HOW TO RAISE YOUR I.Q. BY EATING GIFTED CHILDREN

by Lewis Burke Frumkes ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 24, 1983

Uninspired humor pieces--a little over 50 of them--with a few, however, that do feature the sort of black-comic/absurd whimsy indicated by that title. The title piece elaborates on the premise with a few recipes. (Gifted Child Fricassee: ""Not for the squeamish."") A mini-catalogue of exotic gifts includes ""a perfectly formed, live, miniature Swedish dwarf, from Sweden."" And, at his dotty best, Frumkes introduces such new sushi delights as Porsche, ""one of the softest of the motored sushis."" Elsewhere, however, the comedy is predictable, bland, effortful. There are parodies of wedding announcements, real-estate listings (a bathyscaphe, an MX silo), alumni notes, letters of recommendation (for Idi Amin, etc.), international film festivals. (""Bravely extending the limits of cinema pedophilia in the tradition of Lolita, Sundays and Cybele, and Beau Pete, director Bertolt Bleu sensitively portrays a young man's tragic seduction by a precocious fetus."") There are satires of fancy restaurants, parliamentary rules of order, chain letters, running, and tag sales. There's a Mafioso's rÉsumÉ and the Old Testament as a short series of obits. (""Joseph was a member of the cattle and wheat exchanges and a fellow of the Egyptian Academy of Clairvoyance."") There's even such an oldie as ""Sending Parents Off to Camp."" And whenever Frumkes--who's been published in Harpers, Punch, and elsewhere--is short on imagination, he reaches for a silly name or drops in a reference to S&M. One or two laughs, a few smiles, but mostly Russell Baker and Fran Lebowitz manquÉ.

Pub Date: Oct. 24, 1983

ISBN: 0595002366

Page Count: -

Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1983

Categories: NONFICTION