I'm a big fan of Lynda Barry. We share an alma mater, and I traveled back to one commencement ceremony to hear her speak -- her important advice: "Remember, you can't change evil people with your hippie love."

We also grew up in nearby parts of Seattle, though she did a few years before me. I'm looking forward to this one in a big way.

This book will be released when I am finished with it.

Wow. This is what I would call a bracing book. Drugs. Ugly people. Lots of ugly people. Knife violence. Sylvester the Mummy. Teenage sex.

Take the Creeper and PM me if you want to be in on the bookray for this thing.

Well, this bookray isn't very big and doesn't seem to have international appeal. I'll leave it open even after I send it on:

Mom-of-One - PA
LaurieS - NH
grover3e - WV
kalipriestess - FL
Katharine - CA?

-- 11 July 2003 -- Bookray is now closed! See Journal Entry 7 for final posting order!

Received this in the mail this morning! It looks like a very unusual read! I can't wait to dig into the cruddy thing!!

This book was a shocker! Everytime I turned a page, something uglier and more disgusting happened in this poor girl's life! I LOVED IT! I wanted to keep it and read it again! It is just so graphic...so unusual...so full of ugliness and gore! The author has capture the underside of humanity so perfectly! The characters are spectacularly despicable! What a great book! I'm going to buy a copy for my personal collection! Thanks for introducing me to this Cruddy story!

Released on Monday, July 07, 2003 at bookring in Butler, Pennsylvania USA.

Being sent off to LaurieS.

Hey folks, I have received a few more requests for this book ray, so I've inserted a few people. Please let me know if you have any objections. Otherwise, this list is final and the bookray is closed.

1) BAAIC (Iowa) -- Read
2) Mom-of-One (Pennsylvania) -- Read
3) LaurieS (New Hampshire) -- Read
4) Guinneth (New Hampshire) -- Read
5) nillabreen (Massachusetts) -- Read
6) grover3d (West Virginia) -- In Transit
7) kalipriestess (Florida)
8) katharine (California)
9) kbgoffe (Oregon) -- Cruddy Terminus

Cruddy arrived safe & soundly today! I've got to finish up two books and will begin it then. It looks very intriguing and I can't wait to start it. For now it sits atop this here tbr pile. Thanks for sending it my way.

8/4/03: Update. I've started this one and it's very difficult to put down. I'm currently about halfway through and am very impressed. I've read a lot of ugly things in my life but this book touches on a deeper level because of this young child's age and the horrors she endures daily in her truly "cruddy" life. If it weren't so darned sad when thought about it'd be almost funny. Wish this book had been around when I was 14 or so and my own life may not have looked quite so bleak to me after having read it. The author has a knack for digging into an adolescent's mind and really brings that painful period of time of young adulthood (those ugly years when one is 13 - 17) alive in a brilliantly, devastating way. Back to reading. Will write more once I finish.

8/5/03: Wow, the cruelties continue to the very last page . Somehow I wasn't left feeling depressed but actually relieved at the eventual outcome. I can't say it was an altogether enjoyable reading experience, although I did laugh out loud a few times, but I sure couldn't stop turning the pages. The illustrations completely capture the feel of the book. Thanks for sharing this over-the-top trip into darkness! Oh, and, I think I'll pass along my share of the Creeper to a braver soul than I.

Released on Wednesday, August 06, 2003 at Bookcrosser's home in postal release, postal release USA.

This one is on its way to my neighbor Guinneth. Happy reading sounds odd when passing along a book such as Cruddy. So, uh, unpleasant reading, Guinneth ;)

Got this today. Can't wait to start in on it!

Man, this book depressed the crap out of me. A very, very dark and sad ride, I'm impressed with this author's ability to evoke such a complex array of emotions. Recommended, but not for the faint of heart.

Thanks for sharing this, baaic.

Mailing this to nillabreen today.

This arrived in the mail today. Thank you! it looks great!

This is such a disturbing and excellent book. Parts of it were just gross, and that made it hard to read, especially at lunch, especially when there were hard-boiled eggs in my potato salad. But aside from that, it was exceptionally well done -- how Roberta's feelings were never explicitly described, but you could imagine -- you think maybe you could imagine -- of course it is beyond anything that you have ever experienced, but the writing in this book is such that you think maybe you could imagine what Roberta felt -- and that makes this a book that will stick with you for a long, long time to come.

sent to grover3d today.

Well, it appears that this bookray will, at best, reach its conclusion in a round-about manner. Unfortunately, the book appears to be lost at the hands of the postal service. I guess that is especially suitable for this book. For now, Cruddy is MIA, and I'll send notices to the would-be readers that are downstream.

I haven't read the book yet. I got it through PaperBackSwap.com from Ellen from Charleston, West Virginia.