000

Actually, I followed that discussion and was only commenting on Randy’s opinion about his dad being able to relate to IJ. For keeping up to date with the last 30 years, I have my daughter and her husband keeping me on my toes..both avid readers who read IJ a while ago and who commented on DFW being frightfully modern.

By: itzadrag

itzadrag — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:24:46 +0000

Agreed. It’s all the pop culture references from the last 30-40 years I’m having to catch up on! And, I can’t buy a clue with a rolled-up $20 bill about most of the contemporary references in the blogs & forums (who are these actors & shows, anyway?), but not having trouble with IJ. Who can relate, and how lasting the work will be is discussed at length in “I’ve Seen the Future, Brother, It’s Murder”.

By: punditius

punditius — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 04:15:45 +0000

Never too late for Tolkien. Just get the book(s) and start reading. Take all the time you need. I found a six volume set that set, so to speak, me back a hundred bucks but it was exactly what I needed to read on the train. You can get a used edition for 70 bucks: http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Millennium-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0618037667/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251000773&sr=8-1

Kindle edition costs ten bucks. Of course, you have to buy a Kindle. 300 bucks. But you can get IJ on it for ten bucks.

By: ec

ec — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:06:29 +0000

I’m a baby boomer and believe me anyone who lived through the ’60’s can relate. For one thing, I don’t have to look up as many “obscure” references…always a plus in my book.

By: stephanie

stephanie — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:56:24 +0000

Why is that lame?

By: Randy

Randy — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:30:46 +0000

“blends the cerebral and the breakfast cereal”
I’m assuming you’re talking Cookie Crisp or Lucky Charms

Nice . . . I think the best example of this is the Peemster takeover in endnote 123. As far as capturing the voice of the Everyteen, this pretty much nails it. Explaining the Intermediate Value Theorem and why it’s so awesome while mocking his best friend in the title of a graph . . . beautiful.

I also think these teens are not generationally specific, which is a good sign of quality writing. I believe my dad (a baby boomer) could relate to the antics at ETA as well as I can (a GenXer).

By: Alex

Alex — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:16:56 +0000

Exacto. Just kidding. But exactly. You nailed it: IJ is so highly readable, is piss yr pants hysterical like every 20 pages, and totally blends the cerebral and the breakfast cereal. Great take. I’m also several hundred pages arears on my second tour of IJ duty. Can’t wait to pick up one if yr novels. Keep defending DFW’s pioneer status as a YA raconteur

By: Mynameisnotlinda

Mynameisnotlinda — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:09:03 +0000

One of the side benefits/burdens of participating in Infinite Summer is that I keep adding new books and authors to my list of must-reads or must-re-reads. But never would I ever have guessed that that list might include The Babysitter’s Club. Thanks for that.