Greek Gods: #squadgoals by Courtney Carbone

For those who thought studying actual Greek mythology was too time consuming – or perhaps, for those who love Greek mythology, but want to see it get a modern makeover, Greek Gods: #squadgoals by Courtney Carbone is the social media/smartphone retelling you didn’t know you needed.

Imagine: What if Mount Olympus got WiFi and the gods and goddesses had smartphones? The classic Greek myths get new life in irreverent and hilarious texts and posts!
Zeus, a king of the gods always in search of a new bae.
A squad of goddesses who can’t resist stirring the pot.
And the selfie-obsessed heroes out for all the likes.
If you have trouble telling Perseus from Theseus (#Greek2Me) or have ever wondered about Oedipus’s tragic dating profile or why Medusa’s Instagram never got traction–this satirical book of Greek myths retold for the Internet age is for you!
tl;dr D’Aulaires’ and Homer’s Greek myths told through characters texting with emojis, posting photos, checking in at locations, and updating their relationship statuses. The perfect gift for any reader–young or old–with a sense of humor!
A glossary and cast of characters are included for those who need it. For example: tl;dr means too long; didn’t read.

I’ll be honest, if you’re not familiar with Greek mythology, this book will probably be … well, Greek to you. But anyone with a basic understanding of the gods and myths will find this clever modernized twist a fun way to revisit these classic stories through a modern lens.

Part of the OMG Classics series, Greek Gods: #squadgoals isn’t so much a retelling of a single story (like with others in the series that tackle Hamlet, Pride & Prejudice, and Macbeth), but rather bite-sized snippets that summarize through texts, tweets, group chats, photos, and more the legendary gods and stories of Greek mythology.

From the birth of Zeus to the slaying of Medusa, and everything in between, Carbone finds humorous ways to retell this well-known stories through a technological lens. That said, the melding of these two worlds does get a bit muddied. Sometimes, the myths just didn’t translate well to this format – and younger readers who may not be familiar with the original stories may just be confused. Meanwhile, older readers – like this 30-something reviewer – may get frustrated having to check the glossary to translate so many text acronyms.

Still, if you’re looking for a fun, different approach to visiting Greek mythology, Greek Gods: #squadgoals can be a fun way to introduce these characters – though perhaps best accompanied by more traditional tellings. The book is in stores now.