Queen of the Oddballs: And Other True Stories from a Life Unaccording to Plan

Hillary Carlip

Oct 2009 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

A hilariously offbeat memoir about an adventurous young woman's escapades as she defies conventions and transforms an ordinary Los Angeles life into a star-studded, extraordinary miracle of self-discovery.

Queen of the Oddballs forms a chronology of Hillary Carlip's habitual straying from roads more traveled -- from a wisecracking third-grader suspended from school for smoking (while imitating Holly Golightly) to a headline-making teen activist, juggler and fire eater, friend (NOT "fan") of Carly Simon and Carole King, grand prize-winning Gong Show contestant, cult rock star, and seeker of spiritual and romantic truths that definitely defy expectations.

Illustrated with ephemera -- from diary entries and photographs to a handwritten letter from Carly Simon -- Queen of the Oddballs presents a virtual time capsule of pop culture's last four decades and celebrates a creative life lived to the hilt.

Ratings and reviews

This was an entertaining (and star-studded!) collection of essays. I enjoyed reading them and while they were not always laugh-out-loud funny, they were deeply amusing. It was a lot of fun to read, and while David Sedaris remains the king of this memoir/essay genre, I found Hillary Carlip to be much more entertaining than Augusten Burroughs. I didn't love it the book, but I really did like it!

AAA

About the author

Hillary Carlip, author of Girl Power, has written commentaries for NPR, and is a performer and artist. She is the creator of the acclaimed personal essay Web site freshyarn.com, and she lives in Los Angeles.