The Freaks Are Winning: The Inner Swine Collection (Paperback)

by Jeff Somers (Author) "Recently I have gotten over two letters requesting information on how The Inner Swine is produced..." (more)
Key Phrases: Jeff Somers, Ken West, Thought Police (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
. . .his 100,000-Watt writing style. . .renders his. . .antisocial message. . .more fun than it would've been in less dexterous hands. . . -- Flagpole, Athens, GA, October 2, 2002

Filled with. . .blatant self-promotion. . .chock full of humor (both self-deprecating and at other's expense) the collection [is a] quick read. -- Clamormagazine.org, October 2002

If you are capable of not taking this book seriously on any level, it makes a fairly amusing read. -- Bookpages.com, December 2002

Somers is a self- absorbed DORK. . .The book is hysterical. . .His uniquely blunt yet deluded perspective is refreshing and honest -- Tabletnewspaper.com, November 2002

Somers...writes with gusto...there's an undeniable - though slightly perverse - charm to his work...[an] entertaining self-exploration... -- The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 15, 2002

Product Description
A collection of the best nonfiction articles, editorials, American Wedding Confidentials, reviews, and other, less-definable stuff culled from the 24 issues of The Inner Swine published since 1995.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Tower Records (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971371903
• ISBN-13: 978-0971371903
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,875,520 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty darn funny, April 23, 2002

By	Hank Thomas (Chicago, Illinois, United States) - See all my reviews

I saw Jeff read from this book in Chicago recently at Quimbys bookstore - I had kind of heard of him but I'd never read his zine, The Inner Swine, before. He was hilarious! The book's supposed to be a collection of articles from his zine, but it's got a pretty strong theme, which is the title: The freaks are winning! It sounds kind of mean but he's got a point: there are so many weird people in the world you start to feel like you're the only normal person. Of course, everyone feels that way, so we're all freaks, and Jeff's very aware of that.

Anyone who likes cynical, sarcastic, and sometimes bizarre humor will dig this book. It's thick too, so for [$] it's a good bargain. He's got a wonderfully self-effacing style, so even when he's telling you how genius he is, you're not put off by it. Definitely recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Somers Light, December 14, 2002

By	Frank J. Marcopolos "FrankMarcopolos.com" (Brooklyn, NY (Lit capital of the world!)) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Jeff Somers knows how to rant. And in this collection he rants on things like zines, wedding receptions, freaks, and bastards. If you're familiar with Jeff's well-respected zine, The Inner Swine, you know what you're in for: Jeff's funny, irreverent commentary on seemingly every aspect of middle-class Jersey life, tied in with anecdotes of his drunken antics, real and imagined. This book, actually, is a great place to catch up on some of Jeff's better essays.

Jeff Somers is one of the very best fiction writers who hasn't signed a major publishing deal yet. This anthology is a fine compilation of his "lighter" material.