Boy Genius

By Yongsoo Park, Young Soo Park, Yongsoo Park

Book Overview

--Selected for the 2002 Kiriyama Prize Notable Books List

--Selected as a finalist for an Asian American Literary Award

A selection of the Akashic Urban Surreal Series.

Boy Genius is a powerful identity satire, the picaresque odyssey of a child seeking to avenge the wrongs perpetrated on his parents. Park's genius, born into the turmoil of postwar Korea, is used as a puppet by the South Korean government--before being banished to America. From a remote New York City ghetto, the boy wages a clandestine guerrilla war against all symbols of authority. Park renders his vision of late-20th-century global culture with the bold, surreal strokes of Pynchon and the wild political sensibilities of Godard; the painful, largely unmapped narrative territory of Boy Genius creates a gripping, harrowing read.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1888451246
• ISBN13: 9781888451245
• Release Date: February 2002
• Publisher: Akashic Books, Ltd.
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.5" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Two thumbs up

Although I probably read more than the average person, I've never written a review before and in fact I avoid reading them in general, particularly before picking up the book or seeing the movie upon which a review is based. I just finished 2 of this author's books, "Las Cucarachas" and "Boy Genius," and out of curiosity I decided to read what others had to say. Interestingly, many of the reviewers take time comparing this book to other books. I'm going to frankly describe what I myself thought rather than make these comparisons. First of all, both of this author's books are worth reading, and they should be read as a pair. I would recommend reading "Las Cucarachas" and then "Boy Genius," in that order. I was born and raised in New York City, and I'm from approximately the same generation as the main character in "Las Cucarachas;" to me it's incredible how well the author brings to life what my own childhood was like, growing up and hanging out in the streets of New York- not desperately poor, but poor enough so that the kids from what was called the "middle class" seemed rich by comparison, and were luckier than any of them ever seemed able to see. It's as though the author lived this NYC childhood, with all its obstacles, frustrations and pains, freeze dried it, moved on in his own life, and then went back to it and set it down exactly, precisely, missing nothing, not a single thought, feeling, experience or idea. You read "Las Cucarachas" and you experience the raw, real life of a tough, smart street kid in a big city where money is everything- absolutely, totally everything- and where the kid knows that it's not that society wants him to fail; rather, society is so completely and profoundly indifferent that it can't even be bothered to have an interest in his success or failure either way. Nobody from any middle or upper class background can ever truly know the alienation this situation creates, but by reading "Las Cucarachas" they can sure get a good goddamn taste of it. "Las Cucarachas" is the story of a boy that's forced to gear everything around slickness and toughness, and who's trying to make something happen against impossible odds and what seems like an endless stream of jerks and idiots holding him back and getting in his way. When I finished reading "Las Cucarachas" I felt a strange urge to contact the author, congratulate him for making it through, and thank him for creating such an honest, vivid, and truly touching testimonial to youth. "Boy Genius" should be read after "Las Cucarachas;" in fact it's remarkable to me that "Boy Genius" was actually written by the same author. "Boy Genius" is so completely different, and not just the subject matter, but the whole style of the book as well. "Las Cucarachas" is raw and gritty; "Boy Genius" begins right off the bat with fantastic events that continue unfolding throughout. The narrator in "Boy Genius" gets you to suspend your disbelief so completely that I myself often lo

'Boy Genius' the new 'Strangelove'

'Boy Genius' by Yongsoo Park is as invigorating as the original screenplay by Terry Southern for 'Dr. Strangelove'. (The movie was terrific, of course, but Southern's screenplay was even more so.) Park dissects, then Frankenstein's, then dissects again every conceivable myth about global capitalism with high hilarity and maximum inventiveness. The Boy Genius of the title grows up in the slums of Seoul, but soon his brilliance comes to the attention of the All-Supreme Dictator who quite surprisingly grants him enormous privilege, then in a fit of pique the A-S-D chews him up and spits him out. And then we see what BG is made of. He finds his way to present day America under the most appalling circumstances (the plight of a Filipino migrant farm worker in the 30's comes to mind), begins to rebuild his life and that of his family (also vilified by the A-S-D) and finally, yes finally, has his revenge. Characters as vivid as those played by Peter Sellers and George C. Scott in the Kubrick movie and every bit as outrageously funny and mordantly satiric. This is a rollercoaster with all the splendor of the one in 'The Third Man' and all the tension and excitement of that confrontation between Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles. (Hey, am I saying this is a prime candidate for a terrific movie? You bet.) Can't wait for the next Park....

BOY GENIUS LOVES ME

This novel is a Buddhist roller-coaster. It is a Zen koan in the tradition of those ancient masters who would smack the students with a stick at just the right moment to hurl them towards satori. The best part about the book is that it is a page turner. Suspence looms as our enigmatic protagonist takes on the world. I'm sick of the apathy in Catcher in the Rye and The Stranger (Camus). I don't care about the prep school wasp of the former or the the existential murderer of the latter. I care about Boy Genius because Boy Genius cares about me. I am grateful to Yongsoo Park and will continue to pray for his freedom. God Bless Yongsoo Park!

Yongsoo Park, Man Genius

A remarkable debut novel for a remarkable artist. For one so young in his career I truly marvel at how well Park weaves sarcasm and parody with sincerity and good old fashioned heart. I often found myself laughing out loud through beautifully witty passages only to be surprised by my own tears at the end of them. In a unique style that I can only describe as "bandito" Park merges the gritty honesty and rawness of Maxine Hong Kingston with the surreal unearthliness of Haruki Murakami, throws in the mix his own disciplined intelligence and imagination to create an experience while wholly unique, is transendentally universal. Truly a talented author/filmmaker of whom, I've no doubt, we will see much more in the coming years. Bravo, Mr. Park!