Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The I-Hate-Preppies Handbook

1981, undated later edition, from Wallaby
Ralph Schoenstein
The I-Hate-Preppies Handbook
Possibly bought newish for $3.95
Slightly worn paperback
C+

I used to own The Preppy Handbook, along with various other "handbooks," including two for Jewish American Princesses.  It wasn't that I wanted to conform to any group, but rather that I thought it was interesting seeing the different types.  I got rid of most of the books, not necessarily by choice (details are fuzzy after three decades), but I kept this one and a Valley Girl book, the latter coming up in '82.  This one divides non-Preps, or as Schoenstein puts it Anti-Preps, into four categories: Jock, Greaser, Freak, and Nerd.  The fact that there's now "The Geek Social Hierarchy" shows that some things have gotten more complex:
http://brunching.com/geekhierarchy.html

This book is mildly funny, with the Photo Quizzes being the best aspect, the acknowledgments of people like Alexander Haig and Fats Domino being second best.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but if you run across it, it might be worth a good skim.

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