What do you think?
Rate this book
Mirth Defects
The instant he slipped from his Ma's womb, JD Ferguson knew what was missing: his soul mate. Falling in love with his delivery room nurse seconds before being wrenched from her arms, JD begins his quest to find his One True Love. Growing up in Roadapple Ridge, Iowa, JD experiences broken bones, stolen locomotives, stolen kisses, and a stolen heart by a girl who teaches him life's hardest lesson.
261 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 29, 2016
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 22, 2016
Mirth Defects by Clint Forgy is one of those books that reminds me of Forrest Gump's famous box of chocolates: "You never know what you're gonna get."
Hysterically rich and with a vivid voice, Forgy writes a story of JD Ferguson, a young boy growing up in middle America in the early 70's, born in a small town in Iowa.
Forgy begins his novel with JD's birth. He arrives with the clarity and sarcastic wit of an old soul, entering this world as if he's ready for action, and indeed he is. This is the story of JD's life and how his world evolves; the highs and lows, the rites of passage that bring him to manhood.
This is no boring accounting. It's fun, lush and complex, laced with humor, and filled with soft memories of riding bikes up and down a street in the hazy twilight. JD has it all. The agony of a boy's kindergarten crush, first kisses and the tender passion of young love. The story is rich, as real life as it can get, astoundingly insightful and side-splittingly funny.
Forgy is a brilliant author with the rare skill of growing JD's voice from boy to man. His delightful sense of humor and flair for dangerous pranks left me breathlessly reading, wondering how JD and his cohorts would escape unscathed. The cast of characters includes JD's younger brother Bob, his best friend Gasser, and the lovely Lana.
Roadapple Ridge is a town of possessed of fodder, ripe for Forgy's pen. JD and his cohorts leap from scrape to scrape, with JD's sharp mind constantly outsmarting the locals. At times, it reads like those old Keystone Cops silent movies. The only sounds were my chuckles. It's a special book that makes you laugh, even better when it makes your eyes sting, and Mirth Defects has the distinct honor of doing both.
Forgy is a wonderful writer, stepping forward to give a voice to the twilight of the twentieth century. Dinner was eaten with your parents, you rode your bike until the stars were out, and you went steady instead of hooking up. Despite his rough and tumble ways, JD has a sweetness. While he may court trouble, he knows when to do the right thing. Better than that, he knows when to say it. He tells his girlfriend, "If you think you're ten foot tall then you are," letting us know he has become a man. When his grandfather dies unexpectedly, JD says, "I'm trying to hear him breathe one more time." That line undid me, voicing true grief in a way that says it all.
Near the end, JD laments,"You can't always get what you want but sometimes you get what you need." Mirth Defects manages to do both, giving the reader everything they want as well as what they need.
Hysterically rich and with a vivid voice, Forgy writes a story of JD Ferguson, a young boy growing up in middle America in the early 70's, born in a small town in Iowa.
Forgy begins his novel with JD's birth. He arrives with the clarity and sarcastic wit of an old soul, entering this world as if he's ready for action, and indeed he is. This is the story of JD's life and how his world evolves; the highs and lows, the rites of passage that bring him to manhood.
This is no boring accounting. It's fun, lush and complex, laced with humor, and filled with soft memories of riding bikes up and down a street in the hazy twilight. JD has it all. The agony of a boy's kindergarten crush, first kisses and the tender passion of young love. The story is rich, as real life as it can get, astoundingly insightful and side-splittingly funny.
Forgy is a brilliant author with the rare skill of growing JD's voice from boy to man. His delightful sense of humor and flair for dangerous pranks left me breathlessly reading, wondering how JD and his cohorts would escape unscathed. The cast of characters includes JD's younger brother Bob, his best friend Gasser, and the lovely Lana.
Roadapple Ridge is a town of possessed of fodder, ripe for Forgy's pen. JD and his cohorts leap from scrape to scrape, with JD's sharp mind constantly outsmarting the locals. At times, it reads like those old Keystone Cops silent movies. The only sounds were my chuckles. It's a special book that makes you laugh, even better when it makes your eyes sting, and Mirth Defects has the distinct honor of doing both.
Forgy is a wonderful writer, stepping forward to give a voice to the twilight of the twentieth century. Dinner was eaten with your parents, you rode your bike until the stars were out, and you went steady instead of hooking up. Despite his rough and tumble ways, JD has a sweetness. While he may court trouble, he knows when to do the right thing. Better than that, he knows when to say it. He tells his girlfriend, "If you think you're ten foot tall then you are," letting us know he has become a man. When his grandfather dies unexpectedly, JD says, "I'm trying to hear him breathe one more time." That line undid me, voicing true grief in a way that says it all.
Near the end, JD laments,"You can't always get what you want but sometimes you get what you need." Mirth Defects manages to do both, giving the reader everything they want as well as what they need.
September 20, 2022
This book is funny. It narrates the story of JD.
As a foreign reader it's actually different and our culture is different. But man, the way author writes about coming of age and his love..loved it.
A good laugh read.
As a foreign reader it's actually different and our culture is different. But man, the way author writes about coming of age and his love..loved it.
A good laugh read.
January 8, 2017
‘Welcome to the World, indeed.’
Clint Forgy’s bio sets the mood for this raucous, richly alive journey of a man from birth to whenever. He describes himself thus – ‘Clint Forgy was hatched at a very young age and raised in Iowa, walking 2.4 miles uphill both ways to school. I can prove it. I mean, he can prove it. As a stowaway aboard an Amish buggy, he escaped to Colorado before eventually landing in Missouri aboard the good ship Lollipop. Forgy hates long walks on a short pier, rainy days, and coconut. He loves bourbon with an air chaser, women in stiletto heels, and the smell of a new grandchild’s scalp. And puppies. After centuries of mundane employment as a canine hair shortener, future organ donor, lion tamer, computer wrangler, and tractor-trailer pilot, Forgy picked up his trusty laptop, set it down to refill his coffee mug, and picked it up again to begin writing. He's always been like that.’ And if any reader with a passion for a fresh outlook on the world we are currently recreating can resist this book, then mores’ the pity.
Take a deep breath and follow Clint’s journey as one JD Ferguson as he slips out of his birth mother’s uterus into the bizarre reality of life as he is going to explore it. ‘I heard the woman scream again, and I couldn't take it anymore. I slipped out of the warm bed and into the cold, cruel world to investigate. I had an enormous headache, and the light wasn't helping. The word "hangover" came to mind but didn't quite fit. I wasn't sure I could remember what a hangover was. It felt like even my head wasn't fitting properly. I saw three faces, a man and two women. The man looked me up and down and shook his head. "Another runt," he growled. I let loose with a roundhouse kick to his chin. The blow missed horribly, but the man didn't seem to notice. "Good one, Papa!" I knew the voice but couldn't remember who it was. Familiar, on the tip of my tongue, but infinitely distant. Still, I felt the urge to thank him. "Thanks, boa." Suddenly, I was jerked into the air, my ankles clasped together by the man, and a sharp whack on my ass made my face contort in pain. I could feel my face turning blue, but I wasn't going to cry this time.’
It is with same degree of keen unique wit that JD courses through the stages of life that punch into our memories of childhood (the good ones with the bad) and onto the mysteries of girls and women and love and fascination and loss and death and all those idiosyncratic phases that together make up life. Or as JD introduces himself, ‘Howdy. My name's JD Ferguson. Pleased to meet you. I was born a poor white child in Des Moines, Iowa back when cars the size of apartments roamed the earth, telephones were nailed to the wall, and people sent Christmas cards to each other. My parents realized early on that I wasn't normal even by our family standards. I was labeled precocious, a little old man, and a tender spirit. What they didn't realize at first was that I was chasing women the whole time. I even tried hitting on the nurse that swaddled me as I slipped from my mama's womb. She had big hair and blue eyes. I was powerless. I couldn't control myself if I wanted, and I sure as hell didn't want to. Except for the doctor who insisted I spend some time in an incubator, I liked people. I became addicted to meeting new ones, and I quickly realized there were two types of people: a) men who didn't seem to give a damn that they were privileged to hold me, and b) women who seemed to love holding me and didn't want to give me back to my parents. I became a flaming heterosexual.’
Is the entire book like that? Yes, and even better as JD manages to touch every sensitive point in our memories and worn old fantasies, encouraging us to blush at how wonderfully ordinary we are – part of the world family that we can either critique or guffaw. Clint Forgy is the freshest voice to tiptoe into the spotlight of American literature in a very long time. Breathe in, breathe out. Sigh and enjoy.
Clint Forgy’s bio sets the mood for this raucous, richly alive journey of a man from birth to whenever. He describes himself thus – ‘Clint Forgy was hatched at a very young age and raised in Iowa, walking 2.4 miles uphill both ways to school. I can prove it. I mean, he can prove it. As a stowaway aboard an Amish buggy, he escaped to Colorado before eventually landing in Missouri aboard the good ship Lollipop. Forgy hates long walks on a short pier, rainy days, and coconut. He loves bourbon with an air chaser, women in stiletto heels, and the smell of a new grandchild’s scalp. And puppies. After centuries of mundane employment as a canine hair shortener, future organ donor, lion tamer, computer wrangler, and tractor-trailer pilot, Forgy picked up his trusty laptop, set it down to refill his coffee mug, and picked it up again to begin writing. He's always been like that.’ And if any reader with a passion for a fresh outlook on the world we are currently recreating can resist this book, then mores’ the pity.
Take a deep breath and follow Clint’s journey as one JD Ferguson as he slips out of his birth mother’s uterus into the bizarre reality of life as he is going to explore it. ‘I heard the woman scream again, and I couldn't take it anymore. I slipped out of the warm bed and into the cold, cruel world to investigate. I had an enormous headache, and the light wasn't helping. The word "hangover" came to mind but didn't quite fit. I wasn't sure I could remember what a hangover was. It felt like even my head wasn't fitting properly. I saw three faces, a man and two women. The man looked me up and down and shook his head. "Another runt," he growled. I let loose with a roundhouse kick to his chin. The blow missed horribly, but the man didn't seem to notice. "Good one, Papa!" I knew the voice but couldn't remember who it was. Familiar, on the tip of my tongue, but infinitely distant. Still, I felt the urge to thank him. "Thanks, boa." Suddenly, I was jerked into the air, my ankles clasped together by the man, and a sharp whack on my ass made my face contort in pain. I could feel my face turning blue, but I wasn't going to cry this time.’
It is with same degree of keen unique wit that JD courses through the stages of life that punch into our memories of childhood (the good ones with the bad) and onto the mysteries of girls and women and love and fascination and loss and death and all those idiosyncratic phases that together make up life. Or as JD introduces himself, ‘Howdy. My name's JD Ferguson. Pleased to meet you. I was born a poor white child in Des Moines, Iowa back when cars the size of apartments roamed the earth, telephones were nailed to the wall, and people sent Christmas cards to each other. My parents realized early on that I wasn't normal even by our family standards. I was labeled precocious, a little old man, and a tender spirit. What they didn't realize at first was that I was chasing women the whole time. I even tried hitting on the nurse that swaddled me as I slipped from my mama's womb. She had big hair and blue eyes. I was powerless. I couldn't control myself if I wanted, and I sure as hell didn't want to. Except for the doctor who insisted I spend some time in an incubator, I liked people. I became addicted to meeting new ones, and I quickly realized there were two types of people: a) men who didn't seem to give a damn that they were privileged to hold me, and b) women who seemed to love holding me and didn't want to give me back to my parents. I became a flaming heterosexual.’
Is the entire book like that? Yes, and even better as JD manages to touch every sensitive point in our memories and worn old fantasies, encouraging us to blush at how wonderfully ordinary we are – part of the world family that we can either critique or guffaw. Clint Forgy is the freshest voice to tiptoe into the spotlight of American literature in a very long time. Breathe in, breathe out. Sigh and enjoy.
November 23, 2021
If you're looking for a good laugh, fresh voice and a good read, I definitely recommend this book. Its delightful, entertaining and hilarious, saying I was hooked from the first chapter would be a lie, it's the first page that got me. Eager to find out "what happened next" I ventured into Clint Forgy's world only to be pulled out 292 pages later. All good things do unfortunately come to an end.
We follow the story of a boy (JD Ferguson) born in a small town called Iowa. We're with him from birth, growing up, making mistakes along the way, learning from them and being on the path to manhood. From joyous adventures, the ups and downs of life...
Mirth Defects is a refreshing story. The author managed to evoke emotion even maybe where it wasn't intended to. Be that as it may, I really recommend this book, add it to your TBR pile, I promise you won't regret it.
A million thanks to the author, Clint Forgy and BookTasters for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review
We follow the story of a boy (JD Ferguson) born in a small town called Iowa. We're with him from birth, growing up, making mistakes along the way, learning from them and being on the path to manhood. From joyous adventures, the ups and downs of life...
Mirth Defects is a refreshing story. The author managed to evoke emotion even maybe where it wasn't intended to. Be that as it may, I really recommend this book, add it to your TBR pile, I promise you won't regret it.
A million thanks to the author, Clint Forgy and BookTasters for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review
October 21, 2021
This story is a novel that coveys the life of JD from the day he was born up until he grew up. It is an entertaining and hilarious story. Full of fun and relatable situation wherein we can see ourselves going through it. It is a great story when you want to unwind, chill, and laugh. His sarcastic remarks bring hilariously. And even his desperate ways of finding his true love at a very young age. This story could take us back to our youth. How we make mistakes, how we learn, how we grow, and how we conquer everything. Also, this tackles our mini sibling competition, jealousy of attention when we are young, pissed, and sulking over small things. But it is already part of our being. Every one of us has been in that situation. It also indicates their adventures in life. Trying to ride bicycles, making new friends, having broken arms reminded us of our old selves. The joyous ones. Yet, it is not only his youth that we can witness. But he also grew and learned a lot from those little ventures in life. As Mick Jagger always said, you cannot always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need. This line caught me. As a person, we cannot get everything we need. Just like him, he wanted to find his soul mate, his true love, at a young age. And he met Lana that shared a lot of lessons in life that he needed. Because in life, there will always be this someone you wanted a lot. Yet, that someone’s role is only to give lifelong lessons.
December 19, 2021
Okay, I am impressed and it is hard for me to be so, especially with contemporary lit. Thanks to BookTasters I could read this masterpiece.
JD is the mouthpiece of all our lost memories and moments since birth. Forgy managed to capture human life as it truly is, from birth to the rest of our lives.
JD is a light soul that is striving for something, he is lost but not so much lost. He knows what he wants but not so much as well. Forgy put onto paper what it means to be a human being. If you need a catalogue of what it feels like or what it is to be human, you have to read Mirth Defects. (I also love the title of the book).
I loved the organization of chapters; they were short and straight to the point, while at the same time poetic. Being short, I could finish up to 7 chapters per day, while being super busy. So, I liked that. The language used in the book is also amazingly poetic and beautiful.
I gave the book 4 stars because I just wanted it to be a bit longer to keep enjoying the story and JD.
Also the chronological order of narrating the novel made it 1. Better, and 2. Made sense, since the story is about life journey from beginning to whenever.
JD is the mouthpiece of all our lost memories and moments since birth. Forgy managed to capture human life as it truly is, from birth to the rest of our lives.
JD is a light soul that is striving for something, he is lost but not so much lost. He knows what he wants but not so much as well. Forgy put onto paper what it means to be a human being. If you need a catalogue of what it feels like or what it is to be human, you have to read Mirth Defects. (I also love the title of the book).
I loved the organization of chapters; they were short and straight to the point, while at the same time poetic. Being short, I could finish up to 7 chapters per day, while being super busy. So, I liked that. The language used in the book is also amazingly poetic and beautiful.
I gave the book 4 stars because I just wanted it to be a bit longer to keep enjoying the story and JD.
Also the chronological order of narrating the novel made it 1. Better, and 2. Made sense, since the story is about life journey from beginning to whenever.
February 24, 2022
*spoiler free* This book was given to me to read for free and too review. When the book first started I had no idea what to expect. I was a bit confused by the beginning perspective because I had only found a very loose description of the book. I had a bit of a hard time loving the main character but the overall story is very artistically crafted. I recommend going in blind it makes the whole experience of reading much better.
February 27, 2017
The most hilariously funny book I've ever read!
Loved the sarcasm just as much as the pre-school flaming heterosexual pursuit of girlfriends during babyhood and nursery.
Clint Forgy has a unique, fresh voice.
Also a great sense of humour.
Loved the sarcasm just as much as the pre-school flaming heterosexual pursuit of girlfriends during babyhood and nursery.
Clint Forgy has a unique, fresh voice.
Also a great sense of humour.
February 2, 2021
I greatly enjoyed reading this entertaining and uproariously hilarious story and laughing out loud. I never went to kindergarten and was raised an only child by my overly strict female parent. After reading this story about the Ferguson family, I sadly realize I missed out on a lot of fun. However, when she went out I was babysat with other kids older than me. While the elderly babysitter was asleep on a living room chair, I was told to lick my finger and stick it in a lamp socket, press my hand on a hot iron (I was told it was off), stuck my tongue to the metal bar in the freezer, attempted to be stuffed in the trash compactor, and more. Gee, maybe I was better off not having older siblings.
Anyway, this book brought back many childhood grade school where I spent most of my time standing in a corner for talking in class. I had to beat our Zenith black and white TV with a shoe to get it to work. However, the Ferguson antics greatly outwit those I experienced... the daredevil bike jump, the train theft caper, crosseyed cat in the drainpipe incident, and dating experience, and more.
I would have enjoyed being Gasser, the seemingly third brother and always a welcome guest in the Ferguson home. The author included the first few chapters of his next book, which I found equally amusing and look forward to its publication.
Anyway, this book brought back many childhood grade school where I spent most of my time standing in a corner for talking in class. I had to beat our Zenith black and white TV with a shoe to get it to work. However, the Ferguson antics greatly outwit those I experienced... the daredevil bike jump, the train theft caper, crosseyed cat in the drainpipe incident, and dating experience, and more.
I would have enjoyed being Gasser, the seemingly third brother and always a welcome guest in the Ferguson home. The author included the first few chapters of his next book, which I found equally amusing and look forward to its publication.
November 11, 2021
If you are feeling down or need a good laugh, read this book. I love how the family related with one another. Bob is my favourite character. Smart and always ready to try new things. I wouldn't advise kids to read the book though but it's a good one for adults and mature teens.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews