Different Like Me
A Book for Teens Who Worry About Their Parents’ Use of Alcohol/Drugs
1987
This cover is like a bad homage to the Brady Bunch. I am not sure I get it. Is the “Alice” position supposed to represent something? The cartoon kid is just creepy looking.
Important topic, certainly public libraries can do better than this. Time to weed this one.
Mary
23 responses so far ↓
Gexx // November 8, 2009 at 8:20 pm |
I saw it more as an Andy Warhol homage than Brady Bunch…
Jami // November 8, 2009 at 8:22 pm |
Now I didn’t see Brady Bunch – I saw a bad imitation of Andy Warhol. Which they might’ve choosen because Warhol almost rhymes with alcohol.
rolliwrites // November 8, 2009 at 8:27 pm |
Little known fact: the cover is by Andy’s lesser-known sister Brandy Warhol.
miklsoa // November 8, 2009 at 8:30 pm |
Looks a little “Marilyn” was it illustrated by Andy Warhol?
marykelly48 // November 8, 2009 at 8:32 pm |
Can’t believe I didn’t “see” the Warhol influence… Wonder what THAT means?
Mary
Medusae // November 8, 2009 at 10:58 pm |
I’m more concerned that the image bears a strange likeness to Kirk Cameron. ACK!
Nana and Pop // November 9, 2009 at 11:56 am |
Andy Warhol’s “Kirk Cameron.” Now available for viewing at MOMA.
Evangeline // November 8, 2009 at 11:25 pm |
When I look at the difference between the middle image and the rest, all I can hear is “This is your mom. This is your mom on drugs.”
odurant8 // November 9, 2009 at 7:55 am |
I’m surprised no one else has noticed how much the kid on the cover looks like Kirk Cameron – what torment he must have gone through, worrying about his parents.
randy // November 9, 2009 at 8:18 am |
i think the kid w/the burnout parents is supposed to be the one w/the jagged colors around his(or her?) head.
and yeah, he she HAS GOT kind of a weird, fey expression…
Mindi // November 9, 2009 at 8:44 am |
“Different like me” sounds more like it should be the title of a book for minority kids dealing with life as a minority of some type or another. Not a book dealing with parental use of alcohol or drugs. The title and subtitle are totally disconnected for me.
Maybe I just don’t do enough drugs to get it?
Deb // November 9, 2009 at 9:56 am |
We have this book in our library–a newer edition (1998)–and the title has always confused me. When I first saw it, I assumed it was written for disabled children. I would never have made the connection between the title and parental alcohol abuse.
Steph // November 9, 2009 at 10:43 am |
Lou Reed on an Andy Warhol like cover.
Deb // November 9, 2009 at 11:27 am |
One more comment about this cover: The guy looks like Lou Reed during his “Metal Machine Music” period.
ShortWoman // November 9, 2009 at 3:26 pm |
Here I had been thinking the person on the cover looked a bit like a 20something Michael Jackson.
clarissa // November 9, 2009 at 9:17 pm |
Okay, while I can see the resemblances every one else has brought up, my first impression was of Judy Garland.
Kat // November 10, 2009 at 12:55 am |
I remember this book from when I was a kid. My parents filled our basement with library discards. I read a lot of 1970s YA novels as a result. I didn’t read this one, though. (I actually tried to give it to one of my friends once, but I lost the nerve).
A. // November 10, 2009 at 5:32 am |
I agree with Randy–I think the kid in the middle spot is supposed to be the one with the druggie parents. S/he looks just like everyone else, except for the wavy lines of stress emanating from his/her head!
And FTR I say it’s both a Brady Bunch and a Warhol reference. Same image/different colors is Warhol, but his stuff in that style usually had four or sixteen blocks. 9 blocks is Brady Bunch.
ColoradoDan // November 10, 2009 at 6:30 pm |
I actually like the dysfunctional Brady Bunch meets “Go Ask Alice” for the Alice box as an interpretation…
Constructionism // November 11, 2009 at 10:38 pm |
Were everybody’s parents drunk in the seventies or something?
Sonya // November 16, 2009 at 1:37 pm |
I don’t get why this was weeded. The amazon reviews (all two of them!) are positive. Maybe libraries can “do better” but until a “better” book comes along, shouldn’t this book be left on the shelves, in case someone needs it? Was the cover/title the only reason it was removed? Presumably teens who’ve grown up with drug-addicted parents — which by the way lots have, although it’s seldom discussed — will get the cover, and the title.
marykelly48 // November 16, 2009 at 4:04 pm |
Sonya, one of the problems with this book were mentions of referral agencies which clearly don’t exist any more or the contact info is so outdated. In addition, the law and reporting requirements have changed that deal with parents and children. The topic of course is completely appropriate for a public library and others.
Amanda // November 16, 2009 at 1:58 pm |
Is it just me or do those cover images look like a Thriller-esque MJ?