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View Full Version : Does anyone know this disturbing book from my childhood (1/2)


rcaskey
Sep 19, 2007, 02:25 PM
In my elementary school library there was a book in which the main character put glass in his shoes, wrapped barbed wire around his abdomen, and burned his eyes out with lye. Does anyone know the name of this book?

tickle
Sep 19, 2007, 04:10 PM
Don't know the name of the book, or the other one for that matter, but you should really get a life and another interest aside from disturbing people with silly posts.

edzmedz
Sep 22, 2007, 07:35 AM
He might be seriously looking for that . I mean there are all sorts of weird things.. so maybe there is such a book..
Was it an oriental book? Maybe Indian or something like that?

rcaskey
Sep 22, 2007, 07:45 AM
Nope, English book that I _swear_ was in my elementary school library, specifically Grayson Elementary School in Grayson, GA ~ 1990.

tickle
Sep 22, 2007, 12:43 PM
KBC, I didn't see your opinion, just a disagreement. Exactly what was your disagreement? What does 'a little goes a long way' mean? For heavens sake, why would a book that scares the creeps out of kids be in a school library, barbed wire, burning eyes with lye. Give me a break!

vingogly
Nov 2, 2007, 02:14 PM
It's Wise Blood, by Flannery O'Connor. The character is Hazel Motes. John Huston directed a movie version of this story which came out in 1979.

She was a Georgia writer, which might explain why it's in the library. No, I don't recommend it to elementary school children. :-)

Vasily

Wondergirl
Nov 2, 2007, 02:59 PM
I'm guessing it was in the high school library. Can't imagine a childrens' librarian would buy it for a grade school unless Flannery was his/her aunt/grandmother/mother.

edzmedz
Nov 3, 2007, 01:01 AM
My god so this was true after all!? And people thought rcaskey was just mad lol

LoveHound
Nov 4, 2007, 05:32 PM
I am definitely checking out this book and the movie. Thanks!

vingogly
Nov 4, 2007, 06:02 PM
The movie is hard to find, but it's available on DVD here:

www.thesmallscreen.org (http://store.thesmallscreen.org/)

Here's the Wikipedia entry for Wise Blood which you might find interesting:

Wise Blood - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wise_Blood)

Flannery O'Connor, like William Faulkner and (more recently) Cormac McCarthy, represents the Southern Gothic genre in American literature. I also recommend her other novel, "The Violent Bear It Away" and her short stories, of course.

Vasily

LoveHound
Nov 4, 2007, 06:07 PM
Wow, vingogly, you're helpful! Thanks a bunch, mate (:

cal823
Nov 4, 2007, 09:23 PM
Id love a book like that in our high school library. :)

Phason
Nov 14, 2007, 07:11 AM
dont know the name of the book, or the other one for that matter, but you should really get a life and another interest aside from disturbing people with silly posts.
What is wrong with being after a book? And actually there is a lot of strange books. You'll be surprised what's in a school library. Everyone has a different tastes.