Superstud

May 9, 2005
It bodes well that the dedication to this book is laugh-out-loud funny, and indeed, Feig (Kick Me
) does not disappoint in this comedic tale of his early sex life, or lack thereof. The author, creator of the television series Freaks and Geeks
, was always a romantic, but sex, in many ways, frightened him. As a practicing Christian Scientist, he believed he should not only refrain from sex, but from masturbation, too—yet his adolescent hormones disagreed. His confusion was compounded when he heard a radio preacher declare, "veryone knows that each time you masturbate, God takes one day off of your life." Feig writes in desperation, "Everyone knew this?
Nobody told me
about it.... How many days had I lopped off my life so far?" At heart, the memoir is a one-note story of sexual frustration. Feig doesn't delve deeply into his religion, his family relations or his life outside of the physical. The book's many flashbacks will satisfy any child of the 1970s (e.g., Feig is wild about roller skating). While his eventual deflowering is anticlimactic, the account of his journey to sexual manhood is witty and entertaining and one to which any former sex-addled adolescent (male or female) will relate. Agent, Joni Evans
.

May 15, 2005
Feig is the undisputed King of the Dweebs. As the Emmy-nominated writer of the grossly underappreciated and short-lived television show "Freaks and Geeks", writer and director of the feature film "I Am David", and author of "Kick Me", a memoir of his 1970s and 1980s adolescence, he has made a career out of mining the gnarly, humorous, and heartbreaking nuggets of teen angst. This latest biographical effort burrows deep into a romantic tunnel of love strewn with unrequited lust, masturbatory binges (and the obligatory and attendant guilt that ensues), and romantic sagas with girls named Jill, Stacey, Nicole, Nancy, and Maura. That Feig's experiences are so pervasively shared by geeks of his generation is a given, but his writing exudes a fetching teenage everyboy zeitgeist that is as lovely as it is melancholy. You need look no further than the polyester-clad, butterfly -bow tied, disco-prancing geekazoid who adorns the book's cover to know that this ride down Mammary Lane is going to be a real hoot. For all popular memoir collections. -Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2005
Feig, creator of the cult classic TV show " Freaks and Geeks" , offers a second book about the trials and tribulations of his youth. His first, " Kick Me " (2002), recounted his hilarious and often painful navigation of adolescence, and " Superstud" covers similar territory but focuses specifically on Feig's interactions with the opposite sex. In a light tone that nonetheless manages to convey the gravity of his actions at the time, Feig recounts his early forays into photography, motivated by his discovery of his mother's fashion magazines, which are filled with scantily clad or naked women. He tells of his attempts to woo a girl three years older than him at the roller rink and a date with the class babe at an REO Speedwagon concert that goes terribly awry. At heart, Feig is just a sweet guy in search of a girlfriend, so readers will be gratified when they get to the last chapter and epilogue to learn about Feig's happy ending. Just as he did in " Kick Me" , Feig perfectly captures the whimsy and tone of adolescent reasoning. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)