Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood - A Humorous Memoir

This is a well written collection. I was taken aback by some redundancies before I realized the entries were columns written independently. It isn't really about the 70's but about a small cross section of children who grew up during that time in a very protected illusion. I am certain it must seem golden looking backward and create a longing for such a pristine time. But it was an illusion and that can't be a source of understanding.

At one point the author describes being protected from the Vietnam war and riots. They were protected from most of the events of the 70's and kept in a state of childhood. The reality of the world was so different that it is not really nostalgia looking back and longing for something that really existed as much as wanting to believe in a myth. There was no civil rights, women's rights, back alley abortions, Kent State. No memory existed of a dead president that had broken the heart of the country. It was an illusion suspended in time and space. No one can argue if it is better to grow up in an illusion or not. At the same time, the main character never seemed to really grow up. He never took on a wife and family, never built a home and a community or even updated his hairstyle for twenty years. He seems frozen in a childhood that he could never replicate his position in but never release to grow out of either.

Who wouldn't long for such a protected, seemingly idyllic past. But nostalgia requires that you be recalling a reality from a matured state that recognizes people in a new way. The characters in these snapshots are forever snapshots. The sisters exist but have no characters. They aren't distinguishable from one another with the exception of Mary. She probably lost her love of drive-in movies. There is a bit of feeling for the father though it is blurred like a Monet. The mother is likewise only a mother. She is never seen as a person with wants and needs. As is stressed in the book, the parents didn't seem to have any needs and cannot be understood as only parental figures.

In a coming of age story an adult breaks through to the people who filled his childhood as individuals and the circumstances that really existed around the protective cloud they inhabited. This seems to be more a desire to draw distinctions between the present world and this mythology. That doesn't work. If you were a child in Vietnam or an urban ghetto, anywhere where you encountered the real world it would be possible to draw distinctions. Otherwise we are comparing reality to a fairy tale. That is why the only woman loved is a flash of words that give us not even an image and the people are all caricatures.

It would be interesting if the author researched and placed his childhood in the reality of the times. What was really happening when children were free to wander at will and nothing bad ever happened to them. How homogenous was this community compared to the world around it? Did none of these people have kin whose children were sent to war or returned from it changed? To flesh this story out with the realities it ignored would be worth exploring.

From Bubs Daddies to Mini-boggans, Tom Purcell's eye for detail creates an amusing and often poignant trip down memory lane. The Stereo Console chapter is a personal favorite. Looking forward to his next work.

This was beautifully and vividly written with humor and honesty woven into the stories. I have to agree with Purcell's point of view about how ridiculous our society has become over the decades. As a teacher, I strongly agree with his opinion about our education system. This was a great read and I plan to recommend it to many friends!

This book brought back fond memories of growing up in the 70's. As a parent, it also stressed me out a little to know that it actually happens that people sometimes leave their kids behind, accidentally of course. I also harbor a memory of damaging something in the house and the resulting shame, so the story of the apple core brought back a sickening feeling in my gut. Other than that sickening feeling, I really enjoyed this book. :)

I was expecting something more, I guess. When I saw that the author is a humor columnist, I assumed this book would be funny. After a couple of chapters, I realized that this was not to be. During the course of those first chapters, I realized that the author was raised Catholic. Perhaps I would find some common ground there. When I read that a communion wafer is "symbolic" of Christ, I knew that I would find no religious common ground either. I gave up. This book is nothing more than a Hodge-podge of barely interesting stories that 99% of the American population has experienced in one form or another. Thanks, but no thanks.

This book was a very enjoyable read. It brought back memories of the 60's and 70's and was humorous. One sad part "The Dog that Ran Away" made me cry at the end because I'm such an animal lover. The author mentioned many things that made me think. If you're looking for 60's and 70's nostalgia, or just want to read about how great it was to grow up in that era, I highly recommend this book. Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood: A Humorous Memoir

These were well-written and fun stories. I'm less than a year older than Tom, so these stories really hit home. I laughed all the way thru, and I feel like Tom was spying on my family, with one difference - I don't think my parents ever forgot a kid. But maybe I better check with them - maybe they just haven't admitted to it yet!

I loved this book. Growing up in the 70s myself, I could relate to just about every story Tom told. This book is reminiscent of a time gone by and conjured sweet memories of my own childhood. Tom's writing is humorous and he has a way of weaving the reader into every story he tells. I enjoyed this intimate glimpse into his family and childhood and think readers of all ages will enjoy this look back to a simpler time.

This work will bring back memories for anyone who was a child in the 60s or 70s - those who remember when the telephone was attached by a wire to the wall, the home computer, let alone the Internet, didn't exist, and parents didn't get upset when they didn't have instant contact with their kids at any and all times during the day. Though we might think of those decades as modern era, Purcell's work is a reminder that things were indeed much simpler then. Above all, this work helps remind us in both humorous and loving ways of the struggles and dreams of our parents and the values that guided us and shaped our own lives.

This book took me back to my childhood. While not every story was the same as my families, there we neighbors or schoolmates who had similar stories back then. This book brought back some memories I forgot about.

Brings back memories of my childhood in the '70s. It's a good read. You'll laugh as you remember way back when. I'm glad I read this book. I laughed, I cried and memories of my childhood in the '70s. Best time to be a kid!

This work will bring back memories for anyone who was a child in the 60s or 70s - those who remember when the telephone was attached by a wire to the wall, the home computer, let alone the Internet, didn't exist, and parents didn't get upset when they didn't have instant contact with their kids at any and all times during the day. Though we might think of those decades as modern era, Purcell's work is a reminder that things were indeed much simpler then. Above all, this work helps remind us in both humorous and loving ways of the struggles and dreams of our parents and the values that guided us and shaped our own lives.

Not what I expected. Being written from a comedian, I expected more humor. A few situations mentioned in his book did bring me back to my childhood and made me happy, but I couldn't finish the book. I suggest renting from Kindle Unlimited first before buying

This book took me back to my childhood. While not every story was the same as my families, there we neighbors or schoolmates who had similar stories back then. This book brought back some memories I forgot about.

Brings back memories of my childhood in the '70s. It's a good read. You'll laugh as you remember way back when. I'm glad I read this book. I laughed, I cried and memories of my childhood in the '70s. Best time to be a kid!

I've known Tom for years and am constantly amazed at his ability as one of the great story tellers of our time. An Apple Core and a Toilet turns an innocuous family tale into a riveting, entertaining story that is not only hysterical, but a true insight into a 70's childhood! It's the written equivalent to a bowl of Mom's hot soup, a must read.