The Classics Slacker Reads Moby Dick

by Cristina Negron, Kris Wraight (Illustrator)

You probably know the basic plot of "Moby Dick." Deranged ship’s captain seeks revenge on a white whale that ate his leg. Sounds like a great story, right? But you’ve also heard that it’s crazy long and boring? Not to worry. "The Classics Slacker Reads Moby Dick" contains all the whale blubber, all the bromances, and all the amputees that appear in Herman Melville’s classic novel in one slim, easy-to-carry volume. Fully illustrated, too! You’ll enjoy "The Classics Slacker Reads Moby Dick" so much, you might even want to read the whole book yourself. But probably not.

132 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 23, 2020

Reviews

[Janna Gelfand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most, if not THE most enjoyable book I have ever read. It is hysterically funny; I literally laughed out loud throughout much of the narrative. The drawings are as brilliant, creative and humorous as the story.

I love the classics, but Moby-Dick was the most difficult book for me to read. I had to read It in college and I don’t know how I got through It. After reading The Classic Slacker Reads Moby Dick, I realize that I didn’t understand a lot of what I did read.

Cta (pronounced see-ta ~ just as it’s spelled) Negrón takes us through the book in small, bite-sized, often sarcastic pieces and illustrates each chapter. She not only summarizes Melville’s work, she lets us know what he was trying to say. She doesn’t number her chapters. Instead, she gives each chapter smart and funny names. For instance, when Ishmael climbs the mast-head, the chapter is called “Pole Dancing”. Once again, I laughed out loud just reading the title. Each chapter of 2-3 pages is as clever and fun as the next. My only problem is that now I want to read the full novel to see how Cta did what she did. She is remarkable!

The only thing I disagree with is that she calls herself “the Classics Slacker”, but she is not a slacker. She read the entire novel, understood It, and figured out how to present It in an easily understandable and fun manner. That’s hard work!!!! I think she’s an English teacher, but she should be a standup comedian.

I can’t wait to read the next classic Cta deconstructs. It’s fun whether you’ve read the original, or not. I recognized some of the book, and was gratified that I actually remembered parts of It. The parts that I didn’t remember must have eluded me for a good reason, because those are some of the sections that Cta pares down to a sentence or two.

I dare you NOT to love this book to the point that you will buy one for all of your friends who need a laugh in this difficult world of ours.

[Be Loud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to read

Like this author, I too could not get past ,"Call me Ishmael". MD is too hard to read and so boring! wanting to learn the story without punishment, I turned to The Classics Slacker with relief. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Susan Kietzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun and funny read that also saves you from slogging through Melville's tome!

[Lori Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much quicker read than Moby Dick! And funnier too.