|
On sports: "As far as I can tell, our second basewoman is a pretty good baseball player, but there's no way to know for sure because if the ball gets anywhere near her, a male comes barging over from, say, right field, to deal with it. She's been on the team for three seasons now, but the males still don't trust her. They know that if she had to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, deep in her soul, she would probably elect to save the infant's life, without even considering whether there were men on base."
On driving: |
A big plus is Barry's lack of crudeness to make his point, and still make it funny. In this age of movies like There's Something About Mary and comics from "Def Comedy Jam" as the new standards, he is the newspaper version of Sinbad. Yes, kids, you too can be hilarious without throwing out an expletive every other word.
Barry's genius is in his grasp of everyday Americana, from a man's love of sports to life around the home to the wonder and joy that are children. Although the pieces in this book are taken from his nationally-syndicated columns of the late '80s, his observations are timless.
In just a couple of pages, he can touch on a topic and have you yelling, "Yes! I hate/love when that happens also!" There is also a grand article on his travel to New York City, back when Times Square was full of sex shops and crime was at an all-time high, so you can imagine what interesting findings Barry encountered. After reading ten of his columns in a row, you can pick up on Barry's favorite subjects: home repair (with several mentions of the toilet), airplanes and a hatred of the 10-foot roaches in Miami are a few of the more popular topics.
Barry's observations will tickle your funny-bone, so pick up one of his several books to enjoy a good laugh.
Back to Jeff's Book Reviews | Home