Review: Being Adopted (The Lifelong Search For Self)

If you've read Raising Cain or Reviving Ophelia, I'm sad to report that, there really isn't much more this book can offer you so far as insight is concerned in my opinion. Optimistically, I could argue (or even report) there are one or two themes you wouldn't find in listed in the books for the layman on identity formation and ego development. But, for the sake of argument the movies 'Sunshine and Oranges' or 'Breakfast on Pluto' could probably do a better job of introducing those themes to anyone (particularly writers) looking to develop a more believable character perspective and you wouldn't need a week to run through them.

Even a book disorganized by Studs Turkel could probably do a better job introducing one to the unhealthy philosophical outlook of bad faith than BATLSFS. A system of faith itself adopted as a coping mechanism in childhood to identify your sense of self, character, or personality with who you know, what you do, or where you live (that' s particularly bad) because you immediately go into crisis or upheaval in times of loss. Considering the fact human memory isn't based on words and logic, but rather memory itself is based on hope and belief; the freudian concept (or romanticized idea) that there is a family somewhere that loves you beyond the veil, or that you can predict the future based on limited information, will always exist to create drama. Ultimately, while the book offers insight into the frailty of an adoptee's ego structure in a system that makes them special needs patients should they deviate from the mythical norm after toddlerhood, it really provides nothing to aid anyone except offer an example of pity.

I'm thinking of reading Chuck Amuck to honor the life of Joe Alaskey. The voice actor for looney tunes, specifically characters co-created with Chuck Jones like Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, and Sylvester the Cat has died. And, while I admittedly don't go out of my way to know the names of voice actors, or actors in general as a matter of fact, I kind of feel it would be like denying Ub Iwerks or that fourth guy Steve Jobs and his cronies decided to forget contributed to Apple's success. After all, someone had to program Lisa. Two businessmen, one a college drop out who barely qualified as a technician no less, and an engineer couldn't have done it alone. Then again, my memory tells me Nolan Bushnell and not Steve Jobs cooked up Chuck 'e Cheese and that Five Nights at Freddy's was inspired by the Rock-afire Explosion.

I did manage to read the first two comics in the Werewolf by Night omnibus. The book isn't quite as tall as the Kiss Kompendium but it is just as thick, and I'm sort of thinking I might have enjoyed much better horror compilation series only because others like Manthing, Deadpool, and the complete Dylan Dog were available. Obviously, my decision was based on the number of pages and economics. I was particularly fond of the DC Manbat miniseries, Crossgen's Crossover family, amalgam comics releases, and I believe I really enjoyed Ghost Rider 2099. So, my opinion might be a bit biased. I could definitely argue it was every bit as enjoyable as 'Batman Vampire,' which in my opinion is the best conclusion to the Batman tragedy ever conceived. So far the main character, baring the laughable name Jack Russell, discovered that his biological father was a werewolf on the eve of his mother's death and seeks revenge on her murderers.

In the second chapter of Werewolf by Night we learn that after rescuing his sister from a gang of vicious bikers in his family's summer home, he is captured by a man posing as a psychiatrist who locks him up in his dungeon, while his wife Morgana...um that is to say his wife Agatha, or was it Amelia? Anyway, the bewitching wife of the con artist passing himself off as psychiatrist (and an orderly with 'special needs') interrogate Jack because they believe he knows where the unofficial copy of the necronomicon is. Of course, Jack is as clueless as they are. An orderly kills the husband for making fun of him, Jack escapes in the chaos but passes out in the horse stables, and returns to fight Quasimodo Kraig: Orderly by Night transformed by the light of the silvery moon. He fights about as well as one would expect from a jack russell terrier when confronted with someone as big as gorilla. And, his life was spared only because the orderly was struck by lightning... The witchy woman then commits suicide in Jack's prophetically psychic dream because she failed to find what she was looking for, clearly that's how lightning works when mixed with werewolf blood, I learn new things all the time. Naturally...the entire second chapter of Jack's struggle to cope with sundown syndrome amounts to: Got problems? Don't worry, everyone dies. But, only if they're bad.

Not off to a bad start for the weekend, but I really do need to get back to reading the DSM at some point.