Drew Friedman's Sideshow Freaks - (Hardcover)

About the Book

Melvin Burkhart the Anatomical Wonder; Zip the Pinhead; Chang and Eng, the original Siamese twins; Johnny Eck, the King of the Freaks; Koo Koo the Birdgirl; and 45 more fascinating sideshow freaks both famous and obscure are immortalized in Drew Friedman's delightful portraits. Before the politically correct impulses of the 1970s squelched the grand American tradition of the sideshow -- people born with abnormalities and others, like Jolly Jere the Fat Man, who created their oddity -- exhibited themselves to the shock and thrill of millions in sideshows nationwide. As a youth in the late 60s and early 70s, Drew Friedman often visited Coney Island with his family, and he and his brothers always insisted on seeing the "Freak Show." "Drew Friedman's Sideshow Freaks" presents 50 of his favorite historic human oddities -- famous and obscure -- in mesmerizing full-color portraits. As in "Warts and All, Old Jewish Comedians, " and "More Old Jewish Comedians, " Drew Friedman once again meticulously, brilliantly, and affectionately brings to life people in the show business, this time focusing on America's oddest performers.

Book Synopsis

Melvin Burkhart the Anatomical Wonder; Zip the Pinhead; Chang and Eng, the original Siamese twins; Johnny Eck, the King of the Freaks; Koo Koo the Birdgirl; and 45 more fascinating sideshow freaks both famous and obscure are immortalized in Drew Friedman's delightful portraits. Before the politically correct impulses of the 1970s squelched the grand American tradition of the sideshow -- people born with abnormalities and others, like Jolly Jere the Fat Man, who created their oddity -- exhibited themselves to the shock and thrill of millions in sideshows nationwide. As a youth in the late 60s and early 70s, Drew Friedman often visited Coney Island with his family, and he and his brothers always insisted on seeing the "Freak Show." Drew Friedman's Sideshow Freaks presents 50 of his favorite historic human oddities -- famous and obscure -- in mesmerizing full-color portraits. As in Warts and All, Old Jewish Comedians, and More Old Jewish Comedians, Drew Friedman once again meticulously, brilliantly, and affectionately brings to life people in the show business, this time focusing on America's oddest performers.

Review Quotes

"Drew Friedman is a guilty pleasure!" -- Matt Groening

"Drew Friedman has created the greatest sideshow lineup ever. His astounding portraits of the strange, the unusual, the bizarre, and the unconventionally beautiful truly capture the spirit of these extraordinary characters. This is a must-have book for anyone who is a fan of the joyously twisted world of the sideshow." -- Todd Robbins, Purveyor of Amazement, coauthor, with Teller, of Play Dead

"Any book that contains six--count 'em, six!--pinheads is my kind of book. Drew Friedman's trademarked propensity to make 'normal' people look a tad freakish with his forensic attention to every wrinkle, wart, and nose hair is turned on its head in this impressive collection. Here, the 'freaks' look back at us as if to say, 'So who's normal?' Friedman's uneasy affection for the 'weirdos' among us comes through in every lovingly drawn portrait." -- Bill Griffith, creator of Zippy the Pinhead

"It's true the sideshow is never what it seems, but Drew Friedman draws it like it really feels." -- James Taylor, creator and publisher of SHOCKED AND AMAZED! magazine, founder of the museum at the Palace of Wonders

About the Author

Drew Friedman is the author of more than six books, including Old Jewish Comedians, More Old Jewish Comedians, The Fun Never Stops, and Private Lives of Public Figures. He is the recipient of the 2001 Reuben Award for newspaper illustration, and his portait of President Obama graced the cover of The New Yorker for Obama's inauguration, January 2009.