lorathelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Crutcher narrates his autobiography very well. He tells stories from his life that include tales from his childhood and experiences from working with troubled children and families as a therapist. It is with these stories that Crutcher teaches the reader, just as he was taught growing up. The reader also gets a glimpse into Crutcher's childhood, which wasn't as perfect as it seems. The reader begins to truly understand all the different family members and they become actual people instead of just names that Crutcher likes to talk about.
Crutcher is an excellent storyteller and that shines through in this book. I laughed and cried and truly enjoyed listening to Crutcher's beliefs and thoughts on many subjects.
Crutcher is an excellent storyteller and that shines through in this book. I laughed and cried and truly enjoyed listening to Crutcher's beliefs and thoughts on many subjects.
bofadeez's review against another edition
funny
informative
slow-paced
2.0
I don’t like autobiography’s. Was all over the place . But it was funny and relatable
marthalclausen's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first book I've read by Chris Crutcher and I laughed out loud throughout. I especially enjoyed the moments when the stories would end for a minute and Crutcher's philsophies would begin. Without the serious side this would still have been a great read, but the quiet moments turn it into a must-read. It will only take a few hours and you won't be sorry!
ceciliamagoogle's review against another edition
3.0
Read-a-likes: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid,
nerfherder86's review against another edition
5.0
Freakin' hilarious! Crutcher's childhood, putting up with his older brother who would always dare him to "do something neat"--which invariably got him (chris) in trouble and the brother off scot free. Great read aloud, too, you won't be able to stop laughing. But he also talks about his whole life, his athletic endeavors, good and bad, and all of the painful things that go into everyone's life. It's just a really really heartfelt book.
ccaterer's review against another edition
5.0
I have rarely raced through such a delightful and laugh-out-loud funny memoir as this one. I had the honor of hearing Chris speak at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference in New York this past weekend (January 25-26, 2012); he had all 1,000 of us in the room cupped in his hand from the beginning to the end of the speech. When I asked him to sign my book, I confessed to him that one minute I was crying about his stories as a therapist for abused children, and the next minute I was crying because his stories about his youth were just so funny. Most of this memoir about growing up in the 1950s in small-town Idaho fall into the funny camp; but occasionally they surprise you with a tragic twist. If you loved the movie A Christmas Story, you'll appreciate Crutcher's tales of torture at the hand of his big brother and his stumbles along the road to becoming the passionate and compassionate author of young adult fiction that he is today.
libscote's review against another edition
4.0
This book was actually quite funny. I had only read one of Crutcher's books before reading his autobiography, and I can definitely see how his work and life shape his writing. I laughed quite often while reading this book and I may pick up more of Crutcher's work as a result.