Feeling Shy and Lonely

The folks at Simon & Schuster contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in reading and writing about Degrassi Generations: The Official 411. What the heck, I said. I was a pretty loyal watcher of “Degrassi Junior High” and “Degrassi High”, and I’d seen a couple episodes of “Degrassi: The Next Generation”.

The book covers all the shows, from their origins in “The Kids of Degrassi” to TNG. Predictably, there’s a heavy emphasis on the latter–the book’s obviously being published based on the current success of the show.

It’s your bog-standard guide for fan-boys and fan-girls, covering everything you’d expect to find in a thorough who’s-who and what’s-what about the shows. There are detailed profiles of the casts, an episode guide, and short essays on show elements like the music or set. My favourite bit was the “where are they now” section on the original cast. Stephanie has a band in Toronto, Rebecca works in child mental healthcare, and the twins are both teachers.

Kevin Smith, of Clerks and Chasing Amy fame, is an original fan-boy, and wrote the introduction. Smith and I shared (well, we’ve still got it) a deep affection for Caitlin, played by Stacie Mistysyn. He writes:

Caitlin Ryan was the girl of my dreams: she was smart, soulful, beautiful, socially-conscious, and handicapped (if, indeed, epilepsy can be categorized as handicapped). That combination meant that she could stand on her own two feet, yet still needed to be cared for and protected from the cruel, harsh world as well.

Smith, of course, went on to direct and star in three episodes of TNG.

For the hardcore fan of either shows, The Official 411 is probably worth picking up. The Internet offers up a lot of the content in this book, but it’s sometimes hard to find, and hardly works as a collector’s item.

Bonus Link: A charming musical summary of the new show (thanks to Lex).