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Liked It “Promising YA debut, but maybe too much of a downer to find a ready audience. The Madmen have A LOT of problems. Very mature themes and situations.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Promising YA debut, but maybe too much of a downer to find a ready audience. The Madmen have A LOT of problems. Very mature themes and situations. ”
Susan H wrote this review Monday, November 9 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Karl Shoemaker is determined to be "normal" this year whatever that means. His Dad is dead, his Mom's a flaky, hippie feminist alcoholic and he's juggling five jobs to keep ahead of the bill collector but he doesn't waste time complaining. He just keeps on moving his hidden cash so Mom's loser friends can't wipe out his wages, cleaning up after Mom's legion of cats and providing a refuge for his many friends from the mandatory therapy goup he's desperately trying to escape. Spend six days in Karl's life and you'll feel like you're been running the high hurdles but you'll be glad you did.
Valerie C wrote this review Monday, November 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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“ Reviewed by Dianna Geers for TeensReadToo.com
TeensReadToo.com wrote this review Thursday, August 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Karl has a plan for his senior year. It's to be normal. Or at least to appear to be normal. Forever he has been known as slightly crazy and a target of harassment.
There are a ton of obstacles that will make it difficult to pull of the "normal" appearance. First of all, he has to avoid his very best friend in the world. Not to mention the fact that he has to work endless hours to help support his mother and himself. (She has been off the deep end ever since his dad died.)
And there's the cats. So many of them in his house. Karl constantly has to clean up their messes and even bury the ones that die before his mother sees him. (He never knows what is going to set her off.) He can't even keep his earnings in a bank because his mother would have access to them and she would spend it all. (And hiding his money around the house only works occasionally.)
He also has to find a way to get out of the "Madmen" class - required counseling for students identified as "troubled." How can anyone appear normal under those circumstances?
But Karl takes it one day at a time. If he can make it through the first day of school appearing normal, then he can make it through the first week. Once a week of appearing normal passes, he'll be able to begin the next week.
Even though Karl has plans to work around his known obstacles, he has several other hurdles to overcome. Is the best friend he was going to avoid actually avoiding him? And what about the new girl? The one whose mom likes to party with his?
Will Karl be able to shed his madman reputation? And how important is it to appear normal?
Read TALES OF THE MADMAN UNDERGROUND and experience six days of Karl's life in 1973. It'll be a trip.”
“It has been three days since I finished the last chapter of Tales of the Madman Underground, and I am still thinking about Karl Shoemaker. Honest, humorous, foul-mouthed, masculine, resourceful, and wounded, Karl is definitely the kind of protagonist you want to spend 500 pages with, and whose plights you sympathize with so greatly, you honestly lose yourself in the book, and in the five days during September 1973 that is the backdrop of his story.
Katie wrote this review Sunday, August 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Karl's father, the former mayor of their hometown in Lightsburg, Ohio, died of cancer, and his mother is now an alcoholic who believes in UFOs, the age of Aquarius, and keeping cats in great abundance. Because of his family situation, Karl has been stuck in group therapy provided by his school every year since his father's death, a group which he has dubbed The Madman Underground. But despite his strong connections to the other madmen, particularly Darla, who talks to everyone through a stuffed rabbit, and his lifelong best friend, suspected homosexual, Paul, Karl wants this year to be a normal year, and he hatches a plan called Operation Be F*cking Normal.
I could say a lot about this book, but I feel like every time I try to describe it, I'm not doing it justice. The title calls it a romance, and I suppose, in part, it is one, but more importantly, it's the story of Karl Shoemaker's difficult life, the unlikely friendships he shares with the other members of the underground, and his struggle to become normal while also trying to decide if that's even what he really wants. John Barnes doesn't miss a beat in telling this story. I found myself marking line after line of quotable passages. Many YA narrators fall flat, sounding all very similar to one another. Karl Shoemaker is a character whose voice you will remember and want to keep listening to even after you turn the final page.
Amazing. I recommend it to older teens, and certainly to everyone else.”
“Karl Shoemaker is a high school senior with a plan to be “fucking normal” in order to avoid being assigned to group therapy for his last year of high school. The glitch in his plan is that it involves avoiding his fellow Madmen and Karl’s heart is too big to abandon his friends. His friends are disturbed and desperate at times, but endearing and faithful. The adults in Karl’s life are alternately outrageous and heroic (from his Crazy Cat Lady mom to a ranting teacher and a dirty old man upholsterer and helpful shopkeepers.) Karl’s view on the world is appealing and hilarious and, at times, heartbreaking. His creative use of profanity and analogy is laugh-out-loud funny.
Diane T wrote this review Thursday, June 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
A terrific book for older teens who are not intimidated by its length and intelligence and a tender and funny reminiscence for adults who grew up in the 70s and like a good read. My 14, 16 and 18 year old kids all enjoyed this book and we had to take turns having custody of the book.
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