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Who Are You People?: A Personal Journey into the Heart of Fanatical Passion in America
This book is highly entertaining, but it also provides significant insight into contemporary life in America. Caudron reveals why people are indulging in their fanatical passions, and how that indulgence is transforming community life.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
July 11, 2008
Do not get me wrong--I greatly enjoyed this book. I read through it very quickly, for I was thoroughly engrossed on most of topics she wrote about, but it seems to me that it didn't have the punch it could have had by the end. Perhaps this is because Shari Caudron decided on a primary angle of self-exploration with this book. This is a good choice to give the book structure--Caudron travels through the book as someone alien to the kind of passionate fanaticism she encounters. Perhaps she is trying to take an everyperson approach and take a viewpoint possibly more empathetic to the reader's.
But sometimes this approach gets a little in the way of things. The chapters on Barbie collectors and pigeon racers and especially the furries (more on that later) are nicely vivid, but the chapter on the avid board gamers felt a little empty--I came out of that one a little mystified as to how these games could be played for the marathon sessions she described. I just didn't get much insight into that arena.
But maybe I wasn't supposed to. Caudron's work is somewhat plot- (or character-) driven: our experience of the current fanatics she is dealing with reflects her own stage in this journey of self-discovery. The meeting with the Barbie collectors is somewhat fluffy and a light intro into the world of fanatics. Later, her time with the furries (people who attend conventions to connect to their animal natures and dress the part) connects to delving into the more dark and disturbing sides of fanaticism, a dark forest in the author's journey. With the gamers, Caudron was trying to express a feeling of removal, but in the process she removed the reader from the experience a little too much.
Perhaps this is what keeps me just slightly reserved about this book. Formally, it's very tight and well done. Caudron does delve a little into the psychology of fanaticism and the need to connect and be with others who share similar experiences, and there's an absolutely wonderful section about "silver-medal" attitude and how siulver-medal winners tend to be less happy people that bronze-medal winners, but these glimpses are brief, and soon the book reverts back to a kind of travel-logue to meet eccentrics. Caudron stayed so close to her self-discovery theme that I think she may have kept the book from developing in the other directions it could have taken.
I would be most interested to see Caudron take the knowledge gained form this book and then find another niche of driven people, perhaps artists or professional wrestlers, people who do what they do in obscurity for the most part, and explore the connections derived from such devotion.
But sometimes this approach gets a little in the way of things. The chapters on Barbie collectors and pigeon racers and especially the furries (more on that later) are nicely vivid, but the chapter on the avid board gamers felt a little empty--I came out of that one a little mystified as to how these games could be played for the marathon sessions she described. I just didn't get much insight into that arena.
But maybe I wasn't supposed to. Caudron's work is somewhat plot- (or character-) driven: our experience of the current fanatics she is dealing with reflects her own stage in this journey of self-discovery. The meeting with the Barbie collectors is somewhat fluffy and a light intro into the world of fanatics. Later, her time with the furries (people who attend conventions to connect to their animal natures and dress the part) connects to delving into the more dark and disturbing sides of fanaticism, a dark forest in the author's journey. With the gamers, Caudron was trying to express a feeling of removal, but in the process she removed the reader from the experience a little too much.
Perhaps this is what keeps me just slightly reserved about this book. Formally, it's very tight and well done. Caudron does delve a little into the psychology of fanaticism and the need to connect and be with others who share similar experiences, and there's an absolutely wonderful section about "silver-medal" attitude and how siulver-medal winners tend to be less happy people that bronze-medal winners, but these glimpses are brief, and soon the book reverts back to a kind of travel-logue to meet eccentrics. Caudron stayed so close to her self-discovery theme that I think she may have kept the book from developing in the other directions it could have taken.
I would be most interested to see Caudron take the knowledge gained form this book and then find another niche of driven people, perhaps artists or professional wrestlers, people who do what they do in obscurity for the most part, and explore the connections derived from such devotion.
September 18, 2007
I like the topic: looking at a variety of fanatics from Barbie collectors to die-hard Andy Griffith fans and pigeon racers. But the author injects herself into the book way too much! It is not that well written. (She writes for Readers Digest when she is not writing novels if that helps.)I think I would have liked simply a discussion/description of the fanatcis, but the author tries to make a thesis about why people are fanatical and passionate, etc. I am not interested in her bigger mission.
October 8, 2008
This book was a great read! I breezed through it without realizing how fast I was reading (which I think is a good determining factor of a good book). I also got a big kick out of the Grobanites section because my roommate is a big Josh Groban fan (although she was quick to inform me she is NOT a Grobanite!). This was a fun look at people who are, well, fanatical about everything from Barbie dolls to pigeon racing. I felt like the author turned "weird" and perhaps misunderstood people into real folks with passionate interests (some very, very passionate). I'd highly recommend this one!
February 18, 2008
Curious about why people join social groups, the author decides to devote her energies into attending a series of fan clubs, organizations and groups.
She visits a Barbie convention, goes tornado chasing, learns about pigeon racing and talks to people who enjoy wearing oversized furry costumes. What are fans of the Andy Griffith show like? Read Caudron's book and find out.
The author lets the reader learn about these people while slowly confronting issues within her own life. It's a thoughtful journey that I'd recommend we all take.
She visits a Barbie convention, goes tornado chasing, learns about pigeon racing and talks to people who enjoy wearing oversized furry costumes. What are fans of the Andy Griffith show like? Read Caudron's book and find out.
The author lets the reader learn about these people while slowly confronting issues within her own life. It's a thoughtful journey that I'd recommend we all take.
July 17, 2019
I have mixed feelings about this book: my expectation was of something somewhat more informative related to subcultures, and less personal. The book does have personal journey in the title, so what should I expect? I would have rathered a book of fewer subcultures with more information/more delving. One or two days isn't enough to really get a feel for things. Even so, it was a fast, pretty fun read. Copied the Grobanite chapter for my mom. She and I share a love and once attended a concert in Dallas.
June 23, 2017
I was interested in reading this book because early on, the author states that she doesn't really have a passion for anything in particular so she went around the country, interviewing and trying out other peoples' passions. I found it interesting that it's mostly about people wanting to be accepted and feel normal. It's not always about the actual activity, but you find your weirdo tribe and you feel a part of something which I think is more and more needed in our digital society.
April 10, 2025
Quite delightful. If you have ever had a passion for something… Barbies or pigeons, or ice fishing or Star Wars. Or know someone who does. You’ll get a kick out of this book.
June 11, 2012
i bought this and the book by Ethan Gilsdorf at the same time because they both were books about geek/fan cultural studies and issues and being a geek/fan/freak i was interested in what these self-appointed Margaret Mead-types had to say about observing the world of collecting/fandom.
So in the case of this book, Shari takes us on a journey around the country (Gilsdorf's was a global thing) to figure out how America became so passionate about material subcultures. She goes to Barbie conventions, sci-fi conventions, Mayberry conventions and even a Furry convention (wow, brave woman) - i liked how she treated her interview subjects with respect to who and why they are. She is honest about her own misgivings but i found myself not really liking her cause she kept getting so insecure about her own lack of passion (she had a history of picking up hobbies and dropping them). i suppose my own myopic views about fandom come up, i cant remember ever NOT immersed in some hobby and related subculture. i cant relate to her plight and actually i feel kinda sorry for her that she couldnt find a niche to fill her leisure time with. but i am a sucker for human interest stories. Like the Barbie Collector who's only son died in a mass shooting in a church and how the Collector community came to comfort her even when her own friends and family couldnt. or The Woman in Red who trains all year for the Mayberry Convention Trivia Contest by watching Andy Griffith reruns for hours a day. and who can forget the colorful characters who raced pigeons! those people were interesting to get to know through Ms. Caudron's book enough that her own cloying voice was easy to phase out as she told their stories.
im glad that she did kinda 'find' herself and tell a bit of story-history about pop culture in the process but i am left a bit cold by her causal rejection of her passion for it.
So in the case of this book, Shari takes us on a journey around the country (Gilsdorf's was a global thing) to figure out how America became so passionate about material subcultures. She goes to Barbie conventions, sci-fi conventions, Mayberry conventions and even a Furry convention (wow, brave woman) - i liked how she treated her interview subjects with respect to who and why they are. She is honest about her own misgivings but i found myself not really liking her cause she kept getting so insecure about her own lack of passion (she had a history of picking up hobbies and dropping them). i suppose my own myopic views about fandom come up, i cant remember ever NOT immersed in some hobby and related subculture. i cant relate to her plight and actually i feel kinda sorry for her that she couldnt find a niche to fill her leisure time with. but i am a sucker for human interest stories. Like the Barbie Collector who's only son died in a mass shooting in a church and how the Collector community came to comfort her even when her own friends and family couldnt. or The Woman in Red who trains all year for the Mayberry Convention Trivia Contest by watching Andy Griffith reruns for hours a day. and who can forget the colorful characters who raced pigeons! those people were interesting to get to know through Ms. Caudron's book enough that her own cloying voice was easy to phase out as she told their stories.
im glad that she did kinda 'find' herself and tell a bit of story-history about pop culture in the process but i am left a bit cold by her causal rejection of her passion for it.
September 20, 2012
disappointing. it purports to be a sociological & pop cultural examination of obsession in the united states, looking at subcultures ranging from barbie fans to pigeon racers to cosplay enthusiasts. sounds kind of interesting, right? but somehow caudron turns the book into an examination of her own obsession with herself. just when i would start to get really into a particular topic, she would draw attention away from the activities she was investigating & the people she was interacting with & focus it back on her favorite subject: shari caudron & what makes her tick. what she enjoys doing with her time. what gives her a reason to get out of bed in the morning. how she may be a qualitatively better or worse person that the people she is interviewing. you get the picture.
because i have no interest in shari caudron, the book was a bit of a slog. i perked up briefly when she stopped by bowling green state university to do some research at their pop culture library. that's where i went to college & one of my majors was pop culture. she writes about how BGSU is the only campus in the united states with a graveyard plunked down right in the middle of it. i always liked the graveyard & didn't realize it was unusual. but she was so dismissive & insulting to everyone she talked to, while seeming to celebrate herself for being an innately curious, open-minded person...it really grated after a while.
this is far from the worst book i've ever read, but it was really nothing special. i would have preferred to read more about the fans & obsessives & their subcultures & less about caudron's personal feelings on ice fishing or whatever. even if she had to inject herself into the story to make it a "personal journey," there surely was a more deft, less clunky way to do it. this book read like passably decent pop culture sociology mashed up with a really boring diary.
because i have no interest in shari caudron, the book was a bit of a slog. i perked up briefly when she stopped by bowling green state university to do some research at their pop culture library. that's where i went to college & one of my majors was pop culture. she writes about how BGSU is the only campus in the united states with a graveyard plunked down right in the middle of it. i always liked the graveyard & didn't realize it was unusual. but she was so dismissive & insulting to everyone she talked to, while seeming to celebrate herself for being an innately curious, open-minded person...it really grated after a while.
this is far from the worst book i've ever read, but it was really nothing special. i would have preferred to read more about the fans & obsessives & their subcultures & less about caudron's personal feelings on ice fishing or whatever. even if she had to inject herself into the story to make it a "personal journey," there surely was a more deft, less clunky way to do it. this book read like passably decent pop culture sociology mashed up with a really boring diary.
August 13, 2007
I ripped through this book in a single night, unable to drop it. Recently, I was asked to write an essay about what I am "passionate" about, yet there was no genuine answer that came to mind. This author limped along through life with this same..."handicap." Nicely-sized chapters are devoted to people with different passions and the author's observations in her quest to figure out why these people are so enamored with certain things. Through some intrepid, candid journalism she transforms these alien topics/humans into people. People with reasons for what they do, reasons that make total sense. People who may not have a reason, but just don't give a crap because they've got their own thing going and are actually inclined to feel a little pity for you. This was an excellent, well-written, humorous, candid look at the groups that we form, the things that we become obsessed about, and the possible reasons why we do.
My one gripe is that the author could get a little annoying. She often revealed a self-centered, stereotype-based, judgmental side, and this bothered me. Yes, she ain't perfect, and neither am I, but still... In any case, she makes up for these vague irritants with utter honesty in respect to her envy and admiration. You can't help but to be swept along in her opinions.
In any case, despite these little grievances I had, I found the book well worth reading because this woman really can write and a more interesting subject she couldn't have chosen. I heartily recommend!
My one gripe is that the author could get a little annoying. She often revealed a self-centered, stereotype-based, judgmental side, and this bothered me. Yes, she ain't perfect, and neither am I, but still... In any case, she makes up for these vague irritants with utter honesty in respect to her envy and admiration. You can't help but to be swept along in her opinions.
In any case, despite these little grievances I had, I found the book well worth reading because this woman really can write and a more interesting subject she couldn't have chosen. I heartily recommend!
December 3, 2014
If you are a hobby-bobber like me, this book will hit a major nerve with you. Author Caudron tells of her burning desire to have... a burning desire. Bouncing from one interest to another, she never found that one thing that really tripped her trigger - the hobby that would consume her and make her a raving fan. I too often feel jealous when I met someone who has a true passion that they will follow and work on with any spare time or money they have. They always have something to turn to and always have a group to discuss their mania with. Crisscrossing the country, Caudron interviews Barbie collectors, Furries, Mayberry fans, pigeon races and storm-chasers. All are dedicated and addicted to their own personal love and yet surprisingly scornful when told of other groups' passions. A funny, weird and definitely interesting look into other people manias.
May 10, 2008
Those of you who share my perfume addiction might find this interesting. The author is curious about why some people have fanatical obsessions over seemingly odd things. She spends time with a variety of fans - ice-fishers, pigeon-raisers, Josh Groban fans (Grobanites), Barbie Collectors, Furries, many more - trying to understand why they do what they do. I found it fascinating and realized that BPAL fans could easily be a chapter in it.
It's funny and well-written, good for a laugh and for an interesting perspective on people.
It's funny and well-written, good for a laugh and for an interesting perspective on people.
May 4, 2016
"I wanted a grand, ferocious, larger-than-life fervor that knew no bounds"
This is a book I've reread a number of times. It's a fun and mostly nonjudgmental look at subcultures like Barbie collectors, Groban fans and pigeon racers. She's searching for something maybe she can become obsessed with. It's not an in-depth academic look by any means, but it's a good time.
What Red Read: Who Are You People? by Shari Caudron
This is a book I've reread a number of times. It's a fun and mostly nonjudgmental look at subcultures like Barbie collectors, Groban fans and pigeon racers. She's searching for something maybe she can become obsessed with. It's not an in-depth academic look by any means, but it's a good time.
What Red Read: Who Are You People? by Shari Caudron
November 11, 2012
Read in the high school days. Would be nice to revisit, but likely only bedside. The concept is really great, exploring the psyche and reason to the American collector, obsessor, or hobbiest. Thoroughly enjoyed the chapter on homing pidgeon racing. A fun dive into convention culture and interest groups by an author curious to find the answer why some people get hooked on one particular thing, while others flex and bend interests all throughout their lifetime. Mildly inconclusive, but you can tell the author had fun with her investigative reporting. It's a fun experience as reader, too.
September 1, 2014
This book is straight-up what it says it is on the cover: the story of the author's personal search for a passion. And by "passion" she means "a hobby she really, really likes". It's mildly entertaining, but every chapter is the same: she researches and interviews a weird group of fanatics, only to find by the end of the chapter that she wishes she were more like them. It's not terrible, though, and the author seems to make it work.
Bottom line: an interesting book if you're looking for something a little different.
Bottom line: an interesting book if you're looking for something a little different.
July 7, 2008
Really entertaining. The chapter about hardcore Josh Groban fans ("Grobanites") is hilarious. (And actually sort of frightening.) The chapter about furries, too, is fascinating and sort of mind-boggling.
My only complaint is that the use of first person is sometimes distracting. Would have been better if it was totally focused on these groups, rather than a running monologue regarding the author's perception of the groups. But that's just me.
My only complaint is that the use of first person is sometimes distracting. Would have been better if it was totally focused on these groups, rather than a running monologue regarding the author's perception of the groups. But that's just me.
August 19, 2007
This book is about a woman who goes and talks to people who are obsessed with things such as Barbie, sci-fi, pigeon racing etc. She is tryong to find out what stirs so much passion in them. I LOVED THIS BOOK. I am quite obsessive in some ways myself and i found it heartwarming and honest. A deep look at "odd people" that really let's you see they are not so odd at all.
January 16, 2008
This book was fascinating! The author was basically trying to figure out people who are fanatical about something- she went to a Barbie convention, went ice-fishing, went to a Josh Groban concert with a van full of his fans (called "Grobanites.") It was really interesting, and she really went about it in a curious, honest, sensitive way- she was not at all about making fun of these people.
March 2, 2008
This examination of people's passions for pursuits such as ice fishing, stalking Josh Groban, and dressing up as animals certainly exposed me to the behavior of fanatics I knew nothing about. The writer uses a style that is approachable to the general public. One thing that annoyed me is that there was missing punctuation now and then.
September 1, 2009
Very interesting! A great recommendation from Ruth and Jack. I found myself wishing the writer would have gone into more detail about certain groups. I might have been tempted to give it 5 stars but she insinuated that Josh Groban is not that good. :)I saw the movie "Fanboys" while reading this and it was an appropriate companion.
September 3, 2016
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4_asv... I saw this video on Soul Pancake FaceBook and immediately thought of this book. I have not laughed out loud more reading a book. I think authentic laughter comes from the perspective of laughing at one's self and one can picture one's self in some of these descriptions. The author captures the essence of being human very well.
January 28, 2014
What a great idea for a book, to cull together the obsessions and passions of Barbie collectors, pigeon racers, ice fishers and others into one volume. Who Are You People? is a good example of immersive journalism; Shari Caudron does a fine job at presenting a snapshot of "real life fanatics," while allowing us to feel her own yearning for life's calling.
August 12, 2009
Chapters on a dozen or so different "passions" from Barbie Dolls to ice-fishing to furries. Some better than others. Author searches for what makes people passionate and why/how they choose their obsessions. Interesting look at the variety and what they may all have in common.
April 17, 2011
Absolutely fascinating. I never knew that peopoe were so passionate about these activities. It was an interesting window into the US and how people create a community for themselves in different ways than they did in decades past.
April 17, 2011
some of the stories were so interesting i didnt want them to end! But then others were so painfully boring i couldnt finish that chapter. the main reason i got this books is because a close friend of mine, kenneth, is in the mayberry chapter.
September 3, 2007
The author's journey seemed fairly authentic, but the book itself was sometimes hokey. An interesting view of some off-center cultures.
Read
September 9, 2008Just picked it up at Strand!
April 23, 2008
I really enjoyed this funny, lively book of stories about people with very odd fanatical obsessions.
May 9, 2008
Wasn't too impressed with this one.
September 14, 2008
Funny exposition of people who are passionate about strange things (like Barbie dolls). Funny, a little repetitious after awhile.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews