If you were a genius, would you use your smarts for good or evil? I know I would use it for evil, but that’s just me. This means I have something in common with the ubergenius Oliver Watson, who is the main character of Josh Lieb’s novel I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President.
Josh Lieb hasn’t written any other books besides this one, but why would he have to when he’s a four- time-Emmy-winning executive producer of The Daily Show. Josh lives in New York City with his wife and son. I don’t know what drove Josh to write this book; perhaps he himself is an evil genius!
Oliver Watson, a seventh grader at Gale Sayers Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska, has a secret. Not a secret about going out with Marcia Brady, or anything like that. Oliver is a genius, an evil one at that, with his own evil empire with minions and a secret lair. Not too many people know about his exploits as an evil genius.
Kids at school know him as “Fatson,” “retard,” or “tubby.” Even his parents think he’s stupid. His cover is, more or less, being an idiot. Now, Oliver wants to become class president, just so he can get back at his beloved dad, or “Daddy”, to show him a “retard” is an equal to him. His father was class president when he was in seventh grade and makes a big deal about it. Although, for Oliver, becoming class president might not be as easy as he expects.
I think this book was very funny because it has a lot of dark humor, something that appeals to me. For instance, Oliver finds cover agents at Alcoholics Anonymous. He states in the book that, “AA is a great resource for finding cover agents. Many of these creatures come from impressive backgrounds and have done great things in the past-but they’ve all been humbled by their addiction to booze. Once they’re clean, they are frequently desperate to redeem themselves in the eyes of the world.” I’m not sure elementary school kids would get this kind of humor, but middle school, high school, and adults definitely would.
Normally, I like to be in charge of picking the books that I read. This book was one that my mom picked out for my younger brother, a li’l book maniac. She found it in the “Younger Reader,” 8-to-12 year olds, section of the bookstore. I was in the teen section at the time, scouring the shelves for something to read/review. While there, this book was nowhere to be seen, but it should be staked to the brim on the teen section’s shelves. Once at home, the cover and title caught my eye. Jon Stewart’s quote about the book sealed the deal, and made me forget that my mom was the one who bought it.
It’s reported that Josh Lieb already has a million-dollar deal with McG’s production company to turn the book into a movie, proving Josh Lieb is not an evil genius after all; he is just a genius.
I myself have been evil and genius enough to get my hands on some of Oliver Watson’s personal footage on the campaign trail. You can check it out for yourself below.
I Am A Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb was published by Razorbill Books and is available now.
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