Revenge of the Paste Eaters: Memoirs of a Misfit [Paperback]

Cheryl Peck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2005

The author of "Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs" is back with a funny and poignant new collection of personal stories about growing up a misfit.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

CHERYL PECK lives with her cat in Three Rivers, Michigan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: 5 Spot (October 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446693731
• ISBN-13: 978-0446693738
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,053,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > Biographies & Memoirs > Lesbian

More About the Author

I was born in Coldwater Michigan and have lived my entire life within 35 mile of I-94 (Coldwater, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, Jackson, Three Rivers.) I worked for the state of Michigan for 25 years and bolted out the back door for an early retirement to write full-time. I am currently editing a novel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty and Insightful, March 6, 2006

By 

K. Isserman "Kisserman" (Columbia, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Revenge of the Paste Eaters: Memoirs of a Misfit (Paperback)

Revenge of the Paste Eaters is a collection of witty, insightful and heartwarming essays about the author's life. Cheryl Peck pokes fun at herself, her family, her Midwestern upbringing, her insecurities and even her cat, but there is no malice in her words, and some of us can relate to the topics she chooses.

In "a gathering of porcupines," she tells us how her family communicates: "...writing always includes the ability to edit or erase before the final result is visible to the world...talking is a matter of just throwing yourself out there as you come, naked and unpolished, trusting your soul to the whims of the gods. The world is full of people who are entirely comfortable doing that. None of these people are related to me." The essay, "the epidemic" hit home for me as a Midwesterner as she defines one: "... my people live by three simple rules: work hard, wait for your turn, if you feel a need to talk about something, go plow a field until the need passes."

The collection of essays is a quick and lively read; most of them lasting one to six pages. No topic is untouchable, but Peck spends more than one story on her mother and her untimely death, her cat, growing old gracefully, her grandmothers, and her weight. She also reveals her coming out process in "how I came out," by writing, "It took me three weeks of conscious practice to use the word `lesbian' in a sentence that did not also include the word `not'. It took me six months to make a deliberate effort to meet another lesbian...''

While Peck repeats some themes and jumps around to different topics in no particular order, the anecdotes are fresh and down to earth. They are real and stripped of any pretense. She also doesn't take herself too seriously for the most part, but the stories are thoughtful, especially when discussing her mother whom she misses, as told in "my mentor."

Revenge of the Paste Eater is the kind of book some of us wish we had the guts to write, exposing our imperfect selves and letting others laugh at us. It takes a courageous author to bear herself honestly for all to read. Cheryl Peck does this with grace and panache. For anyone wanting a good laugh and words that make one pause, this delightful book is well worth the time.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Powerful, Sometimes Disturbing, Always Engaging, February 15, 2006

By 

FictionAddiction.NET - See all my reviews

This review is from: Revenge of the Paste Eaters: Memoirs of a Misfit (Paperback)

Ah! The paste eaters. Those misfit children who everyone delights to torment.

Cheryl Peck's new memoirs feel like letters from an old friend. From the reliability of old cars to strange psychic encounters and the nature of cats to the many uses of Dremels, she never fails to delight with tales from her life.

Peck mixes stories of her childhood with stories of her present. She relates the struggle of growing up with a hypercritical mother and a distant father. She also tells about her unending challenge to fit into an unforgiving world.

"Shopping" tells how for years her entire wardrobe fit in a WWII parachute bag. Even after attaining a job in a welfare office, she still dressed as close to the bottom of the fashion chain as possible. Shortly after the publication of her first book, a friend locks her in a clothing store with two clerks who wait on her hand and foot.

In "Fatso" we get a taste of what it's like to be discriminated against because of size. Peck provides a list of bad manners she has been forced to endure by denying that she, as a middle class white person, has ever experienced any of them. It is one of the most thought provoking chapters of the book.

"The Kitten," perhaps the most moving of her memoirs, falls near the end. It relates a moment from her childhood that gives insight into her person and neatly ties together the rest of the stories.

At times, Peck comes across as whiny. Her feminist sermonizing and constant complaining can hamper enjoyment of the book.

However, her writing style is virtually flawless. Each story from the book grabs our interest and refuses to let go until the last word. But we can't stop there. Completing one chapter leads us to desire the next.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Stay away., December 3, 2009

By 

Kiki (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Revenge of the Paste Eaters: Memoirs of a Misfit (Paperback)

This book has been sitting in my bathroom for well over a year now, because I have not been able to bring myself to read it anywhere but when I am trapped in the aforementioned room. Despite that, I am still about thirty pages from being done with it. The book is extremely tedious, and the author tries too hard to impress the reader with her wit and sarcasm to the point that it is painful to read. Stories that could have been amusing instead become the literary equivalent of the dead horse being flogged, turned into a paste, then eaten. My advice: steer clear of.