Author Pens Funny & Poignant Memories of His Life - A Page-turner!
352464
An interesting, heart-warming story of a young midwestern boy growing up.  This Midwestern author's writing begins with a nod to Oklahoma's Favorite Son, Will Rogers.  The memoir emcompasses the special times in the author's life (the first kiss, his first tussle; the memories of family holiday meals; how he decided upon becoming a doctor; discovering the importance of friendship and what friends can teach you; amazing discoveries while being a physician as well as the challenges of a first year resident). Throughout this book I found amusing experiences that I'd smile about as well as easily imagine happening.  An easy to follow book, it is hard to put down.  In my own opinion ... most poignant (yet amusing in parts) was the chapter 'A Story of Grandparents' Love'.

There are two excerpts of this book, which I'll share with you:

"The main initial goal of our arrival to our grandparents home was to escape the dreaded clutches of Uncle Troy, who delighted in terrorizing all of his nephews. At the first opportunity , he chased us down, grabbed us by the short hairs on the back of our necks and pulled until we screamed.  He then grinned ear to ear and triumphantly yelled, 'Up jumped a rabbit!"

 The author and his wife took a drive out to his grandparents' farm a number of years after his grandparents had passed.

"In what little that remained of a kitchen, I saw the place where my grandmother used to cook her Thanksgiving feasts, and there was the small breakfast nook where the kids ate when the main table was overflowing with adults.  The dining room had lost the echoes of the many meals enjoyed there and seemed as a vacant shell.  The warm memories were as an empty wisp.  Were they ever really here?  Was it all a forgotten dream?  I could not stop crying."

Through this book there are writings that make you laugh as well as begin to shed tears.  An exceptional read!
3077512
This book is a page turner!  I believe that writing is the window to one's soul; therefore, through their letters, Kate and Hillary bear just this.  In the age of "instant message" and "Email," their  letters prove that the "written" word still has a place in our  lives.  These women poignantly captured a crucial year in their lives  through their words. I laughed with Hillary (as she reminded me of my best  friend) bumbling through thirty-something, singles life.  I cringed at  Kate's experiences, my being a teacher, as I was truly moved by the  inhumane treatment of the students and teachers in the African schools;  now, her experiences have me thinking if evil is inherent in humankind.  I  was saddened by the ending; after such an endearing journey through their  lives for one year, the reader is left wondering if the authors' lives  changed from this "special" experience.
4930853
Frank Deford's memoir is full of wonderful and enjoyable writing about his life in general and sports in particular.  Within, we get to learn about how he grew up, and grew as a writer of all things sports, in a manner that's free of ego or self-consciousness.  He comes off as the kind of guy that you'd love to just sit and listen to, telling tales of the interesting people he's met and things he's done, but in an "aw shucks, I've been lucky" kind of way, rather than "I achieved this. I, I, I..."

It's 345 of the quickest pages I've ever read, with tales of sports mixed in with his life story (giving one the opportunity to jump around the book by chapter as interest dictates) and I sure hope that his next book is called "Double Overtime", as I'm sure he's got more stories to tell.

While I thought I was mostly familar with Mr. Deford from his NPR commentary, I used to have a Sports Illustrated subscription when I was a younger guy, and in the course of reading his memoir, I found out that I'd read a lot more of his writing than I'd thought.  The fact that his writing has stuck with me after all those years, and that his mention of those past articles instantly summoned them to mind, says a lot about the quality of his writing then, and now.  I was also stunned to realize that I remembered seeing him a Miller Lite commercial lo these many years past, and his recounting of his experiences on the "Tastes Great! Less Filling!" All Star Team were both unexpected and quite enjoyable.

Some of the other topics in the book of general interest to sports fans include:

* The pioneers of sports writing, including Grantland Rice
* Ted Williams vs. Joe Dimaggio
* The tragedy of Jimmy the Greek
* The failure of National Sports Daily
* The mystery of golf
* A magically classy moment from Magic Johnson
* The legacy of Arthur Ashe

...and quite a lot more.  While most of the concentration is indeed on sports, I learned more about Deford himself than I expected, and my admiration of him as a man is now added to my previous admiration of him as a writer and commentator.

Well worth a read.
942222
Brad has written a memoir that is refreshingly candid in his retelling of his experiences as a student minister and hilarious in places in the way he dares to voice the doubts and second-guessing that comes with a self-aware approach to 'living on the ragged edge of humanity' as Dan Aleshire put it at our convocation at seminary.

I didn't approach the book seeking depth of insight and breadth of experience, but I got them. It's not that I had low expectations, I was simply looking for shared experiences - a reading of Brad's life as a minister and a father and a husband, all things that we have in common. As I read through the stories I relived some of my own, and in some cases simply lived them vicariously ... at several point I said "note to self: remember this response if you find yourself in a similar situation."

Thanks, Brad, for an unassuming, humble and honest sharing of your life.

Write on!
1929112
I read the sincere and hilarious Idiot Boys while on vacation and could not put it down! I could relate to many of the stories in this memoir as I'm sure many readers will realize. I too come from a racially diverse school district and appreciated all the insightful thoughts on race relations among boys during their youth. And of course, I appreciated all the hilarious moments as the "idiot boys" pursued drugs, women and adventure. But there are many profound and thoughtful passages as well including the death of the narrator's mother and how the narrator develops his own ideas on spirituality and religion. Even though I am a millennial and did not grow up during Butterfield's era, I highly recommend this memoir to anyone of any age as some of the ideas and themes span all generations. I will be passing this memoir on to my father to read. Hopefully, there will be more to read from Bradley Butterfield in the future.
4616331
While all good travel writers are humorous, few are so riotously, effortlessly entertaining as Erik Hanut; He is also witty, fair-minded, brave and a wonderful writer. This book is a poignant- and hilarious- collection of stories about people Hanut has met and loved and who, knowingly or unknowingly, steered him on the path to fulfill his destiny as one of the new great travel writers! One of the great books of 2001!
2625560
From her smart rhetoric to her personal story, Tania Grossinger is clearly a force to be reckoned with -- and she proves it chapter after chapter in this  quick-read of an autobiography. The book also serves as a nostalgic memory peg for anyone who spent their summers vacationing at the Catskills' most celebrated resort during the 1950s & '60s, and a fun history lesson (packed with insider celebrity scuttlebutt) for anyone who didn't.  Kudos to Ms. Grossinger for her candor and skill.  I loved it and have been talking it up to everyone I know!
909072
This is a memoir by a very good writer. The content is honest and captivating. David Berner, a friend, and his two sons hit the road in the tradition of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road." Berner reflects on a divorce, aging parents, and fatherhood throughout the trip. I loved the self-deprecating humor
4321252
What a thoroughly enjoyable and leisurely stroll through the life and recollections of CPA turned lawyer turned writer Mort Zachter. Mazltov he gave it up with the law thing, like we need more lawyers already? We need more people with soul and skill and a voice like this to keep alive the stories, the traditions, and yeah, the faith. I am not particularly devout, but this book touched maybe an ancestral part of me that is not usually so easily accessed. Except by, maybe, Mickey Katz?

Here are the recollections of Mr. Z as he describes growing up in New York, but it's all about the Store- the small bakery in the Lower East Side. But the life of the store is the men whose lives it was- his uncles  Joe & Harry.

This is a look at a way of life that is all but disappeared. It's about the legacy of Joe and Harry- both financial and emotional, as Morton takes on the responsibility of settling the affairs of the uncles, discovering the vast wealth they had managed to accumulate, and the nearly impenetrable mysteries of two men it seems no one really knew. The book swings between those two windows of his life as he flows from a memory to a moment and then back again.

It is difficult to talk about a book such as this without feeling a personal involvement, and trying to do justice to the material. Some memoirs have left me totally untouched, a very few drew me in as if I was an old friend or a relative. I felt this way with "Dough", I am the same age as Mort and I might be hearing the story of a far-flung second cousin from when before Zeyde and Bubbe came to America. You never know!

Growing up in a suburb I never had the "colorful" experiences of Mort's childhood, if you want to look at it like that- but now I was able to vicariously enjoy a childhood I couldn't have even imagined. It was easy to feel and taste and smell those times, he has a way of writing that goes right from the eyes to the heart. He does not put anything there but what it was, in a way that allows the reader move into those moments and decide for himself.

I had to take a few pages to catch the rhythm of "Dough", both in the style of alternating chapters by alternating the present and the past. Once I did, I was enmeshed. It also took me a few more pages to turn on a little dialect in my head, and suddenly I enjoyed it more tenfold. There is something about hearing that New York/Yiddishe accent that, like salt in chicken soup, changes everything. As the secret clues of the hidden lives of the Uncles are uncovered, the mystery almost deepens. We are left not with many answers, but the feeling that sometimes knowing everything- like having everything-  is nothing.

There is so much more I would like to tell you about the book, the insights, the way he captures poignant moments like an artist- but then, it would turn into another book. Just go buy this "Dough". (I have to add, it fits comfortably in the hand and is nice to look at.)

And by the way, the Store is still alive and well on Ninth Street, run by a pleasant Ukrainian couple, and we are invited in as friends. I feel like one. But as a friend I have one small comment, about the cover:

Mortchele, you couldn't have used a nice challah, maybe?
3810304
I have just finished reading Myron Williams' delightful novel, Cornfield Chronicles: Featuring Snowball: Pony from Hell. His childhood farm life memories are extremely relatable and quite enjoyable! He highlights the good, the bad, and the bizarre. The writing flows from one memory to the next with notes if one needs further reference to other memories in the novel. This was a very delightful read. Thank you, Myron, for sharing your childhood.
4065074
An extraordinarily well-written memoir of a young Vietnamese-American who bicycled back to his roots.  During the year of his strange, sad, tough bittersweet journey through Vietnam, Andrew Pham recalls his youth, his recent past, and his love for his family, Vietnam, and America.

Pham weaves his life story with that perfect blend of humor-sadness-humor that has the reader laughing one moment and choking down tears the next.  An excellent read!
1889958
Mr. Joseph Galagan has written a wonderful memoir of growing up in an Irish-Catholic home in Tacoma. Washington.  He shares his struggles, disappointments, successes. and hopes and dreams during the countercultural 60s as if he was talking to you over a cup of coffee or sitting with you among old growth hemlocks and towering cedars.  I was fascinated how he reflected on and assessed crucial events and decisions, and disappointments and successes in his life.  I kept nodding to myself because I, too, related to much of his narrative as he honestly told his story.  The opening chapter describes one of his earliest disappointments and how he handled it.  He takes you to his speech lessons, shares his experiences in Catholic schools, relates his fears, allows you to tag along with him as he participates in football and basketball games, shares his hopes as he goes to high school, shares his fears as he battles leukemia and describes his trip to Lourdes.  He shares his thoughts about Rock-&-Roll and being introduced to Jazz and Blues music. He talks about attending the University of Washington, meeting Joy & Maria, dealing with a lost love, trekking to New Orleans to think, he shares his desire to go to Dublin, he meets James Joyce; and then he meets the love of his life when he returned to the Pacific Northwest and marries her.  He describes beautifully the births of his two sons and talks lovely of family members who have since gone to be with God.  This is a book that will make you laugh, whence, and cry.  It is a beautifully written memoir and one that I enjoyed reading and will probably read again.  I recommend it highly; I know you will enjoy this book.
1432393
A fun and entertaining collection of stories, poems and life!  I enjoyed this book from beginning to end and was captured by the variety of story and truth telling techniques the author used to create his Not Quite Kosher Memoir.  The real life was heart-felt and as captivating and full of laughs as the stories that seemed to parallel a life well-lived.
3179287
I love, love, loved Life at 12 College Road.  Even though I read it over 2 weeks ago, I cant stop thinking about the wonderful stories from the authors childhood. The authors use of language painted vivid full color, 3- dimensional pictures of each story in my mind all along while evoking smells from the wonderful cooking in the family kitchen to the falling and burning fall leaves, and I could even feel the softness of brownie.  Through each of the vignettes  of the authors youth I felt  love,  I laughed, I cried, I felt anger and then fell in love and laughed all over again.  This is a book I will be talking about and remembering with fondness for a long, long time.
The stories are beautifully and tenderly book ended by a pair of the authors poems.  I often found myself wishing for even more of his poetry.
 The book not only gives you a peek into family life in the 50 and 60s but also the workings of the mind of the author as an adventurous youth.  Young Rick was always planning and strategizing to maximize his adventure factor, while, often humorously, minimizing any subsequent consequences.  Even though sometimes he lost the battle he always seemed to win the war.  I kept thinking that when he grew up, he would have made a heck of a general.
 I hope there will be a sequel of stories perhaps  Away from 12 College Road.  What a wonderful legacy and remembrance to leave to his children and grandchildren when they ask him to share a story from his childhood.
Thank you Eric Mondschein for this wonderful endearing book.  Please keep writing.
1814916
Brooklyn Family Scenes holds something of a non-fiction Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio feel to it with its sketches of people and events. The book is by turns tender and touching, harsh, sad  (the few stories about Joe w. his  children during/after divorce really got to me), and funny as it details and reveals Joe's interaction w. family, friends, and neighbors. The Shave stands out among the others for me. The author's father's gesture, after such a distant relationship with his son, shows how much he loved Joe, even if he didn't or couldn't express the emotion. Really touching.  The father/son connection in these pieces stands out in particular for me.

Part of the book's appeal comes from its power to evoke for anyone who reads it memories of his/her own family, friends, and place. Memories of parents, grandparents, old girlfriends, broken love, children, kid pranks and goofy things you did, evil and not so evil neighbors, all of this surfaces in the book and turns us to remember our own histories.  Like the old Dean Martin song goies, "memories are made of this."

Happily, although a healthy dose of nostalgia informs the book  it never descends into gooey sentimentality, a tribute to Joe's writing prowess. Thanks for sharing these stories.
912394
What a book! I laughed, I cried. For us baby boomers whose parents schlepped us up to The Country every summer of our young lives this book brings back such wonderful memories of a very special time.  Allen masterfully weaves stories of his friends, family and acquaintances in such a way that you feel you are right there with him. He is able to write from a different perspective of living there when all of us who lived in the city had to go back after the summer. In addition, he was fortunate to have grandparents on both sides of his family that owned bungalow colonies.

As I read the book memories flooded back to me of being up in the country.  Women playing mahjong and the men playing pinochle on the front lawn, my grandma hanging laundry on the communal clothes line, doing musicals in the casino, going to Crossways for pizza, swimming in the lake, getting bialys and onion rolls at Frieds Bakery in town, and the best of all  The Carnival.

Life was magical and sweet up in the mountains after spending the year in the city.  It was a respite from all the noise and commotion there so to be up where you were able to feel the coolness in the mornings, walk in the woods and commune with nature was a mechaya (Yiddish for a great pleasure).

I recommend this book for everyone that was there and for those who want to taste what it was like to experience a slice of life that will never be again.
3530191
Shop Around is simply a gem of book.  As he proven again and again throughout his sports writing career, Bruce Jenkins is a superb writer.  He has that down-to-earth, no b.s, wonderfully descriptive yet supremely dry, funny and self-effacing style that leaves you turning pages and wanting more.  Full of sentiment without being sentimental, the book is a deeply personal memoir, and deeply felt, yet offers us a record of a seminal time in American cultural history that is as entertaining as it is insightful. What powers it most of all is the writers sheer love of the music, and his undying respect for the phenomenal musicianship of the men and women who made it.  Whether you're a long-time devotee of Motown & R&B, or only have a passing acquaintance, this book is a delightful exploration of one boys journey into the heart (and soul) of American popular music.

Lon Porter