He thinks he's better than everybody, but he's definitely not.
349079
Before I bought this book, I hadn't realized that I had already read this story in&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Eightball-23/dp/B000W7SRZG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Eightball #23</a>&nbsp;back in 2004.  Oh well, it was worth reading again and it's a sturdier, larger book.  Andy is a middle aged loner, but most of the story is flashbacks to his high school years in the 1970s.  Andy gets superstrength when he smokes cigarettes, thanks to medical experimentation his scientist father did to him when he was an infant.  Andy also has a legitimate death-ray that his father left for him.  I feel like I already revealed too much, so I'll say no more.  I loved this comic book, but I love almost all of Daniel Clowes' work.
3294316
some of the people are just bragging and comparing themselves to real greats, not tv greats that suck.
4638048
His reviews are a little more highbrow and elitist than he claims to be.  Funny at times, but full of himself.  Disappointing.
4214441
Intelligence doesn't always provide you with a money making job.  People have to be willing to work with their colleagues to get things done.  John Kennedy Toole creates for us in his book A Confederacy of Dunces a character named Ignatius J. Reilly who has the opportunity to work but doesn't.  The reason he doesn't is because he can't seem to get along with the people he works with.  People come to dislike him because of his behavior and his physical attributes.  As a person he belittles his friends and his colleagues, he will not listen to any one who challenges his word, and he is just down right lazy: a sloth of a sophisticate.
 Ignatius J. Reilly distinguishes himself as a philosopher, a bourgeoisie, and a genius.  He is none of the above.  In reality he is just an overweight man who lives with his mother, and gets carried away in his imagination.  As a person though, he believes that he is a figure of much importance.  When he is let loose on the streets of New Orleans people ignore him and laugh at his ideas.  Those who he comes to know, though, hate him because of his overly conservative view on life.  He creates trouble for himself when he writes an obnoxious letter of complaint, gets fired for leading a mock strike, tries to create a political party, and upsets his mother.
 He loves to express his own opinions much like this one, "I refuse to `look up.'  Optimism nauseates me.  It is perverse.  Since man's fall, his proper position in the universe has been one of misery" (59).  It is because of these opinions he is disliked by people in general.  In one passage of the book he compares himself with African Americans.  "In a sense I have always felt something of a kinship with the colored race because its position is the same as mine: we both exist outside the inner realm of the American society" (122).  They are both outcasts.  African Americans are disliked because of their skin color, and he is disliked because of his radical opinions.
 There are not many people who like him and want to help him.  His mother and a friend from University are the only ones who seem to care for him.  His friend from University had this to say to him in a letter she wrote: "Realize that life is surging around you.  The valve closes because it thinks it is living in a dead organism.  Open your heart Ignatius and you will open your valve" (215).  Ignatius doesn't listen to most advice except for this piece given from an old friend.  He decides to accomplish something for himself out in the big bad world, and this is when he tries to create a political party.  Countless times Ignatius has tried to succeed at something and has failed miserably.  His mother wishes he would seek out psychological help for his faults.  Ignatius however, accepts his faults and lives with them, and having somebody try to change him as a person would kill his character.  This is why he feels angered by his mother's solution to all his problems.  "...Striving is ultimately meaningless...we must learn to accept" (298).  Ignatius wants his mother to accept him as the person he already is.  His mother is unwilling to accept the son that she gave birth to.
 As an early twentieth century book A Confederacy of Dunces illustrates how people acted after the World Wars.  People were beginning to criticize each other about their personal lives, religion and political view.  African Americans were just starting to be accepted in society.  One of the major out-lying themes in the book and the time period for that matter is acceptance.  How did people accept each person's problem?  John Kennedy Toole shows us with the characters of this book how each person dealt with another person's problem.  The book itself may be heavy reading and somewhat confusing but it is well worth reading.  It reminds us of how life has changed since the post World War Era, and it covers many themes of today that people in general can relate too.
1083556
The book is fun to read and we old-timers will shake our heads and thank our lucky stars that we don't work at a start-up with clueless youngsters as bosses.  However, the author fails to recognize his shortcomings and his immaturity.  He could have handled his experience with grace and dignity, and avoided problems.  I was annoyed by the fact that, like many people with his shortcomings, he assumes he is "normal."  A guy that old should not be that vulnerable or that easily impressed with others.  Man up, Lyons!
2255789
Alas, this guy has more ideas than literary talent; s mny in fact that the reader starts to feel like he's listening to someone who talks too fast for fesr thst if he doesn't pile it on you might have time to see what confused bore he is.
4306453
He was a little smaller then I expected. Everyone complained that he was made out felt and not very soft and like his wings and spikes are but that's just to keep him shaped right.
4822385
Take a look at the artist statement above... he seems a bit egotistical, doesn't he?  How does he know he's as intelligent as the rest of the world?  EVERYONE thinks they're as smart as the rest of the world.  He says his  lyrics are insulted... but who can understand the lyrics?  I quite enjoy  SOAD's music, and if I could understand what they were saying, I just might  concur with their self-review.  But until then...
3170087
Is not all that I had anticipated from this over-rated expositor.
2457108
He unites people....unlike the current administration.
3704255
This isn't really about the people her meets or the connections he makes, which is what I was expecting; it's mostly just short, random observations that aren't particularly insightful or interesting. He sounds like a somewhat unhappy person that feels a little sorry for himself which I found to be kind of annoying. I didn't end up finishing it.
4897789
He is telling not to have a preconditioned mindset to look at any situation etc. However he is not understanding he himself is having his own pre-existing mindset and stereotyping and presenting others or telling "You are wrong, I am right". He is blinded to his own crooked mindset.
1561180
It's obvious that the author doesn't really get it. He writes about what it takes to be successful  and equivocate that to be rich, but it's pretty clear that he himself is on the outside looking in. The premise of this book is that successful people set goals and stick to them, which is not really the case. Successful people create lifestyles that breed success. Set all the goals you want and become a slave to them, all that will happen is that you'll just be unhappy. A better option is to change your lifestyle to one that reflects what you want and will result in positive outcomes.
2201595
This self-centered jerk, Troy Duffy, was lucky enough for Miramax to strike a deal with him. And what happens? His big ego takes over and he thinks he's God's gift to Hollywood. He's abusive to everyone he deals with, including friends and family. Miramax drops him and he thinks that someday he will be a huge success and everyone will pay for how they treated him so badly (in his warped mind). I wanted him to fail so badly, and he did. I think this film is a great example of you can get in the way of yourself.

I wonder what he's doing now. Unless he has woke up and taken a good look at himself, he's going to go further downhill in that trainwreak that is his life. Sadly, I'm I'm sure he's taking a few people on that ride with him.
4165787
He seems to be a bitter old man. His money seems to have him convinced his opinions matter to everyone else. His vanity cards tell us that he thinks we're despicable. He's useless now, as are his 'comedies'. Another Hollywierd casualty, so sure he knows what's best for those of us in the flyover states. Useless.
4876563
I can't figure out why people like this guy so much.  He really irritates the hell out of me.  He's just another pundit who spews out opinions faster than he can actually think, but as long as he's confident enough and tosses in enough jokes, people think he's a genius.
4243438
He says things that I would love to say to people, but can't.