Twelve-year-old Oliver Watson is a closet genius. Everyone, including his parents, thinks he’s mentally deficient. What they don’t realize is that he’s a certifiable genius, secretly running a fortune 500 company, and wealthy beyond belief. An ingenious inventor, he has his home and school tricked out to make his life more bearable – for example, he’s rigged the water fountains at school to dispense root beer for him and he has a secret lair accessible from his bedroom where he runs his corporation.
Oliver tolerates his mother, but despises his father. Oliver decides to run for class president in order to destroy his father’s faith in the elections system. You see his dad was class president and sees it as the ultimate achievement. Oliver’s goal is to prove his father’s accomplishment means nothing if he, Oliver the dim-wit, can win the election. Oliver uses his considerable resources and underhanded tactics in his election campaign.
A cross between Artemis Fowl (also an evil boy genius) and The Gospel According to Larry (use of footnotes and sarcasm), I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President is a laugh our loud read. You don’t know wether to root for Oliver to win or to be defeated. I couldn’t put this book down and finished it in one sitting, a rarity these days for me. Oh, and I’ve heard that the movie rights were purchased and the project is in development.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Category: Contemporary/Science-Fiction
Tags: fiction, science fiction, comedy, action, bullying, contemporary, politics
Additional Resources:
I am a Genius of Unspeakable Genius Website – website for the book
USAToday.com: “Josh Lieb of ‘Daily Show’ puts his wit to ‘Unspeakable Evil’” – article and video of the author reading from the book.
YouTube Video: “I AM A GENIUS OF UNSPEAKABLE EVIL AND I WANT TO BE YOUR CLASS PRESIDENT, by Josh Lieb” – Book Trailer Created by June Henson
