236 Pounds of Class Vice President - by Jason Mulgrew (Paperback)

About the Book

"When Jason Mulgrew enrolls in a private high school in an exciting new neighborhood (North Philly, murder center of the city), he finds himlf displaced into a world of privilege and strict standards. His classmates, whose parents are lawyers and bankers, live in houses with yards and pools. Mulgrew, whose longshoreman father bought him a motorcycle upon completion of his driver's test, struggles to relate in this wider world, fighting his way through the gauntlet of high school as an awkward, sexless giant. Mulgrew tackles the glorious complications, misapprehensions, and obsessions of the teenage mind. He revisits his unhealthy fixations on dogs, his 'bird, ' the Prep, friends who are girls, Kahlaua & Cream, and a certain position in student body government to craft yet another raunchy, honest, and relentlessly funny memoir."--from cover, p. [4]

Book Synopsis

Jason Mulgrew, popular blogger and author of Everything Is Wrong with Me, continues his depreciating yet hilarious self-reflection with 236 Pounds of Class Vice President.

Set in Mulgrew's high school years, this genuine and honest memoir revisits his teenage antics and escapades as he, while navigating the indignity of puberty, attempts to run for vice president of the student body, displays a penchant for long fur capes, and (naturally) wonders about sex.

Mulgrew's blog, Everything Is Wrong with me, has received more than 200 million hits since its inception in 2004. Complete with awkward, "what was he thinking?" photos--unmitigated proof of Mulgrew's ungainly adolescence--236 Pounds of Class Vice President is an no-holds-barred yet tender look at the years some of us would rather forget.

From the Back Cover

When Jason Mulgrew enrolls in a private high school in an exciting new neighborhood (North Philly, murder center of the city), he finds himlf displaced into a world of privilege and strict standards. His classmates, whose parents are lawyers and bankers, live in houses with yards and pools. Mulgrew, whose longshoreman father bought him a motorcycle upon completion of his driver's test, struggles to relate in this wider world, fighting his way through the gauntlet of high school as an awkward, sexless giant.

Mulgrew tackles the glorious complications, misapprehensions, and obsessions of the teenage mind. He revisits his unhealthy fixations on dogs, his "bird," the Prep, friends who are girls, Kahlúa & Cream, and a certain position in student body government to craft yet another raunchy, honest, and relentlessly funny memoir.

Review Quotes

"The somewhat alarming, always interesting world inside Jason's brain has now been strewn across the pages of a book. Godspeed, reader." - Steve Hely, author of How I Became a Famous Novelist
"Long ago, before he had failed as an adult, Jason Mulgrew took a non-fiction class from me in college (pass/fail, naturally), and I can still remember, as if it were yesterday, gazing upon his shining visage each morning and thinking to myself, 'Hey, is that kid /drunk/?' It is heartening to have this impression confirmed, these many years later. Now buy the effing book. It's brilliant." - Steve Almond, author of Candyfreak and My Life in Heavy Metal
"Jason Mulgrew's wild, boozy, joyfully reckless, working-class Philadelphia of the 1980s and '90s doesn't just come to life; it is the sort of autobiographical landscape that would get up and walk across the country just to punch Lake Wobegon in the face. Few essayists are as bravely--and hilariously--self-revealing and self-abusing." - John Hodgman, author of The Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require
"After reading this book, I'm surprised there's not more wrong with Jason Mulgrew. People who grow up like this tend to become agoraphobics, serial killers, or really funny writers. Mulgrew, I think--hope?--is the last of these three things. His stories of childhood made me laugh out loud. Jason: I did your quote; please don't murder me." - Rob McElhenney, star, creator, and producer of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
"As a kid growing up in Cleveland, I was led to believe that Philadelphia was pretty much the Paris of Pennsylvania. I want to thank Jason Mulgrew for clearing that up for me. I also want to thank him for letting me know that, while I'm not an awkward teen anymore, I wasn't entirely alone back then after all--it turns out there was another weird kid making poor decisions and masturbating furiously whenever time permitted just one state away. Thank you, Jason--the healing begins now." - Dave Hill, author of Tasteful Nudes
"I want to thank Jason Mulgrew for letting me know that, while I'm not an awkward teen anymore, I wasn't entirely alone back then after all--it turns out there was another weird kid making poor decisions and masturbating furiously whenever time permitted....Thank you, Jason--the healing begins now." - Dave Hill, author of Tasteful Nudes
"Mulgrew returns to his formative years at an exclusive prep school for bright boys and finds a ton of absurdist comedy gold to mine. . . . Relentlessly self-deprecating yet unabashedly accepting, the author displays a palpable sense of humanity." - Kirkus Reviews
"I love 236 Pounds of Class Vice President. Should I call Jason Mulgrew brave? Hilarious? Honest? Gifted? Stunning? Tender? Let's just put it this way: he may be the best man on the planet." - Rachel Shukert, author of Everything Is Going to Be Great
"A funny confessional from the American ethnic hinterlands. Jason Mulgrew is the John Hughes of South Philadelphia." - Neal Pollack, author of Alternadad and Stretch