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kemmer's review against another edition
3.0
Best chapter is the one about her mother: "Terwilliger bunts one!"
askatknits's review against another edition
4.0
Loved! Entirely!
If you grew up in Pittsburgh, you should read this book.
If you live in Pittsburgh, you should read this book!
If you want to know about Pittsburgh you should read this book!
We said “tele pole,” pronounced “telly pole,” for that splintery sidewalk post I loved to climb. We said “slippy”—the sidewalks are “slippy.” We said, “That’s all the farther I could go.” And we said, as Pittsburghers do say, “This glass needs washed,” or “The dog needs walked”—a usage our father eschewed...
It is the epitome of Pittsburgh! I highly recommend!
If you grew up in Pittsburgh, you should read this book.
If you live in Pittsburgh, you should read this book!
If you want to know about Pittsburgh you should read this book!
We said “tele pole,” pronounced “telly pole,” for that splintery sidewalk post I loved to climb. We said “slippy”—the sidewalks are “slippy.” We said, “That’s all the farther I could go.” And we said, as Pittsburghers do say, “This glass needs washed,” or “The dog needs walked”—a usage our father eschewed...
It is the epitome of Pittsburgh! I highly recommend!
leah_duncan's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Annie Dillard is one of my favorite writers, and I savored this intimate glimpse into her childhood. The short chapters are funny and sweet, and--like all Dillard writing--I finished inspired to pursue greater presence and joy in my own life. Only disappointment is how she tends to valorize intellectual, creative, and adventurous men and rarely mentions the work of women artists or scientists.
avesmaria's review against another edition
4.0
Nobody writes like Annie Dillard, and maybe that's about all I can say about this, or any of her work. I love her style and her mind and being sucked into her universe.
delgremmyaward's review against another edition
3.0
This book has no plot; it does not really need one, but be warned. If you are going to read this, read it for a description of a childhood and remember that even quotidian tasks can be beautiful if a great writer describes them. Dillard makes them beautiful, but you have to pay attention.
kcrouth's review against another edition
4.0
Starting out reading Annie Dillard's "An American Childhood", I thought "this is not my childhood". But the further i read, the more fascinating this story became, and the more i felt Ms Dillard's story shared with mine. Growing up in a 1950s Pittsburgh society family, the author shares her perspectives and experiences of the 1950s, and of Pittsburgh and American culture during that time. I especially enjoyed the author's views and feelings about the ever expanding world around her as she increasingly engaged it and lived into it. Annie Dillard is the Pulitzer prize winning author of "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" which she wrote only a few short years after the events in this story. "Pilgrim" is beautifully and thoughtfully written, imparting wisdom well beyond the author's young age. This book helps give a picture of how, when, and where Ms. Dillard came into her wealth of knowledge and wisdom. I loved this book, and, as with "Pilgrim", found myself savoring every beautifully written word.