The Organ Grinders (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "Paul had big butterflies in his stomach..." (more)
Key Phrases: baboon farm, plastic pancreas, huge primates, Jerry Landis, Billy Bob, Lance Abbott (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

If there's anybody currently working hard at resuscitating the art of political incorrectness, it's Fitzhugh, first in Pest Control (LJ 3/1/97) and now in The Organ Grinders. Jerry Landis, the driving force behind the pharmaceutical concern Landaq, plots to use baboon organs to fill the demand for human hearts, lungs, and tissue. Aiding him is Arty, whose discovery of his own rapid-healing ability has led him (for a price) to the head of the organ donor line, leaving him at this point little more than a human stump in a motorized wheelchair. Pitted somewhat unevenly against them are Paul Symon and his wife, Georgette, the kind of people you always see at tables in supermarkets dutifully and ineffectively gathering signatures on petitions for good causes. These cartoonish players acting out their parts lead to some laugh-out-loud incidents that at times alarmingly mirror today's TV news. It all goes to prove that it's not easy for a satirist to stay on top of his game nowadays, when it's nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction. Suitable for most public libraries and apt to be fairly popular among audiences for uninhibited humor.?Bob Lunn, Kansas City P.L., MO
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

If Michael Crichton and Carl Hiaasen collaborated on a book about the organ transplant and genetic engineering industries, the result might look a lot like this very bizarre novel, so long as those two wildly successful authors didn't confuse their roles. Crichton's job would be to invent a plausible extrapolation of emerging discoveries and technologies and meld it into a thrilling tale of science run amok; Hiaasen would need to create a menagerie of bizarros, cretins, medical monsters, and heartless tycoons, as well as laugh-out-loud send-ups of the madness of modern life. Fortunately, it's not necessary to wait for Crichton and Hiaasen to embark on such a collaboration. Fitzhugh has already done it, and he's thrown in a likable protagonist to fend off the craziness and keep the science on track. It's not easy walking the tightrope between medical thrillers ala Crichton and absurdist black comedy in the Hiaasen mold, but Fitzhugh manages it smoothly. Expect fans of both styles to applaud his dexterity. Thomas Gaughan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380798352
• ISBN-13: 978-0380798353
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,316,744 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Exciting, and a bit upsetting! A fine combination., July 30, 1998

By	[e-mail] (San Diego, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Organ Grinders (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed "The Organ Grinders". It is just as funny as his first book, "Pest Control", but definitely has some darker overtones. I would classify this book as a combination of Mystery, Science Fact/Fiction, and Comedy. It sounds like an odd combination, but read the book and you'll see what I mean!!! I normally stay away from both Mysteries and Science Fiction. I am more interested in Historical Novels, Fantasy, and the like. "Pest Control" was recommended to me by a friend and I guessed correctly that I would enjoy another book by the same author.

What did I like about "The Organ Grinders"? I am an engineer, so from the "nerd perspective", the accurate science in the book was great and a bit scary. He has obviously done a TON of research and it really shows. Just as he did in "Pest Control", most chapter begin with a bit of science. I also liked, and disliked, many of the characters in the! book. If anyone has trouble disliking the unredeemable Mr.Landis, they have a serious problem. He's a quality villain, if ever there was one. Paul Symon and Georgette are well developed characters and were very real. Some of the other characters are people I would never want to meet and would certainly never make some of the life-choices they make in the book, but they contribute to the story in so many ways. The book is also very funny. Just as I had to read "Pest Control over again to catch more of the Bob Dylan jokes, I know I need to read this one again to catch more of the Paul Simmon tidbits. I have the same last name as one of the characters, which was a bit of a bonus chuckle.

What didn't I like? There are some things that I don't really want to know about or think about. Thanks to this book, I am now more aware of some ethical, emotional, and environmental issues that can't be wished away (my preferred approach). The book is sure to upset every reade! r about something. In many ways the upset is a good thing.! The areas of unpleasantness that are almost a character in this book are things we should be upset about.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absurd, comically real, wry, and thought-provoking--Read It!, February 10, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Minneapolis, MN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Organ Grinders (Hardcover)

Imagine a mind-meld of P. G. Wodehouse, Carl Hiaasan, and Kurt Vonegut, and you'll get an idea of Bill Fitzhugh's writing style. It's absurd, comically real, wry, and thought-provoking at the same time. In The Organ Grinders, Fitzhugh deftly weaves together the lives of half-a-dozen main characters in a rich tapestry that includes the ethics of the organ-transplant industry, industrial greed, the search for eternal life, eco-terrorism, population control, biotechnology, trailer-park culture, animal rights, and the stresses of everyday life in America today. Like a Wodehouse novel, the action is a fast-paced comedy of errors; like a Hiaasan novel, the characters are comically quirky, yet driven; and like Vonegut's recent Timequake, The Organ Grinders raises issues that deserve serious thought, but in a way that makes you want to laugh out loud (yet still be concerned with finding a solution). This is a stunning new voice; a bit dark, but nevertheless thoughtful. I borrowed this book from the library, but after reading it, feel it's a must-have for my own collection of literary gems. I couldn't put it down. And now I can't wait to read Fitzhugh's first novel, Pest Control.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Go Fitzhugh !!!, August 11, 2000

By	magellan (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

I'd just finished Pest Control and dove right into Organ Grinders, and it's just as funny as the first book. Perhaps even more darkly satirical (if possible!) than Pest Control, which, even though it dealt with characters such as hit men, had a somewhat lighter touch.

Integral to the book's plot is an international traffic in organs and organ donors. I don't know if things have come to the state depicted in Fitzhugh's book, but if they aren't, they probably will soon. Aside from being hilariously funny, Fitzhugh's book made me consider some of the issues surrounding organ transplants and organ donors for the first time.

Until now, I wouldn't have thought it possible for someone to write a funny book about a subject like organ transplants.

If you liked Fitzhugh's zany brand of dark humor in Pest Control, you'll like this one too.