Amazing Fantastic Incredible

Amazing Fantastic Incredible: a MARVELous memoir   by Stan Lee and Peter David and Colleen Doran

Of course Stan Lee's memoir is told in comic format.  

Mere print could never capture the exuberance, the ego, and the buoyant zest of the most legendary name in the history of comic books.  Stan Lee not only co-created many of Marvel Comics' most popular superhero characters like Spiderman, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk and the Uncanny X-men, he spent his long and prolific career writing, editing, promoting and publishing comic books and the comic book industry.  

Stan Lee narrates his own life story with the same bouncy, conversational narrative style that he uses when talking to groups at comic book conventions:  big gestures, big ideas, and lots and lots of enthusiasm for the fun life he has had.  He doesn't skip over the sad stuff or the hard stuff, but he doesn't dwell there, either.  There are lots of little anecdotes from his life and plenty of unexpected stories too, like the time he worked on a WWII US Army campaign to combat venereal disease (give yourself a giggle and do a Google Image search for "VD Not Me" to see some of the vintage posters created by the campaign).

The narrative reads like a brag sheet splashed with copious amounts of super-radioactive slime:  it's not great literature, but it is great fun.  There are mentions of sex and sexual situations, references to comic book violence, and plenty of scantily-clad female superheros pictured.  Plus a few epic superheros who turn green or burst into flame periodically.

Highly recommended.  

Being a Teen

Being a Teen   by Jane Fonda                     

978-0-8129-7861-2                            Random House, 2014            $15.00             

                                 

Being a Teen: Everything Teen Girls & Boys Should Know About Relationships, Sex, Love, Health, Identity & More is the full title of this bright yellow book.  Jane Fonda is the famous actress, outspoken, politically active person you know.  What qualifies her to write a book on sexuality is the work she has maintained in her clinics, the Jane Fonda Centers for Adolescent Reproductive Health.

The book covers all the basics of anatomy, complete with pictures.  It also covers standard teen questions about sexuality in a short answer, non-judgemental style.  Nothing in depth here.  She addresses, (not deeply), the GLBTQ question.  If you are looking for answers here, this is not for you.

Geared mainly toward girls, this is helpful for boys as well.  However, there are many better books on the market, for example, Safe Sex 101 : an overview for teens by Margaret O. Hyde and Elizabeth H. Forsythe or The “What’s Happening to My Body?” Book for Boys and The “What’s Happening to My Body?” Book for Girls by Lynda Madaras with Area Madaras.

ULTIMATE Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook

The Ultimate Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook by David Borgenicht, Joshua Piven and Ben H. Winters

At last, all of the accumlated survival wisdom from the 13 Worst Case Survival books is compiled into one gigantic volume of preparedness.  Everything from "How to Wrestle Free from an Alligator" to "How to Survive an Alien Abduction," from "How to Remove Stains from Carpet" to "How to Jump from a Building into a Dumpster,"  and from "How to Treat a Severed Limb" to "How to Survive Nuclear Fall Out" -- it's all here, plus much more. 

 

With important points emphasized in red print, and line drawings to illustrate important concepts, the information is presented clearly, concisely, and with characteristic humor.  You may never need to know "How to Stop a Car With No Brakes," but there's no telling when you might need to know "How to Detect a Letter Bomb" or "How to Survive a Zombie Attack." 

The information is great, and the book is easy--and fun--to read.  I wish the authors had cited their source material.  They say that their material has been derived from "experts in the subjects at hand, as recorded by accomplished journalists and writers."  The Table of Contents is useful, but there is no index, making the book more of a browsing favorite than an actual survival resource.

The book contains descriptions of bloody situations (plane crashes, bear attacks, and accidental dismemberments), and sexual situations (including fake sexual situations, as in "How to Fake an Orgasm"), as well as descriptions of unwise activities (sword fights, crossing buildings on a wire, and breaking into cars).  The humor diffuses most of the situations that some readers may find offensive.

Recommended for recreational readers and survival wonks, ages 12 to adult. 

Feeling Wrong in Your Own Body

Feeling Wrong in Your Own Body: understanding what it means to be transgendered by Jaime A. Seba

In clear, non-emotional terms, this text (and others in the Gallup Guide to Modern Gay Lesbian and Transgender Lifestyle series) outlines the issues, facts, and myths about transgendered persons. Information for the book was gathered from the medical community, the transgendered political community, and from individuals who identify themselves on the specturm of transgender, as well as parents, siblings, and spouses of transgendered people.

With vocabulary defined in context and also in adjacent sidebars, "extra info" boxes of related information, and plenty of quotes from people who deal with the confusion of transgender on a daily basis, this book will be useful for questioners of all ages. Each chapter also contains a bibliography of books and internet resources for further inquiry.

Highly recommended.