In 1998, Louis Sachar published his popular novel, "Holes." In 2003, the misadventures of Stanley Yelnats IV hit the big screen in a Disney movie starring then rising Disney star, Shia LaBeouf. This made the book even more popular as kids hurried to learn more about the story behind the movie.
At the same time "Holes" was hitting the theaters, Sachar released "Stanley Yelnats' Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake." Then in 2006, Sachar's next Camp Green Lake related book, "Small Steps."
Rather than focusing on Stanley, this story follows the adventures of Theodore "Armpit" Johnson as he tries to get his life back on track. He has started taking some college classes while working at the job he is exceptionally qualified-digging holes. More accurately he is working for a landscaper. Armpit is living at home and has a good friendship with a 10-year-old girl named Ginny who lives next door to him. He also gets dragged into some crazy schemes by his old buddy X-ray.
I don't want to give away too much, but you should know that the title "Small Steps" refers to some advice Armpit received while getting counseling after his time at Camp Green Lake. The counselor tells him that when you walk upstream, you have to take small steps or you'll be swept away in the current.
"Small Steps" is a great book, and it's definitely worth checking out. I should also mention that Sachar has a new book out called "The Cardturner." I just spotted it on his website so I don't know much about it. I do plan to check this book out soon though.
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
"The Bedwetter-Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee" an autobiography by Sarah Silverman
I thought it might be interesting to do some book reviews as part of this blog as well. What better book to start with than an autobiography called The Bedwetter? This is an autobiography by Sarah Silverman one of the most unusual and most sarcastic celebrities I have seen on the large or small screen.
My first real encounter with Sarah was here comedy special "Jesus is Magic." Before I watched this special, I thought I knew about sarcasm, but I quickly learned how little I actually knew. Throughout the show, I would find myself uncertain if she was joking or serious. I had the same experience with her part on the documentary "The Aristocrats." During her telling of the joke she made comments about being raped and abused, but there was a part of me that wasn't sure it wasn't just part of the joke. Sarah brings that same kind of humor to the story of her life so far.
The first half of the book deals with Sarah's childhood including being a bed wetter up until her high school years. We get to meet her foul-mouth father who encouraged his daughter to swear and seek the laughs that came from those swear words. As the book progresses, we also get glimpses of her high school years, entering the world of stand up comedy, losing her virginity, and her time as a writer for Saturday Night Live. This time has my favorite story when she stabs fellow writer Al Franken in the head with a pencil on a strange whim. The second half of the book looks at her career to the date the book is finish, including working on her own Comedy Central show titled, The Sarah Silverman Program.
Sarah breaks many conventions of the autobiography in this book. She writes her own introduction, and makes a pretty big deal about the process of writing it. She also spends a good bit of time writing about how the book came to exist. She even shares several conversations with her editor about the creation of the book. What really got my attention, though, was the "Advance Praise for the Bedwetter" on the back of the book.
"She's a lady and it's a black shirt." --Alec, age 3.
"I want juice." --Diego, age 2-1/2
"At recess Brody Watkins pulled my hair and I told the teacher and she yelled at him and he cried."--Emily, age 6
"Y tu mama tambien."--Luis, age 4.
"Book."--Bea, age 2
So my opinion is that you should go out and read this book. This opinion is offered, however, with a little bit of condition. I know that Sarah Silverman's style of comedy is not for everyone. She is not afraid to go for the cheap joke by writing a song about poop or speak freely about her sexual experiences, so if you would rather avoid these kinds of topics, this is not the book for you. Look her up on Youtube, or watch The Sarah Silverman Program on Netflix. After you get done, you'll probably want to head to the book store to buy The Bedwetter.
My first real encounter with Sarah was here comedy special "Jesus is Magic." Before I watched this special, I thought I knew about sarcasm, but I quickly learned how little I actually knew. Throughout the show, I would find myself uncertain if she was joking or serious. I had the same experience with her part on the documentary "The Aristocrats." During her telling of the joke she made comments about being raped and abused, but there was a part of me that wasn't sure it wasn't just part of the joke. Sarah brings that same kind of humor to the story of her life so far.
The first half of the book deals with Sarah's childhood including being a bed wetter up until her high school years. We get to meet her foul-mouth father who encouraged his daughter to swear and seek the laughs that came from those swear words. As the book progresses, we also get glimpses of her high school years, entering the world of stand up comedy, losing her virginity, and her time as a writer for Saturday Night Live. This time has my favorite story when she stabs fellow writer Al Franken in the head with a pencil on a strange whim. The second half of the book looks at her career to the date the book is finish, including working on her own Comedy Central show titled, The Sarah Silverman Program.
Sarah breaks many conventions of the autobiography in this book. She writes her own introduction, and makes a pretty big deal about the process of writing it. She also spends a good bit of time writing about how the book came to exist. She even shares several conversations with her editor about the creation of the book. What really got my attention, though, was the "Advance Praise for the Bedwetter" on the back of the book.
"She's a lady and it's a black shirt." --Alec, age 3.
"I want juice." --Diego, age 2-1/2
"At recess Brody Watkins pulled my hair and I told the teacher and she yelled at him and he cried."--Emily, age 6
"Y tu mama tambien."--Luis, age 4.
"Book."--Bea, age 2
So my opinion is that you should go out and read this book. This opinion is offered, however, with a little bit of condition. I know that Sarah Silverman's style of comedy is not for everyone. She is not afraid to go for the cheap joke by writing a song about poop or speak freely about her sexual experiences, so if you would rather avoid these kinds of topics, this is not the book for you. Look her up on Youtube, or watch The Sarah Silverman Program on Netflix. After you get done, you'll probably want to head to the book store to buy The Bedwetter.
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