So I’m gloom’n it on old Scruffy when I hear this story on the radio about “human books.” These are people who volunteer to become a “book” and allow themselves to be “checked-out” by human book library card holders. The “Borrower” sits down with their “Book” and asks them questions. The Human book answers. Tell his or her story. Entertains. I don’t know what all. All I know, this deal’s been going on for twenty years and I never heard of it.

You want to read more about The Human Book Library?

Check out this link:

Books

Here’s one of the books. I don’t know if he’s still a book.

He’s called BODY MOD EXTREME.

Body Mod Extreme

I am not someone to be afraid of and I fully understand that my look can be overwhelming to some people. But then dont be shy, come on over and ask me. I am not going to bite.

• The lifestyle has a firm grip in its community members and to someone on the outside it can seem very extreme.
• Stereotypes & Prejudices include ideas about criminal and gang related activities, masochism, devil worship and issues with mental illness.
• Fact Most commonly asked: Why do you do it? When did it start? Does it hurt to look like that? Are you into devil worship? What does your parents say? Are children afraid of you?

You wanna be a book?

You need to give yourself a title. That’s apparently what all these books have in common. Body Mod is fairly obvious. Others, like Homeless, Sexually Abused, Refugee, are not so obvious.

What I get so far is most of these people have been marginalized by society.

Like the book, Homeless.

You check him out you’ll read all about how he got homeless. What it’s like being homeless. Ecetera and so on.

unjudge someone

Unjudge someone is humanbook.org’s motto.

I’m like all clear on this deal. Not everyday do you find a outfit that’s doing something to brighten all us lunkheads out here in Rat land. Leave it to the Danes to come up with some touchy feely shit that’s downright admirable.

Maybe there’s hope for the human race after all.

I’m not betting on it.

I wrote an actual book

As a Human Book you gotta define what you are.

The story you want to tell.

I wrote a book called Log Of The Yardbird. I would prefer selling the book I wrote to a gullible public rather than become a human book and loan myself out to a single person for a half hour sitdown.

That can’t be too profitable.

On the other hand, I’m not raking in the cash on the book I wrote.

I don’t know if you can renew your human book. Get another sit down. Maybe not. I imagine there’s rules just like regular libraries. I don’t know the rules for human book libraries because I’m too lazy to click on the link I offered in this very post.

I’m thinking I could call myself Log Of The Yardbird and check myself out to people. Give them a preview. Then coax them to buy my actual book.

That’s a lot of work to sell one book.

You see how I’ve made such a success of my life?

So what would I call my human book?

Depends on the story you want to tell.

I’m trying to think. This is the problem. I’m trying to think.

Let’s say, giving yourself a human book title is a exercise in Self Definition? A way of understanding who you are. A way of learning about yourself…

Know thyself said Socrates. The first step to true wisdom.

Could be this is not so important, all this knowing thyself shit. But I’m curious. That’s how I write these friggin blog posts. I get curious. Like I got curious about “Human Books.”

You could try defining yourself and who knows what you come up with.

OF course the older you are the more material you have to work with. Few of us are just one thing most of our lives. One thing that defines and encapsulates the entire self.

Like this guy.

Ted would have no problem giving himself a book title.

The rest of us maybe not so easy.

I’m trying to give myself a Human Book title.

What’s the main story of my life?

It’s a hard thing to come up with.

I’ll ask you

What’s your Human Book called?