More Reading Under the Summer Sun

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I’ve consumed three more books for June, now you can too! If it’s a fast paced book your looking for, check out Roller Girl. Looking for something more serious? Find out what life is like on the streets with a pimp from Chicago. Feeling a little lonely? Read Geek Love and find characters who can definitely relate.

FOR THE BAD ASS CHICK WITH THE SCARS TO PROVE IT
Roller skate your way over to this wickedly tough book as Melissa, a.k.a. “Malicious” #11, describes being a roller girl for the Texas Rock-n-Roller Derby league in Roller Girl: Totally True Tales from the Track by Melissa Joulwan. From intense cat fights to compelling moments of finding confidence in yourself, this book takes you down the roller derby track and delivers knock-out funny moments. Melissa’s memoir is packed with pictures and information on how to become a derby girl. Be prepared though: these ladies are no angels. Even if derby isn’t necessarily for you, this book still makes for a fun and informative read.

FOR THE WANDERING LOST SOULS
Geek Love, by Katherine Dunn was difficult to read for no other reason then the torment and pain this book drips from its pages. Not for the faint of heart, this book follows a group of carnival folk, disfigured and sickly, through their lives. Though intense, it does have it’s hilarious moments. The Binewskis, one of the carnival families, make it a point to ensure their children come out more freakish by ingesting drugs, insecticides, arsenic and other harmful substances. Even though a it’s little more on the serious side, you can’t help but keep this book open and the pages turning. Sad? Yup. Sincere? Absolutely. It’s eerie, yet comforting how much we can relate to the freaks in this book.

FOR THE HUSTLERS
Iceberg Slim’s (Robert Beck) book PIMP: The Story of My Life is genius in its writing. This discretely simple looking cover reveals nothing of the insane memoir housed within. Recalling memories from the young age of three, Slim encounters a life of struggle and poverty. After his father abandoned him and his mother, he finds himself leading a better life after his mom remarries a rich church going man. Tiring quickly of her new life, his mother makes the decision to return to the Chicago ghettos to turn tricks for a pimp. This begins Slim’s life on the street. Smartly written and honest to the core, you’ll find yourself next to Slim on the Chicago city streets as he makes his ladies turn tricks and sell drugs. I was shocked by the ending of this book (and you will be too). PIMP is an easy read, but not so easy to put down.