Amanda Hocking

Amanda's Blog Post

Reverse Childhood & Other Ramblings

March 15th, 2011 by
This post currently has 98 comments

I don’t own Jurassic Park. Not even VHS.

That doesn’t sound like much to you, but this is a fact: Jurassic Park came out on tape October 4, 1993. Do you know how I know this? Because I had it marked on the calendar. I obsessed about it with an unhealthy fervor. I wanted to skip school that day so I could go buy it, but I eventually convinced my parents to pick me up from school so I could go get it.

I distinctly remember my mom and dad picking me up my classroom and apologizing to my teacher for me being such an irritating spaz all day. I probably disrupted the class a thousand because I just could not wait to get the movie.

So to me, it’s very strange that I don’t own it. I don’t even know where my VHS went. It’s just gone, in the magical pile of things that got lost when my parents split up. Also in that pile: my Stray Cats .45 for “Stray Cats Strut,” She-Ra’s horse, my TMNT Halloween costume, and my awesome Jurassic Park t-rex that had a chunk of flesh that could be removed from side for realistic battles.

I was the only fourth grader in my school that had read the complete works for Michael Crichton.  So suffice it say, I was a pretty awesome fourth grader.

I read Jaws by Benchley when I was eight.I read Terminal Man by Crichton when I was nine years old.  I read Cujo by King when I was ten, and subsequently went on to read most of Stephen King’s books by the time I was twelve.

It should also be noted that I didn’t start reading young adult books until I was an adult. I read anything I could get my hands when I was a kid, and I was into horror and sci-fi, I guess. So that’s mostly what I read.

But I also wanted to make a point of reading books that I’d heard of – things that people talked about as classics. So I sought out Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Jack Kerouac, Sylvia Plath, J.D. Salinger, Edgar Allen Poe, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, that guy who wrote Lolita who’s name I can’t remember and I’m too lazy too look up.

I read all of that stuff by the time I was sixteen. I do everything backwards, though. I didn’t start getting into graphic novels and young adult books until I was in my twenties.

I grew up backwards, I think, and I like that better. It’s much more fun being a kid now that I’m an adult.

And I really need to get a copy of Jurassic Park.

P. S. To all those who weighed in the Australia trip – I’m seriously looking into it. I haven’t bought any tickets yet or made any official plans, but I’m in talks to get something going. Because Australia is fancy.

P. P. S. To those didn’t understand my ABBA comment in the last post, it’s because in the hit Australian film Muriel’s Wedding, Toni Collette listens almost exclusively to ABBA, and it was my attempt at being funny. But I’m not always funny.

P. P. P. S. The Australian film Candy is actually a big inspiration for the My Blood Approves series, particularly Letters to Elise.

P. P. P. P. S. You should all listen to “My Body is a Cage” by Peter Gabriel. It’s a cover of an Arcade Fire song, but I like the Peter Gabriel version better. To be fair, I love covers of songs though. They’re my favorite.

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  • Nichole says:

    ahaha. I totally had that T-rex toy. *sigh* I don’t know what happened to all my old toys once I moved out of my parents house and they moved…

  • bt says:

    So have you started reading Nancy Drew mysteries yet, or is that next? 😉

  • Amanda says:

    Wow, I read these comments and I feel positively ancient. 🙂

    You’re so right, it’s much more fun being a kid as an adult. The folks who do it the other way ’round are the ones who turn out to be old fuddy-duddies in a rocking chair, complaining about the world and everything in it.

    When I was a kid back in the day, adults didn’t hover over kids like they do today, which generally gave kids a lot more freedom of choice in what they read. My folks never really kept tabs on what I read- the thought was that a kid reading a book was a good thing, period. Makes we feel sad for those growing up now- so many parents and teachers feel they have to censor everything for kids. That’s okay for younger kids, but people need to realize that exposing young people to diverse ideas isn’t something to be feared.

    Read on!

  • BA says:

    Ours lives mirror each other. Can’t put King down, but it’s Crichton that’s my favorite. I am backward though, I read the books then see the movies. I usually love Crichton movies with the exception of “Congo”, piss poor. I stopped doing that a couple years ago. I’ve heard it reported that a Crichton book will be out in about 2 years then I guess that’s it. Rest in Peace Micheal. One of my favorite musicians is Peter Gabriel. Started listening to him while in Genesis. Here’s the biggie, I’ve never read or seen or had a desire for Jurassic Park and I don’t know why. Nice blog.

  • Kaitlin says:

    Wow, memories! Jurassic Park was potentially the most petrifying thing I’d ever seen when it came out in theaters (my poor five-year-old sister had nightmares for weeks – but still, thank God for parents who are happy to let their kids self-terrify with reckless abandon), and I absolutely loved it! And every other thing you listed in this post, practically. Like a journey back in time…

    Also, digging your book montage! You have impeccable taste. Keep up the fantastic work.

  • Mate says:

    Hey Mate
    FYI is pronounced Straya.

    Cheers

  • JMims says:

    I have some seriously fond memories of Jurassic Park, and being so excited to read the book when it came out. I also remember reading Lost World, and really not digging it as much.

    But, I read EVERYTHING growing up. It just did not matter. If I could get my hot little hands on a book, comic book, newspaper, or magazine I would read it. Still do.

    And still love my JP. And Back to the Future. Both are on my desert island lists.

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  • Josh says:

    Jurassic Park is my all-time favourite childhood movie! And I love Michael Crichton books, my personal favourite is Prey, such a good page turner, read it within a few days (which is not at all like me!). I love the blog by the way, take a look at mine if you like; thisisjoshuaa.blogspot.com 🙂

  • hraheem says:

    اسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته احب ان اثني بعجابي لجميع الاصدقاء واتمنا لهم الحب والحنان احبائي الاعزاء انا من الذين السعون في الارض للرزق