| Watch Out | 
 enlarge | Author: Joseph Suglia
Publisher: FLF Press
Category: Book
Buy Used: $50.24
Used (3) from $50.24
Avg. Customer Rating:  55 reviews
Sales Rank: 647610
Media: Perfect Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 210
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4
ISBN: 1891855778
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781891855771
ASIN: 1891855778
Publication Date: September 4, 2006
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Book Description
"WATCH OUT is the story of Jonathan Barrows, a man who falls in love with himself, literally. He is attracted only to himself and takes pleasure in rejecting the advances of his many admirers. Written in an eye-popping style that will shock even the most jaded of readers, WATCH OUT is destined to become a cult classic and Joseph Suglia, a cult icon."
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 Serious Reading Make No Mistake About It. August 5, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Make no mistake.
"Watch Out", the novel creation of Dr. Joseph Suglia is visceral! To give an historic and ethos filled sense for the reader, hear here the voice of Anthony Burgess; "The scientific approach to life is not really appropriate to states of visceral anguish". Quickly for one moment turn back your mental clock to a short time ago in history to, "Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess. In the violence ending Suglia's creation, the violence of Burgess's creation is no more or less. So I say then of Suglia, we have a sublime comparison in Suglia to Burgess. But lest the reader be led astray by the visceral end of a life, let this reviewer bring attention to the astute reader the likeness of Aldous Huxley floating evocatively in the distorted social world presented for the reader to see, a world presented as a future not yet reached by the readers but are warned of which to watch out. If but they only would find themselves able to tear themselves away from Jonathan Barrows, they might see the strangeness of the social world of this strange and fascinating creature Jonathan Barrows, for it provides a backdrop against which the man may be seen. So totally does Suglia draw his readers into the world of Jonathan Barrows few if any ever really seem to take the time to examine the world around him and the people who surround him and desire him in every way everyday. What kind of people are the people surrounding Jonathan Barrows? With thoughts and questions like these arising it is no wonder a philosophic reader will note the striking parallel to the individualism of the works of Ayn Rand, most pointedly in Jonathan Barrows as outworked to the extreme. This reviewer must remark on the supreme seemingly likeness to the Alpha man of Brave New World.
Jonathan Barrows near the beginning of the narrative is found traveling by train to interview for a professorship at a community college. The position is that of "Professor of Intelligent Thinking". An Alpha Man in a world where all the individuals seek their own pleasure uninhibitedly, as may be seen in the multitude of raw attempts on him to engage in sexual encounters, where in each and every instance Jonathan Barrows reigns supreme and denies everyone. Call this a brave new society minus the controllers and social engineering, where self reigns and violence exist pure and simple.
Certainly there is humor found in the narrative, there is that humor found for intelligent minds. Such high minded humor has commentary to say on mores' of today, perceived by the author or implied for sake. We read of the end of the affair wherein we find Jonathan Barrows responding to a menage a trois opportunity. One of the two woman he simply speaks bluntly to and says; "I say unblinkingly, "I would pay you twice the sum to keep your clothing on" and in that moment a vision into the soul of the corrupted young woman via the wit and repartee of George Bataille comes forth with an echoing remembrancer in the following thought line he has; "She cannot free the apes that are locked in the cages of her mind". How sveltely suave of Suglia to find echoes of the earliest years of the science of mind of extremist writers. The chapter "Becoming a Man" bears keeping in mind, this freely engaged in incest and familial violence is representative of the strangeness and alienness of the society-individual reality, which typical western minds are unable to grasp oft times. These portrayals are extreme, yet the setting of the literary world presented for portrayal, may be extreme across the board within the confines of the boards ending the narrative. Language is key, while the style chosen is excessive its expression is linguistically sublime
Whatever other reviewers may say, "Watch Out" is by no means a fast paced read. While though the sentences are short and to the point, their conciseness is heavy with the fullness of language carrying efficiently the image sought after for the reader to envision. Comparisons to modern day writers all, like Suglia strive to blaze their own way, and are not aptly compared to one another. More apt and telling is when the themes found sounded through previous works that have stood some test of time, are found to be coming to life in a narrative despite authorship, then the spirit of genius may be appealed to. Many reviewers imputed a lack of depth to "Watch Out" with directives of weakness of plot or development. Persons who consider Watch Out to be a, "Quick read" and or who complain of a lacking plot or character development, should really try reading a little more concentrically and with less shallowness of mind. "Watch Out" while printed so as to read in the normal lineal fashion-beginning to end, this reviewer has come to understand the true story as it actually starts in the chapter named, "My Eyes Have Seen the Coming of the Glory of the lord" after which the chapter "Midnight Ebony" leads the reader to the beginning of the narrative on page one. The story in it's true beginning starts and comes full circle in the telling of the gang-rape of Jonathan Barrows. The pathos experienced by Jonathan Barrows with the completion of his being gang-raped gives rise to an all together likely slow motion review of his life in the depths of his mind, much like the flashback of a man about to die.
As seen in the dreaminess of the story at the point of, "Midnight Ebony" as also at the beginning with, "Immobility" transitioning right into the train ride leading to the classroom eventually. The remaining second half of the story, so visceral in its depiction of raw, sexual and violent word imagery, may be the better understood as the uninhibited view of the life lived by Jonathan Barrows prior to making the trip to the college.
A discombobulation of memories.
This is a society of much opposition to society as we may say we live. This is a work of writing focused on an individual and the society he is found in, it is not scatological for purpose, no. It is made thus by the expressed interpretations of the individual reviewer himself. The narrative as such is about a candidate for professor of intelligence at a community college who is then impolitely ignored and finds in the end himself being gang-raped by the very class he would teach.
No this is not scatological, it is every bit a story told given an understanding of the anguish of Jonathan Barrows in one moment of his life time,
a moment as allusively described via Burgess;
"The scientific approach to life is not really appropriate to states of visceral anguish".
Listen then to the voice of Jonathan Barrows at the end of the rape act;
"The hands fall on me. The world blacks out........I weep, wrenched, doubled-over; I grasp my hair furiously, I writhe.........Tears stream hotly down my face." (pg. 151-152); "The night flows through the window now. The enclosing night. I am alone in this benighted space. I disappear into the seams of the protective night. The writhing black welcomes for me to move. At this moment, I know the destitution of the world. I am the destitution of the world." (pg 155); "Suddenly my body loses its ability to move. There is nothing to do. I accept-and even enjoy-my paralysis. I wrap silence around myself and explore my most intimate recesses. Hidden roads to secret cities. Though outside of the classroom is a riot of activity, here I am at an infinite remove from the events of the world. I examine the contours of my mind without interruption. I ball myself up in the hollow of a womb.
No one touches me anymore."(pg 3);
(Edition one 2006. FLF Press. VA.)
A lone individual a clash of people. Society supremely suppressing the lone individual, Themes people, themes. Clockwork Orange, Brave New World, Anthem, and now years later, Watch Out, it is as simple as a, b, c, make no mistake.
When you read this book watch out.
Robert J. Rei- Reviewer, August 5, 2008
Watch Out Will Change Your Life...or at Least Give You a Good Tickle August 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"I am the Him. The absolute being. Understand that I am not merely one being among other beings. I am the being, the being of all beings... The history of humanity is nothing more than a preparation for My emergence into the world."
Talk about a God complex!
Jonathan Barrows, the solipsist with delusions of grandeur, is the "hero" in Northwestern professor Joseph Suglia's latest book, Watch Out. Suglia takes us on a journey into the mind of Jonathan Barrows, an unmitigated egoist who comes off like an Ayn Rand character gone terribly, terribly wrong. However, whereas the characters in Rand's books worship themselves because of their accomplishments and ability to move the world, Barrows worships himself because, well, he deems himself a fine human specimen. A wretched agoraphobic, Jonathan Barrows loathes the touch, presence, and interaction of all other humans but has only one special love: himself. Excuse me, Himself. A modern day Narcissus, instead of falling into a pond upon seeing his own beautiful reflection, he is so enamored with himself, he has a blowup doll fashioned in his own image to make love to.
Watch Out seems to be Barrows' catchphrase as he encounters all types of lowlifes and David Bowie lookalikes, all of whom want a piece of Barrows' perfection. He openly shows his abhorrence to the swarms of women who fall over him and throw their panties his way as if he were a rock star. And in his mind, he is a rock star. But really, what is supposed to be so great about him? Aside from the fact that he apparently looks like Jude Law ("I certainly do not resemble Jude Law. Mr. Law, however, may bear a slight resemblance to ME.") and has a very word-of-the-day vocabulary, he really has no talent. He can't even get an interview to teach at a third-rate community college! He's extremely close-minded in that he sees the world in black and... orange, a color that repulses him. There are only two restaurants in Jonathan Barrows' world: Burger God and Lobster King, over-the-top chain eateries with disgusting specialties such as chicken-powdered French fries. Every male looks like David Bowie ("he would look exactly like David Bowie, if David Bowie were three hundred pounds and wiglessly bald."), every tree is a yew tree, every television show is an exaggerated episode of Becker. Barrows acknowledges that despite his hatred for his fellow man, he in fact needs interaction with other people to accentuate his importance.
The first part of the book puts the reader really into the mind of Mr. Barrows and introduces you to the world he sees. Personally, I'm someone who wants to like everyone, but truly, Jonathan Barrows has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. And that's what makes him so delicious. I found the antics of the protagonist to be quite entertaining, although it did get a bit redundant after awhile. However, I think that's the point.
In the second part of the book, our hero decides he is going to assassinate the world's most celebrated pop star, Britney Spears. To sound like a bad book report, that is where I am leaving it because as repetitive as it gets sometimes, it's still a thoroughly entertaining read, outlandish and hilarious, and I absolutely recommend it. Joseph Suglia, despite his off-color absurdity, is a brilliant writer and subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) masters morbidity and humor. I read Watch Out while sitting in the hospital, and every show I watched really was Becker, and everything seemed to be awash with not orange but a garish shade of mauve; I was starting to feel a bit like Jonathan Barrows myself... minus the blowup doll.
 Total Waste of Time July 2, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a sophomoric effort to emulate Georges Bataille. It fails abysmally. This is clearly one of the worst books ever written. You can read this garbage in a half-hour, but you'll never get that half-hour back. I cannot fathom how anyone with any modicum of intelligence can actually praise this garbage, unless you're a 13-year old kid who likes dirty words and torture-porn.
Silly May 8, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I had the exact same reaction with this book as I did reading J.G. Ballard's "Crash", completely ridiculous writing. I would categorize these types of books as porn, not traditional porn, but porn for people who just like to read the grotesque side of human behavior. I prefer more substance.
Best Thing Written in Ages April 24, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Joseph Suglia's WATCH OUT absolutely hung the moon. Some stories become apart of you forever, but this is not the case with WATCH OUT. It is something deeper than that, which is now fused to me from here on out. It's Joseph Suglia's wordings that has redefined all I've ever known or appreciated on the topic of imagery. I've yet to come across anything that touches his command of language. His words pop and brew a cannonball splash of visuals and he was able to pen the strongest adhesive, hyper focused state that has ever graced my reading brain. The plot of WATCH OUT is mentioned throughout these other reviews, but to even judge or acknowledge plot in this book is to miss and detour away from its brilliance. This is not a book for children or little old ladies. While I've read that this book is a cult-classic type, I believe that mainstream America would also be lining up to buy WATCH OUT if they had an inkling of how high the book's fonts strike up a mental-wonderland.
Some characters also become apart of you forever. And again, this is not the case here. Johnathan Barrows is a circus-painted caricature of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (he also qualifies for at least 3 other Personality Disorders, as he is not a milk and toast kinda guy). What is lovable is Joseph Suglia's ability to bewitch the reader into Barrows skewed reality. It is the reader's belly-laughing delight to live amid and note the discrepancies and it is a readers' blessing to see it all cast with language so surged, and jazzed-up, jaw-dropping coolness.
If you are not a minor and young enough to work email, you should absolutely read this book. It will enrich your mind with the coolest word paint I've ever seen.
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