Gothic Charm School: An Essential Guide for Goths and Those Who Love Them (Paperback)

~ Jillian Venters (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

An essential, fully illustrated guidebook to day-to-day Goth living

There's more to being a Goth than throwing on some black velvet, dyeing your hair, and calling it a day (or a night). How do you dress with morbid flair when going to a job interview? Is there such a thing as growing too old to be a Goth? How do you explain to your grandma that it's not just a phase?

Jillian Venters, a.k.a. "the Lady of the Manners," knows how to be strange and unusual without sacrificing politeness and etiquette. In Gothic Charm School, she offers the quintessential guide to dark decorum for all those who have ever searched for beauty in dark, unexpected places, embraced their individuality, and reveled in decadence . . . and for families and friends who just don't understand.

About the Author

Jillian Venters was a fairly spooky and morbid child. When she discovered the existence of the whole Gothic sub-culture, she clapped her hands with glee and fell upon it like a babybat upon a box of Count Chocula cereal. Since then, the Lady of the Manners has spent a not inconsiderable amount of time trying to gently persuade others in her chosen subculture that being a polite Goth is much, much more subversive than just wearing T-shirts with "edgy" sayings on them. She lives in Seattle.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (June 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061669164
• ISBN-13: 978-0061669163
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,331 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not JUST for the Goth Crowd., June 26, 2009

By	M. Monroe "the_geekmachine" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While it may be aimed at Goths and those that love- or just want to understand- them, this book is a true show of why good manners are a good thing for EVERYONE. As a delighted reader of the GCS columns and a "Goth Friendly" person, I appreciate the humor and wonderful common sense (not so common anymore, really) advice Jillian has to offer. This book is a humorous and informative read!

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A first class guide, June 24, 2009

By	DJ Eternal Darkness (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This book is a first class guide to goth culture AND to every day etiquette. Perfect for babybats, Kindergoth, Eldergoth, and parents of well, basically any child that is strange and unusual. Jillian is humorous, thoughtful, witty, and perfect to present this essential guide. Everyone should buy this!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A charming guide to alternate aesthetics, June 25, 2009

By	K. Reed - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Jillian Venters' Gothic Charm School website has for some time been offering advice, hints and tips on etiquette and lifestyle to her fellow Goths and those close to them. Always insightful, witty, and down-to-earth, she treats her correspondents with obvious respect and a healthy dose of affectionate humor.

The same respectful yet witty tone is liberally larded in this, her first volume distilling the essentials of the most common themes and topics in her advice columns. Though primarily aimed at the Dark and Spooky Crowd, most of what she presents here about dealing with a world that looks askance at those who are different will be taken to heart by anyone who is to either side of the mainstream, and her advice on manners is as applicable to snide cheerleaders as it is to gossipy Goths.

Pete Venters' droll, spot-on illustrations (in black and white, of course!) are a perfect accompaniment to the text and worth appreciating in their own right.

All in all, a very fine read, indeed.