Book Review: "True Confessions of a Fanboy" Options

[Sentinel]

Parental Advisory: "True Confessions of a Fanboy" isn't for the kiddies. It contains adult language and discussions that are inappropriate for youngsters. It also has cartoon drawings of a grown man in his underwear (which, frankly, aren't appropriate for anyone). Ye be warned.

Can you name every G.I. Joe character from 1982 to 1994? Are you unable to resist buying that mint-on-card Cobra Trooper, even though you have 20 already? Do you consider yourself a fanboy? A true fanboy? If you do, James and Johnny Jacobs' "True Confessions of a Fanboy" (164 pages, $14.97, www.truefanboy.com) will challenge your notions of what being a true fanboy really means.

One part tell-all, one part tongue-in-cheek handbook, "True Confessions" takes a humorous look at how fanatical collecting has affected the Jacobs brothers' lives. Elder brother James is the obsessive collector who lives in his parents' basement after his toy collection literally takes over his bedroom. Younger brother Johnny is the "normal" sibling who derides James' "unhealthy lifestyle," yet still manages to get suckered into enabling his brother's wackiness. Together they examine James' obsessive-compulsive fanboy behavior, from his propensity to wear nothing but his underwear and a special pair of clean socks in his toy room (to avoid contaminating his collection) and the extraordinary lengths he goes to protect his collectibles from sunlight and heat (often dragging other family members into the process), to his uncontrolled spending on eBay and his need to have someone (typically Johnny) call and update him on what's arrived in the mail. The point-counterpoint (or, perhaps, yin-yang) setup of the book provides for some hilarity as in each chapter James rationalizes his behavior (pants and shirts apparently come from the "outside world" and can't be trusted in the "shrine") while Johnny looks at it with a critical eye, poking fun at what he calls the "ass-backwards world of the fanboy." (Don't feel sorry for Johnny, though – he definitely finds some creative ways of paying big brother back for all the weirdness.)

"True Confessions" is a fun read with some decidedly laugh-out-loud moments that'll appeal to fanboys and perhaps even the people who live with them. If nothing else, reading this book may make you realize that you aren't quite as far gone with your toy-collecting obsession as you thought (like me, you probably keep your clothes on when checking out your collection).

Poor James. As Johnny says, "weep for him."

Reviewed by Ryan Crissy, Editor in Chief, www.joesightings.com.

[Airborne Rigger]

Sounds interesting. Is it only available on that site or can you get it at Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million?