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134th out of 322 books
—
275 voters
Dora: A Headcase
by
Lidia Yuknavitch (Goodreads Author),
Chuck Palahniuk
Dora: A Headcase is a contemporary coming-of-age story based on Freud’s famous case study—retold and revamped through Dora's point of view, with shotgun blasts of dark humor and sexual play.
Ida needs a shrink . . . or so her philandering father thinks, and he sends her to a Seattle psychiatrist. Immediately wise to the head games of her new shrink, whom she nicknames Siggy...more
Ida needs a shrink . . . or so her philandering father thinks, and he sends her to a Seattle psychiatrist. Immediately wise to the head games of her new shrink, whom she nicknames Siggy...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
August 7th 2012
by Hawthorne Books
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so, if you like this character's voice, you will like this book.if it grates on you, you will find this book a drag. me, i am halfway in-between. i didn't mind it sometimes, but there were moments where i was wicked annoyed by how forced and deliberate the "cool" and "unique" voice was.
I shove the last of the bacon in my mouth. It's salty and rubbery yet crisp. What is bacon but fat and gristle and thin strips of ass meat? tastes like... family.
i spent some time eye rolling and imaginary charac...more
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How to describe this book....It's like Rocky Horror Picture Show meets YA literature if the characters were all teenagers, and instead of living in an awesome scary castle, they were your next door neighbors. Yuknavitch is a writer that writes for everyone living in between the spaces of our society that is too scary look at or acknowledge. This is why I appreciate her writing so much. This is no Chronology of Water. I can't write reviews for my 5 star books. I'm like Stan from South Park. I jus...more
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Dear Francis Bacon: That was a pretty good girlstory. Loved loved loved the concept, unique and original! Based on one of Freud's most famous case studies set in modern teenage girl times. The book follows the case study closely, including Herr Doktor's analysis and interpretation of his "hysterical" patient and subsequent feelings of failure. Basically, it seems to me ol' Siggy was no match for such a girl as Dora--and I'm sure he misunderstood her (as men are wont to do with women ;-)). While...more
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I actually really liked this book, but the constant fat phobia, ableism, odd racism regarding the Native American character (exoticizing her in a creepy way), and the continual use of the word tran*y was entirely unnecessary and took me out of the story repeatedly. I don't think Yuknavitch needed any of those things to capture the voice of a teenage girl--which she does expertly, by the way. After having been forced to read quite a bit of Freud's oeuvre, it felt nice to read this sort of revenge...more
I wanted to like this book. As a concept, I think it's great - like a young adult spin on the idea Jean Rhys uses in Wide Saragasso Sea. This book is contemporary, with queer characters, and challenging psychiatry's great patriarch. Sounds awesome. However, it's got Chuck Palahniuk's love of the grotesque and shocking all over it. If you like Palahniuk (and I definitely don't), that's one thing, but here it comes off as transparent. It comes off as trying too hard. The authors use of slang in an...more
I picked this book out to read because it was described as a female Fight Club and as a contemporary take on Freud's famous Dora case. How intriguing is that as a concept!
I loved Ida/Dora. Ida/Dora replaced her distant, highly successful, self-obsessed parents with a more supportive, untraditional family. While her mother numbed herself, Dora rampaged. Her mother gave up on her art because of her pain. Dora focused her art around her pain. Lost and stubbling, she refused to submit to therapist w...more
I loved Ida/Dora. Ida/Dora replaced her distant, highly successful, self-obsessed parents with a more supportive, untraditional family. While her mother numbed herself, Dora rampaged. Her mother gave up on her art because of her pain. Dora focused her art around her pain. Lost and stubbling, she refused to submit to therapist w...more
I love fast paced stories with strong female voice, dark pathos, resilience, bold sexuality, and wicked humor. Dora: a Headcase has it all! Like Lidia's earlier work (The Chronology of Water), this book provoked a lot of thinking about "mental illness". Whereas it would be easy to see Ida/Dora through the lens of mental illness, I found myself really admiring her strength, creativity, intelligence and dogged determination as she experienced a painful adolescence undercut by family dysfunction. H...more
There are some things you should know about Lidia Yuknavitch: She is in the top tier of people making sentences in 2012. She packs more color into three lines of text than some people get into a photograph. And her voice is loud, man. Bold and unwavering, honest and fearless. Distinctly of this place in time. Like an alto opera singer performing an original pop song shredding Chris Brown. If your internet travels lead you to her byline, by all means read her.
Yuknavitch’s novel “Dora a Headcase”...more
Yuknavitch’s novel “Dora a Headcase”...more
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38 pages in and I'm totally over this book. I'm sure it's super. Gotten great reviews. Chuck Palahniuk wrote the forward and he's a god, right? (Never mind that I loved the movie "Fight Club" about 10,000,000 times more than I did the book. That never happens. You're always supposed to love the book more than the movie. But I saw the movie first, read the book years later. And it IS my favourite movie. But let's never mind all that.)
The first problem I had with this book is that it is written in...more
The first problem I had with this book is that it is written in...more
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Such a disappointment! Much like "The Chronology of Water", Yuknavitch starts strong, and ends weakly. Really weakly. While for most part I was blown away by "The Chronology of Water" - it was definitely well-written, and absolutely captivating - "Dora" on the other hand, comes across as any old YA novel out there. And if you've read "The Chronology", you can very plainly see that "Dora" is simply a modernization of Yuknavitch's own adolescence. (Or at least many of the parts previously written...more
This book is a satire, and must be read as one; this way the author can be allowed the poetic license crucial in telling this story and taking this revenge on Freud. Yuknavitch has proved herself as a fiction writer. She has captured the voice of a strong but wounded teenage girl. As usual, her prose is exquisite (although I will admit there are times where I think a little editing would make it sing even more). I wish the publishers didn't rely so heavily on using her ties to Chuck Palahniuk as...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I happened upon this book when trolling the "New Fiction" bookshelves at the Worcester Public Library a couple of days ago. Once I opened to the first page, I couldn't put it down. Okay, I'm not sure I should admit it, but I LOVED this uber edgy, off-beat coming-of-age novel. It's a re-telling of the tale of Freud and his adolescent patient "Dora", set in 21st century Seattle. Seventeen-year-old Ida/Dora is struggling to find her way through her tumultous teenhood, and to make sense of what it m...more
I am so sorry Lidia - but this one does not hold a candle to The Chronology of Water. Headcase was like a Fantasy B Movie, along the lines of a slasher movie without the slash. I can see that you worked out your anger at psychotherapists and anyone in authority. And I can see that you may attract other teen girls who need a voice for their anger. But the characters were out of a ridiculous B movie, and I mean ridiculous. Not edgy, but ridiculous. I really had to skim the last half. And the final...more
I found this in Powells, an autographed copy, and bought it without thinking too much. I didn't know it was happening- I didn't think that after being swept away by The Chronology of Water earlier this year that another new book would fall into my lap 6 months later.
I read this in one sitting. Faithfully comparing my experience-as-reader to mine during Chronology.
Thinking: [yuknavitch]'s brave.
Thinking: this is going to be received like The Marriage Plot after Middlesex. (people are such dick...more
I read this in one sitting. Faithfully comparing my experience-as-reader to mine during Chronology.
Thinking: [yuknavitch]'s brave.
Thinking: this is going to be received like The Marriage Plot after Middlesex. (people are such dick...more
What do you say about a book that you can't put down, about a strange kid you might really like to know, about an author who gives us her interpretation of Freud's Dora, An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria? It's just so shockingly real and surreal that it's hard to believe that someone made it up.
There's not much point in explaining the plot because what matters is the ride you take with Ida/Dora, the teen head case of the title. Does she see vaginas (vags) and penises everywhere? Oh yes. Does sh...more
There's not much point in explaining the plot because what matters is the ride you take with Ida/Dora, the teen head case of the title. Does she see vaginas (vags) and penises everywhere? Oh yes. Does sh...more
I'm glad to find out that this author teaches writing. I can see why it is her passion with this great book. Like an amazing night, I didn't want it to end.
Dora/Ida has trouble at home and is enrolled in therapy. He's all about Freud so she decides to take revenge.
I remember being 17 and this book captures that feeling perfectly. Life sucks, you go somewhere and talk about it, have crushes and deal with your parents drama. This book is different; you are or were Dora, want to be her or know her...more
Dora/Ida has trouble at home and is enrolled in therapy. He's all about Freud so she decides to take revenge.
I remember being 17 and this book captures that feeling perfectly. Life sucks, you go somewhere and talk about it, have crushes and deal with your parents drama. This book is different; you are or were Dora, want to be her or know her...more
I gave this book 4.14/5 stars on InsatiableBooksluts.com. Review copy provided by Hawthorne Books.
Excerpt:
"Yuknavitch turns the tables on Freud by giving Ida, who we know largely through Freud’s analysis, her own voice–sometimes figuratively, as Ida is prone to becoming mute in times of extreme stress. The author, along with many other women who have been critical of Freud’s work with “Dora,” (his alias for Ida) presents another reality: that Freud’s analysis of “Dora” was wrong. That he failed...more
Excerpt:
"Yuknavitch turns the tables on Freud by giving Ida, who we know largely through Freud’s analysis, her own voice–sometimes figuratively, as Ida is prone to becoming mute in times of extreme stress. The author, along with many other women who have been critical of Freud’s work with “Dora,” (his alias for Ida) presents another reality: that Freud’s analysis of “Dora” was wrong. That he failed...more
I thought maybe Palahniuk was exaggerating when he said Dora was a girls' Fight Club.
I was wrong.
I thought maybe Ida wouldn't have much to say to me. I had my trouble when I was a young adult. Lots of it, but not like Ida's.
I was wrong.
"Sometimes your whole life happens in those years, and the rest of your life it's just the same story playing out with different characters. I could die tomorrow and have lived the main ups and downs of life. Pain. Loss. Love. And what you all so fondly refer to...more
I was wrong.
I thought maybe Ida wouldn't have much to say to me. I had my trouble when I was a young adult. Lots of it, but not like Ida's.
I was wrong.
"Sometimes your whole life happens in those years, and the rest of your life it's just the same story playing out with different characters. I could die tomorrow and have lived the main ups and downs of life. Pain. Loss. Love. And what you all so fondly refer to...more
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If you read Ms Yuknavitch's Chronology of Water and were suitably impressed then Dora will not disappoint.
It is my subjective opinion that she and her writing are easy to under estimate. She writes superbly. Her craft appears to be transparent but is well hidden. Consider an actor so skilled that you don't recognize that they are acting.
Here the protagonist is a teenage girl who seems over-the-top but squeezes into a believable reality in today's world. The blatant allusion to her psychiatrist...more
It is my subjective opinion that she and her writing are easy to under estimate. She writes superbly. Her craft appears to be transparent but is well hidden. Consider an actor so skilled that you don't recognize that they are acting.
Here the protagonist is a teenage girl who seems over-the-top but squeezes into a believable reality in today's world. The blatant allusion to her psychiatrist...more
Here's a vital piece of herstory. Dora's not just a punching bag anymore. She punches back. You'd recognize her too. She's your neighbor, your student, your sister, your cousin, niece, and even transgendered nephew. Anyone whose parents ever sent them to therapy will recognize her too. She might be you. Dora aka Ida seems to come into the world with the astonishing power of being subject to anyone's projections. They see whatever they need to see: she's a criminal, a pervert, a monster, etc. Thi...more
This book was deeply affecting; a comic book-like heroic story inspiring (in spirit) to those who feel uncomfortable in the numbed-out world we live in. Lidia Yuknavitch rages against the harm and mistreatment that so many young child-women endure, and that can be uncomfortable for some to read. However, I find that the pure anger expressed by Dora, the teen protagonist, in response to past (family-related) and potential (Siggy the psychologist) egregious harm to be preferable and in many ways m...more
When I read 'Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria' in college, it was thrilling to put the screws to Freud's "science" using a feminist lens. So when I hear that Lidia had written a story that gave a modern living voice to Dora, I was thrilled. And the story didn't disappoint. As a character, Dora is a humming tribute to the screaming yet voiceless experience of being young and female in America. The most moving part for me was the narrator's assertion that given time, a woman can begin to un...more
Lidia Yuknavitch introduces us to a brave, bold and totally unforgettable protagonist, Dora (Ida), whose creative spark burns within us all. If you've ever been young, pissed off and feverishly in love for the first time, you'll instantly recognize Dora within you. Dora talks the way all teenagers talk crudely and passionately. There is nothing phony about this girl, she would rather set her world on fire than have to live the role of "happy daughter" or "perfect girl." Dora(Ida) is brave the wa...more
As one can see from the reader's reviews, this is a book to really like or really dislike. Ida, aka Dora is a confused and belligerent 17 year old with a distrust and contempt for authority and most mainstream adults in general. She and her "posse" of friends are a crew of misfits whose mischief crosses the line to cruel and illegal. But, like other literary characters on the edge of society, much of her observations ring true with regard to modern life. While some of the exploits of Dora and he...more
I enjoyed this book a great deal. If all teenaged girls were as self-aware as Ida/Dora, the world would be a more interesting and certainly more dangerous place.
The ways she abuses those she has disdain for, her therapist, her dad's mistress are comical and scary at the same time. These characters are somewhat flat (probably on purpose). Characters that Ida/Dora likes are deeper and more intriguing (also probably on purpose).
Since the book was recommended on Chuck Palahniuk's Facebook page, yo...more
The ways she abuses those she has disdain for, her therapist, her dad's mistress are comical and scary at the same time. These characters are somewhat flat (probably on purpose). Characters that Ida/Dora likes are deeper and more intriguing (also probably on purpose).
Since the book was recommended on Chuck Palahniuk's Facebook page, yo...more
I read the Dora case studies in college, so I was instantly drawn to reading Dora: A Headcase
This book completely met my expectations. 1) interesting and memorable characters (Ida/Dora, Sid, Obsidian, ect) 2) Strange situations and occurrences (underground art films below highway overpasses, getting naked and dousing vodka on your body at a Nordstrom department store 3) Family tensions and conflicts that lend themselves to complex characterizations.
I wanted all these things when I picked up D...more
This book completely met my expectations. 1) interesting and memorable characters (Ida/Dora, Sid, Obsidian, ect) 2) Strange situations and occurrences (underground art films below highway overpasses, getting naked and dousing vodka on your body at a Nordstrom department store 3) Family tensions and conflicts that lend themselves to complex characterizations.
I wanted all these things when I picked up D...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I'm not sure what to think of this book, or what the point of it was.
The dedication at the front bothers me a lot. The author dedicates it to misunderstood teens. Yet the whole book is about rich, privileged teens who cause actual harm to society. It doesn't even have to do with the drugs or the sex, but the fact that they really do hurt other people and profit off their pain. This, to me, should not be put on a pedestal. The teenagers really are horrible people with no real sense of right and...more
The dedication at the front bothers me a lot. The author dedicates it to misunderstood teens. Yet the whole book is about rich, privileged teens who cause actual harm to society. It doesn't even have to do with the drugs or the sex, but the fact that they really do hurt other people and profit off their pain. This, to me, should not be put on a pedestal. The teenagers really are horrible people with no real sense of right and...more
I LOVED The Chronology of Water. Dora, not so much. For me, it was too loosely constructed. I got that looking inside the head of a screwed up teenager can be pretty rough. I just didn't feel that it held together as a narrative. I like experimental prose and had no traditional prose expectations. I just didn't care about Ida and her endless, explicitly erotic escapades. Just over the top for what I consider literature worth consideration. Almost felt like many scenes were added for shock value....more
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LIDIA YUKNAVITCH IS THE AUTHOR of three works of short fiction: Her Other Mouths, Liberty's Excess, and Real to Reel, as well as a book of literary criticism, Allegories of Violence. Her work has appeared in Ms., The Iowa Review, Exquisite Corpse, Another Chicago Magazine, Fiction International, Zyzzyva, and elsewhere. Her book Real to Reel was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award and she is the r...more
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“Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, lemme tell you. Those are big years. Everybody always thinks of it as a time of adolescence—just getting through to the real part of your life—but it's more than that. Sometimes your whole life happens in those years, and the rest of your life it's just the same story playing out with different characters. I could die tomorrow and have lived the main ups and downs of life. Pain. Loss. Love. And what you all so fondly refer to as wisdom. Wanna know the difference between adult wisdom and young adult wisdom? You have the ability to look back at your past and interpret it. I have the ability to look at my present and live it with my whole body.”
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6 people liked it
“I just want my stories to be mine.”
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