false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175087232m/476400.jpg 476400 2 It was the 1950s, a time of calm, a time when all things were new and everything seemd possible. A few years before, a noble war had been won, and now life had returned to normal. <br> <br> For one little boy, however, life had become anything but "normal."<br> <br> To all appearances, he and his family lived an almost idyllic life. The father was a respected professor, the mother a witty and elegant lady, someone everyone loved. They were parents to three bright, smiling children: two boys and a girl. They lived on a sunny street in a small college town nestled neatly in a leafy valley. They gave parties, hosted picnics, went to church&#8212;just like their neighbors. To all appearances, their life seemed ideal. But it was, in fact, <em>all</em> appearances. <br> <br> Lineage, tradition, making the right impression&#8212;these were matters of great importance, especially to the mother. But behind the facade this family had created lurked secrets so dark, so painful for this one little boy, that his life would never be the same.<br> <br> It is through the eyes of that boy&#8212;a grown man now, revisiting that time&#8212;that we see this seemingly serene world and watch as it slowly comes completely and irrevocably undone.<br> <br> Beautifully written, often humorous, sometimes sweet, ultimately shocking, this is a son's story of looking back with both love and anger at the parents who gave him life and then robbed him of it, who created his world and then destroyed it.<br> <br> As author Lee Smith, who knew this world and this family, observed, "Alcohol may be the real villain in this pain-permeated, exquisitely written memoir of childhood&#8212;but it is also filled with absolutely dead-on social commentary of this very particular time and place. A brave, haunting, riveting book." 464637 23 3 2007 The End of the World as We Know It: Scenes from a Life total:173|5:34|4:38|3:55|2:35|1:11| 173 568 303 52 5 2 false false Wed May 07 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu May 08 10:08:33 -0700 2008 Thu May 08 10:12:44 -0700 2008
The complaint of other reviewers that this book was too depressiv...more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 07 18:44:40 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 07 18:52:43 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Jun 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 22:51:04 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 22:51:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Mar 12 11:18:51 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 12 11:20:06 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Mon Nov 16 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Oct 21 20:36:46 -0700 2009 Mon Nov 16 21:21:24 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jun 19 07:50:27 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 19 07:53:42 -0700 2009
"There is so much that happens to the human heart that is in the realm of the unthinkable, the unknowable, the unbearable. How most people carry on is a mystery. What they talk about at supper. How th...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Apr 27 19:14:24 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 19:31:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 09 05:56:32 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 09 06:02:00 -0700 2007 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sun Mar 22 11:59:01 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 12:01:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Sep 25 19:38:07 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 27 02:31:15 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri May 29 08:38:06 -0700 2009 Fri May 29 08:40:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue May 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 10:53:58 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 20:38:26 -0700 2009 The author also alternates very successfully between adult life and childhood.
Childhood is in the ...more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Nov 20 19:14:39 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 20 19:17:09 -0800 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Aug 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 10 09:48:36 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 10 09:53:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 true false Fri Jul 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 11:32:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 11:33:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jul 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 17 04:27:21 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 24 03:41:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 14 10:13:47 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 24 18:26:35 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Aug 17 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 16 13:29:58 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 17 09:39:07 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Mon Aug 17 19:12:18 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 17 19:15:10 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 08 06:38:29 -0800 2007 Sat Feb 02 23:00:25 -0800 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=476400