The Freaks Are Winning: The Inner Swine Collection

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.

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.