Pop Kids book club-thing

I hope this is in the right category. If not, feel free to move.

Anyway, I mentioned to @STORMS a few days ago that I’m going to be teaching Pop Kids to my college students this fall. I taught an excerpt last fall, but have decided to teach the whole book this time around. I thought maybe I could carry the discussion over to here. I am doing a lot of research and lesson planning for it and would love to share it with you guys if there would be any interest.

The discussion for my class would be 6-7 class periods (two classes a week, so like 3-4 weeks). It doesn’t have to be that long here, but it could be if you want. I am teaching it after teaching Lolita, so I won’t start discussion until late September/early October (plenty of time to get your hands on the book and maybe do a quick, shallow read). I’m teaching the two books juxtaposed due to content (the theme of the class is the exploitation and over-sexualization of youth in the media). We do NOT have to read the book for those themes. It could be a total open discussion, a place to break the book down in anticipation for the next book that Davey spoke so highly of when I met him.

I just thought I would toss the idea out there. If you’re interested, I know the official Pop Kids site has links to Amazon and BnN for the books as well as direct order through them. They also have digital versions.

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

:grin:

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Do you want this to be open to all users or do you want this for only your students to have access to and have the discussion?

Nah, all users can have fun with it. I’m going to invite my students here, too. I had a few who were AFI fans, so a few might like it. I just thought it might be a different thing for us to do around here.

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I’ve been meaning to re-read Pop Kids, anyway, so I really like this idea! I initially wouldn’t have thought of it as a book to be discussed in an academic setting, but I can definitely see how it fits into the themes you plan on covering. I’m minoring in language, literature, and writing, so I think I’ll be able to keep up with the discussions when they start.

Did Davey say much about what his second book will be about when you met him? I’m looking forward to when it gets published. (Also a little jealous you got to meet him!)

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I have read this book, and had the chance to get it signed, it’s put up just because it’s signed with my name in it (because Davey’s awesome and so freaking sweet.) I wonder if I’ll still have a fanfiction-y feel of it while re-reading it.

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He didn’t say much about it, just that he was really proud of it. We mostly gushed about writing and how I compared Pop Kids to Lolita. :slight_smile: it was kind of a lot nerd fest for a moment. LOL.

And yay! Glad you would want to do this.

I ordered the signed version; I didn’t get it signed in person. :frowning: I also bought a second copy to mark up to teach. LOL.

And, haha, I feel like it had the fan fictiony feel came to me the first time because I kept imaging AFI as the characters (unwittingly; I so did not want to); the second time it didn’t read like that.

There’s been jokes (and yes only jokes, I love the book, and remember it vividly…Probably because I actually read it right after.) But some of us, who were once on the AFI fan fiction page long ago, said that he read the fanfiction and wrote a book. It was just too funny. Again, it’s just joking, and no harm intended. I personally love the book.

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Haha, my friend was really into AFI fan fiction. I never got into it, but some of it was pretty well written from what she told me. And nah, no harm taken. :slight_smile: That’s actually really funny. I have to remember who I pictured each AFI member as. I know Davey was Score in my head the first read through, which was so bizarre.

I am about to be really honest with you all. I have never read Pop Kids, because I knew a few people who absolutely hated it, and I want to love it, so I’ve always put it off.

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It’s a weird book. It’s definitely not what you would expect right away from Davey. There’s a lot of explicit sex and drug usage, it can come across as overwrought, but if read as intended- a scathing critique of modern youth culture- then you get it. It has the same polarizing effect that Lolita has (I’m teaching them both). It’s definitely something you have to read with an open mind, and you have to separate it from AFI’s usual language.

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I’m probably going to read it soon. It definitely seems weird coming from Davey from what I’ve seen. I know a lot of people complained about the actual writing itself, but I read the preview, and it’s a little weird, but didn’t seem that bad.

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Again, I think the writing comes down to the genre of the book. The writing is succinct, and it speaks to the subject matter. But I’ve read a lot of weird, terrible shit in my life, and this is no where near that. It’s just different, but I think in a good way. He’s holding a mirror up to youth society and challenging it to look at itself.

I am siding with @BrandonsNotGrey on this one. I don’t own it but I would buy it if I saw it. However, I’m not a big reader anyway.

If I got it, I would just have it to collect AFI-related stuff.

Haha, I understand. And I’m totally not pushing anyone to read it. I read it for kicks when it first came out and died laughing through most of it because it was so nihilistic and angry, which definitely fit my mood (let no one tell you that a masters program is a good time). I just think that people who do like to read were taken aback by it. It’s not a mainstream style book whatsoever, though it is a quick read. I think I finished it in 3.5 hours or something like that.

I’ve yet to read it, but have been meaning to. I’m totally into the idea of a book club for it.

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@_tonibell you’re gaining fans. :slight_smile:

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Bless, because I’m sure my students are going to be shell shocked.

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When I read it, it took me time. Because as you said, it’s a very weird book. I was definitely not ready for it. I think I read it in it’s entirety just because of the reaction when I got it signed. I did want more when I was finished though. I felt like it was a slow start, but then it pulls you in completely.

Also, when reading the book…Am I the only one who immediately thought of “100 words?”

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No, I totally thought of 100 Words. I’m glad someone else did.

And, yeah, it starts slow, but it does draw you in. It’s weird, like a really weird book, but in that crazy Donnie Darko weird way.

But I have had to read the weirdest shit for school, so that’s probably why I wasn’t too weirded out to read it.

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