A Christmas Story: The Book That Inspired The Hilarious Classic Film

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A Christmas Story: The Book That Inspired The Hilarious Classic Film

by Jean Shepherd

3.97 · rating details · 1,182 ratings · 243 reviews

A beloved, bestselling classic of humorous and nostalgic Americana—the book that inspired the equally classic Yuletide film.

The holiday film A Christmas Story, first released in 1983, has become a bona fide Christmas perennial, gaining in stature and fame with each succeeding year. Its affectionate, wacky, and wryly realistic portrayal of an American family’s typical Chri...more

Hardcover, 144 pages

Published October 28th 2003 by Broadway (first published 1966)

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Community Reviews

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Dec 19, 2010

Tressa rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: essays, humor

"In the heat of battle my father wove a tapestry of obscenities that as far as we know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan."

I can't remember if I ran out and bought In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash after seeing A Christmas Story on cable back in '83, or if I bought it before the movie just because the title caught my eye at some used bookstore, but it’s been a prized possession for decades. If you're like me and thousands of others who love this movie, you'll enj...more"In the heat of battle my father wove a tapestry of obscenities that as far as we know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan."

I can't remember if I ran out and bought In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash after seeing A Christmas Story on cable back in '83, or if I bought it before the movie just because the title caught my eye at some used bookstore, but it’s been a prized possession for decades. If you're like me and thousands of others who love this movie, you'll enjoy this book. The book fleshes out the characters, and it’s fun to learn the reasoning behind some of the throwaway movie scenes like why Ralphie gave the old man a can of Simoniz for Christmas.

The nostalgic vignettes of In God We Trust are grittier than the lighthearted movie. One of the funniest running gags in the movie is the father’s epic (but G-rated) battle with the furnace; in the book, he’s not afraid to let the expletives rip at his wife: “FOR CHRISSAKE, STUPID, I SAID THE G&^%$N DAMPER!”

In God We Trust was written in 1966 and is the story of Jean Shepherd’s life, served up essay style. The stories take place during the Great Depression in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana (really Hammond, Indiana). The adult Ralphie returns to Indiana and visits Flick at the bar Flick inherited from his father, and they reminisce about the old days…

In one of my favorite stories—"The Endless Streetcar Ride into the Night, and the Tinfoil Noose"—the teenage Ralphie reluctantly agrees to go on a blind double date with Schwartz and his girlfriend, Helen. Ralphie expects to spend the evening with a skinny, pimply girl, but still he dresses to impress in his boxy, electric-blue sports coat and tie with the blood-red snail painted on it. He cannot believe his good luck when his blind date turns out to be a knockout who “makes Cleopatra look like a Girl Scout.” On the train ride to the movies, he talks to impress, rolling on and on like “Old Man River.” And then the light bulb blinks on above his head:

I’m suddenly getting fatter, more itchy. My new shoes are like bowling balls with laces; thick, rubber-crepe bowling balls. My great tie that Aunt Glenn gave me is two feet wide, hanging down to the floor like some crinkly tinfoil noose. My beautiful hand-painted snail is seven feet high, sitting up on my shoulder, burping. Great Scot! It is all clear to me in the searing white light of Truth. My friend Schwartz, I can see him saying to Junie Jo: “I got this crummy fat friend who never has a date. Let’s give him a break and…”

I AM THE BLIND DATE!

If you don’t get your fill of The Christmas Story gang this year as the movie plays in a loop on Christmas Eve, just pick up In God We Trust when you can. It's all there, and more: the Bumpus hounds; the leg lamp; the furnace; Little Orphan Annie and the Ovaltine secret decoder; schoolyard bullies; Flick and Schwartz. And don't miss the story "'Nevermore,' Quoth the Assessor, 'Nevermore.'" It is pure gold.(less)

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Jan 12, 2009

Michael rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, read-in-2009

It may seem strange to listen to the audio book of "A Christmas Story" in January. Chalk it up to my learning a lesson from "A Christmas Carol" and keeping the spirit of Christmas in my heart all the year round. Or more to the fact that it was in at the library and I've alway been kind of curious to read/hear the original material that served as the basis for the popular Christmas movie.

It's always interesting to go back to the source material for something afte...moreIt may seem strange to listen to the audio book of "A Christmas Story" in January. Chalk it up to my learning a lesson from "A Christmas Carol" and keeping the spirit of Christmas in my heart all the year round. Or more to the fact that it was in at the library and I've alway been kind of curious to read/hear the original material that served as the basis for the popular Christmas movie.

It's always interesting to go back to the source material for something after becoming familar with it in another medium. I've seen "A Christmas Story" at least a dozen or so times over the years and it's become one of those "things I associated with Christmas" that I try to watch each year as the holiday season rolls in.

So, what about the original source material?

It's fairly good, though I expect a lot of the surprises and punch lines were ruined by familarity with the movie.

The collection is several essays, all of which have elements that were incorporated into the script for "A Christmas Story." The longest is the first, about young Ralph Parker's desire to get a b-b gun for Christmas. There are some differences in the type of gun Ralph wants and some other minor details, but if you've seen the movie you know the broad strokes of the story. Ralph writes the essay for his teacher, Ralph is told he'll shoot his eye out, Ralph eventually gets the gun and almost does. There are some moments and asides to the story, but on the whole it's pretty much what you get i the movie.

What is interesting is the other essays that are become part of the tapestry of the film. For one thing, most of them unfold at times other than the holiday season. The secret decoder ring takes on a different level of exacerbation for Ralph because the story reveals that Ralph's house didn't buy Olvatine. Ralph finds a can with the required silver seal in tact playing kick the can and sends off for said decoder ring. It makes Ralph's disappointment at the nature of Orphan Annie's message a bit more poignant for the reader.

Also of interest is the story of the Bumpus hounds, which actually takes place at Easter and concerns the Easter ham.

It's also interesting to see what stories arent included here. The famous Flip and the frozen flagpole doesn't appear in the story, nor does Ralphie's using a dirty word. Both are some of my favorite moments from the film and they may appear in other essays by Shepard, but they're not here. Or they were written specifically for the film. I'd be interested to find out more.

But back to this book. It's a nice book, entertaining and well told. The audio book, read by Dick Cavet, has good production values and is worth the time. But unlike the movie, I don't see myself returning to it year after year. (less)

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Dec 15, 2008

Linda rated it

Shelves: christmas, bio-memoir

Every scene of the 1983 holiday film A Christmas Story is so thoroughly etched in my mind that I thought reading the story would be a bit of a letdown. Usually I'll read the book and skip the movie - such is not the case here - the movie finds its way into everyone's heart. "You'll shoot your eye out, kid," rings as clear as Ebeneezer Scrooge's "Bah, Humbug." Or maybe you just need to be a kid from the 50's to appreciate the pull of the Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot ra...more

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Dec 20, 2010

Tahleen rated it

Shelves: essays, funny-books

Most of you will recognize this title as one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time. Okay, some of you might not agree with it being one of the greatest, since I know there are people out there who don't like it. But in my family it is a classic and we always have whatever channel is playing it for 24 hours on when we open presents on Christmas morning. I could quote it all day.

Even if you don't LIKE it, you are probably familiar with the story. 9-year-old Ralphie Parker wants ...moreMost of you will recognize this title as one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time. Okay, some of you might not agree with it being one of the greatest, since I know there are people out there who don't like it. But in my family it is a classic and we always have whatever channel is playing it for 24 hours on when we open presents on Christmas morning. I could quote it all day.

Even if you don't LIKE it, you are probably familiar with the story. 9-year-old Ralphie Parker wants an official Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot range model air rifle for Christmas, and schemes his best to get it. In between Red Ryder plotting, he deals with neighborhood bully Scut Farkas, pines to be in Little Orphan Annie's Secret Circle with his official decoder pin, enjoys a little light from his father's Major Award, and generally is just witness and participant in his slightly dysfunctional but ultimately happy family. Some of you, however, might not realize that this movie made famous by TV showings was based on a series of essays by humorist and radio personality Jean Shepherd.

Because I love the movie so dearly, I decided it was about time to read what inspired it. All in all, I am glad I did, not only because it gave me a greater appreciation and understanding of the movie, it was incredibly funny. Here's a line describing walking to school in the winter to give you the idea:
Scattered over the icy waste around us could be seen other tiny befurred jots of wind-driven humanity. All painfully toiling toward the Warren G. Harding School, miles away over the tundra, waddling under the weight of frost-covered clothing like tiny frozen bowling balls with feet. An occasional piteous whimper would be heard faintly, but lost instantly in the sigh of the eternal wind. (p. 9).
Another difference between the text and the movie is the setting—it is never really definitively said in the latter what time this takes place in, but the essays make it clear this was during the Depression. As a result, among the incredible wit and hilarity of Shepherd's prose, there is a hint of seriousness that is lacking in the film, though it is only a slight undertone. Mostly it's just funny, though it's a bit darker than the film.

Because the essays weren't meant to be published as a package originally, and were four in a larger volume called In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, they aren't all Christmas stories, but will still make you smile with recognition if you know the movie, especially when lines and phrasing are the same. There is a fifth essay included that has to do with their neighbors the Bumpuses, which was originally from another collection, for the reader's enjoyment.

This was great for fans of the movie and for those who have yet to see it. If you hate the movie, I'm not sure you'll like the book, since I'm kind of biased, but it was different enough for me to decide I like the movie better. I liked how all the stories were intertwined rather than broken up into separate stories, but like I said I'm biased. It's certainly worth the read.

Have you read this, or seen A Christmas Story? Are you a loyal watcher of this beloved film (I've been known to watch it outside the Christmas season), or do you hate it completely?(less)

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Dec 14, 2008

Jennifer rated it

When I found out that A Christmas Story, one of my favorite Christmas movies, was based on books written by Jean Shepherd I immediately went to my library and checked one out. I loved reading about the hijinks of his childhood. This book got me thinking about the quirkiness of all families and made me think about viewing some of my own family quirks (like our Norwegian Code of Silence) with humor instead of annoyance, embarrassment, etc. Kind of weird that I got a lesson out of a book that i...more

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Oct 06, 2008

Sarah Sammis rated it

Shelves: read-in-2007, released

05/15/07
A Christmas Story is a series of semi-autobiographical short stories by humorist Jean Shepherd. They were first published in Playboy in the mid 1960s. These stories were later put together to make the very funny film of the same title in 1983. The book in its current form was published posthumously in 2003.

The short stories which now act as chapters are:

* "Duel in the Snow, or the Red Ryder Nails the Cleveland Street Kid"
* "The C...more

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Jan 03, 2009

Jean rated it

This was a lot of fun, considering how we watch this movie many, many times each Christmas. It is a collection of essays that the movie was drawn from, so there are a few favorite scenes from the movie you won't find in the book and some scenes from the movie more fleshed out in the book. You could even pinpoint some of the great lines from the movie. The best part was the chapter on the Bumpuses which went into much more detail than the movie. The aftermath of the Lamp Incident had me in st...more

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Dec 06, 2010

Jim rated it

Shelves: childrens-lit

This is one of the rare cases in which the movie is miles better than the book. For one thing, although the movie was theoretically set in Northern Indiana, what it showed was the Cleveland of my youth, including Public Square, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, and the legendary Christmas toy displays in the windows of Higbee's Department Store.

That said, Jean Shepherd is interesting enough a comic writer that I would like to read some other of his works. In a way, A Christmas Story i...more

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Jun 11, 2008

Brian Hodges rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: stories, humor

Yes, this is the book that "A Christmas Story" was based on. But don't read it expecting it to have the same innocently charming humor as the movie. Don't get me wrong, this book is quite humorous, but it is told in a much more wry and sarcastic manor than the movie. In fact, the stories that made it into the Christmas Story narrative aren't even the funniest ones. The best story as far as I'm concerned is the one about a drunk neighbor who tries to set up a fireworks display on th...more

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Dec 01, 2009

rytr_1 rated it

Shelves: 2009-reads

Well, that was a lot of fun, as I knew it would be. I listened to the unabridged audiobook, read by Dick Cavett, who did a great job with it. This is not a scene-by-scene adaptation of the 1983 movie, but a selection of short stories that formed the basis of it. You get the Red Ryder air rifle, the fight with the bully, the parental battle over the lamp, and more. The sound effects and music are a nice touch, complementing the narrative without intruding upon it. Only regret: there is no sign of...more

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Feb 23, 2009

Erik Graff rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Thurber fans

Recommended to Erik by: Einar Graff

Shelves: literature

My dad was a nineteen-fifties father. He was rushing off to work when we got up the morning, would come home for dinner, then settle into his chair with a pipe, a book or the papers, feet up, to listen to classical music until he went to bed. Mom did the day-to-day; she was the peace-keeping force in the house, he the ultimate weapon, occasionally referred to, but never employed. A flip of the top of his paper, a look would send us scurrying. In town his presence was more in his things--his ...moreMy dad was a nineteen-fifties father. He was rushing off to work when we got up the morning, would come home for dinner, then settle into his chair with a pipe, a book or the papers, feet up, to listen to classical music until he went to bed. Mom did the day-to-day; she was the peace-keeping force in the house, he the ultimate weapon, occasionally referred to, but never employed. A flip of the top of his paper, a look would send us scurrying. In town his presence was more in his things--his workroom, his car, his pipe, his chair, his coats, his records, his books--than in person. We held him in awe, but we barely knew the man.

Dad didn't know much about kids. We were, like the dog, companions for a long hike in the woods--well, not quite as good as the dog until we got big enough to keep up with him and the dog. And, indeed, things were best on weekends when in the woods with him. This, doubtless, reminded him of the good parts of his own childhood, of summers in Michigan particularly, and there he had things to show us, things to tell us about. There he would share something of himself, at least of his younger self and the remnants remaining in the little time he had outside of work, outside of fixing the house or the car or whatever project he had going in his basement.

Things improved, however, thanks to the books. Dad had, compared to others' dads, lots of books, books going back to his college days, books that had belonged to his dad. Dad also had a suspicion about television. For much of my childhood, we didn't have one and when we finally got a hand-me-down from his mother we weren't allowed to watch it except to watch it with him. That meant a lot of educational television, plays and ballets and foreign films, the occasional talk show or news report, and, exceptionally, anything with Diana Rigg, the British actress. So, I started reading a lot as soon as I learned how and much of it was what was at hand.

That, the reading, helped me become "close" to Dad, close enough at least to be able to talk, to ask him for reading recommendations, to discuss politics intelligently. We never got--indeed, we still aren't--intimate. That always made him uncomfortable. But he started respecting me for that at least, even though I often was trying for something more personal.

So, I know my dad very much through the books he's read and reads, the music he listens to, the political commentators he approves of and stuff he thinks entertaining. On the comedic side his favorites were all wry: Carl Sandburg (whom he had known as a child), James Thurber and, most to my liking during early adolescence, Jean Shepherd.

Jean Shepherd writes mostly about his family either from the perspective of a child or with evident sympathy for this perspective. His childhood, like my dad's, was during the depression at the southern reaches of Lake Michigan. His childhood, unlike my dad's, is painted in warm colors, remembered as, I suppose, Dad would like to, but can't quite, recollect his own.(less)

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Jan 11, 2009

Giedra rated it

· review of another edition

Several chapters of this book form the basis of the 1984 movie, "The Christmas Story." Appparently the author had a hand in putting the screenplay together (which also borrowed from a few other stories) and was also the narrator of the movie, so it was fun to read the book and to hear the voice of the author "reading" it in my head.

I also enjoyed reading the stories that are NOT included in the movie. (My husband told me there was a follow-up to the Christmas Sto...more

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Dec 23, 2011

David rated it

· review of another edition

Jean Shepherd's semi-autobiographical collection of short stories is full of wit. That's the one word I'd use to describe the book: wit. What makes the book witty is his word selection and storytelling prowess. He weaves a tapestry (to quote himself right from the book) of words to form vivid imagery, thought, and analogy.

What humorist Shepherd does brilliantly is being a fantastic storyteller. Being a fan of Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" (thanks to my f...more

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Sep 06, 2009

Barbara rated it

· review of another edition

Reading this book (as well as Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and watching the DVD of The Christmas Story) makes me laugh until I cry and brings back memories common to someone who was actually born and raised in the city that Shepherd described in his books.

Oh yeah, he called it Homan in The Christmas Story, but anyone who grew up in "duh Region" (northwestern Indiana/south Chicago) in the 40s / 50s KNOWS that he was describing his childhood in Hammond Indiana. ...more

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Dec 28, 2011

Colleen rated it

Shelves: a-great-book-and-a-great-movie

We've owned this book for many years and given how much I love the movie (yes, I've even toured the house where they filmed it in Cleveland, Ohio), I'm surprised I haven't gotten around to reading it sooner. I hate to say this, since I love Jean Shepherd, but I don't think I was missing much. Not that it wasn't funny. I think that Shepherd did a wonderful job of tying these separate essays together to create a memorable screenplay for the movie. But the book is missing the cohesion and flow ...more

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Dec 31, 2009

Nicki rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, misc-fiction

Shepherd captures childhood obsessions and musings beautifully. In the book, Ralph returns to his hometown as an adult and recounts memories with his childhood friend, Flick. This book not only opens a window to a period in history, but it also speaks somewhat universally to the experience of childhood. His descriptions are vivid and engrossing, full of heart and imagination.

Though I will have to be honest and admit that those long, meandering descriptions were sometimes tedious ...more

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Dec 25, 2009

Luann rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, christmas, adult, short-stories, movies, biography

Add this to the short list of books whose movie adaptation is better than the book. And in this case, MUCH better. There is a lot here that wasn't used in "A Christmas Story," and some of it is really good. A second movie could have been made with Ralphie and friends - maybe a summer movie with emphasis on the Fourth of July and fireworks. I would like to see that movie - although I'm sure it wouldn't be as good as the original. I'm giving this 3 stars, but it's really closer to 2.5 f...more

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Dec 08, 2011

Seth Heasley rated it

I'm just going to assume that you've seen A Christmas Story on TBS at some point. If you haven't, just tune to TBS (if you have cable, which I don't) on Christmas Eve, and you'll see it. Trust me. It's worth your time.

A little more than a year ago, I noticed a small book at Barnes & Noble on their Holiday Books display, titled A Christmas Story. Could I pass it up? Well, yes, I could. But I requested it from the library. Unfortunately, it didn't come through for me until January...more

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Dec 08, 2011

Jason rated it

Recommends it for: humor lovers

Recommended to Jason by: My mother got it for me, but had never read it, so... I don't know that anyone did

Jean Shepherd wrote a series of semi-autobiographical essays, and put them in a collection entitled In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash in 1966. Four of those essays, and one other that was published in Playboy also in 1966, were used to make the now classic movie A Christmas Story. I've never read any of Shepherd's stuff before, and was hesitant to dive into the whole God We Trust book because while I'm a fan of humorous essays, diving into a large collection of them is asking a bit much, es...moreJean Shepherd wrote a series of semi-autobiographical essays, and put them in a collection entitled In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash in 1966. Four of those essays, and one other that was published in Playboy also in 1966, were used to make the now classic movie A Christmas Story. I've never read any of Shepherd's stuff before, and was hesitant to dive into the whole God We Trust book because while I'm a fan of humorous essays, diving into a large collection of them is asking a bit much, especially when I have a million unread novels on my "to read" list.

If you find yourself in the same state of mind, then this is the book for you! It covers all the salient points of the movie, and is a pleasure to read. Being a humorist, and a bit of a liar from what I've read on the internet, it's impossible to tell when Shepherd crosses the line from semi-autobiographical into pure fiction, but I wasn't all that bugged by it.

Shepherd's style is enjoyable for the most part, but he occasionally gets so superfluous that it makes me think of Amanda McKittrick Ros, and that is NEVER a good thing. Luckily those moments were few and far between.

The first four essays cover the Red Ryder BB gun, the leg lamp, the bully, and the Little Orphan Annie decoder ring, though not in that order. (The book is back on the shelf, and I don't feel like getting up to get it, nor do I feel like looking it up online. If the order of the chapters is that important to you, then read the thing).

I would've given this book 3 stars, but the last essay which covers the neighboring Bumpus family in much greater detail than the movie gives us was an absolute scream, and nets this collection an entire extra star.

At 131 pages (I remember that, but not the order of the chapters... Oh well), this book is hardly a thief if you don't enjoy it. Despite some of the occasional heavy vocabulary and phrasing, I breezed right through it. If you're looking for a strict novel-style interpretation of the movie, then you're apt to be disappointed. However, if you like humorous writing, and enjoy the stories in the movie, then you could potentially be delighted. If nothing else, at least read the fifth essay about the Bumpuses. It's well worth it.(less)

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Jan 16, 2010

Jennifer rated it

· review of another edition

This is the book upon which the classic movie "A Christmas Story" was based, which was my sole reason for deciding to read it. Like the movie, the main character is Ralph, who is now a savvy New York writer and returns to his home town to write an article about it. The book is presented as the reminisces of Ralph and his friend Flick as they catch up over many drinks at Flick's bar.
It has many of the scenes from the movie from Ralph's childhood, and more from his childhood summ...more

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Jan 05, 2009

Michael rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

For those of you who don't know, the film "A Christmas Story" is based on parts of this book. The story arch follows Ralph as an older man, returning to his home town from where he works in New York. He works at a magazine and is writing a piece about Midwestern towns. He finds his way into a bar where Flick, his childhood pal, is the bartender. He and flick reminisce on their childhood together and we get various stories from a Depression-era Indiana childhood. The story about th...more

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Aug 10, 2011

Colin rated it

· review of another edition

this book was hilarious but it's short stories, so it's hard to read it in more than one piece at a time, mostly because shepherd is great at spinning a web of temporal essence that puts you in the time, era, locality, household, and the people, from which it takes time to return before diving into a new one.

also, more than a book about the past, these stories all teach us about our culture and ourselves, and that part of us that popular culture fails to represent, that part of us that we had wh...more

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Dec 15, 2010

Christopher Litsinger rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010

I picked this up as a holiday read (it's largely known as "the book that the move A Christmas Story is based on"). I have memories of loving these stories when my middle school teacher would read them, but in retrospect I think I just remember him loving the stories. Next time I'll just watch the movie.
This is really a collection of short stories held together by a sort of lame and annoying narrative contrivance. On top of that, each of the stories themselves begins with a "...more

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Sep 04, 2010

Faith Justice rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: given-away

I've loved Jean Shepherd ever since I saw the now classic movie A Christmas Story in the theater. PBS fueled this with several pieces based on his stories. However, I hadn't read anything by him until a few years ago when I picked up a collection of his stories. I still hear his voice narrating while I read. In God We Trust does not disappoint. This collection contains the stories that were the basis for the movie including the seminal "Duel in the Snow, or Red Ryder Nails the Cleveland ...more

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Mar 06, 2009

Alex rated it

· review of another edition

I feel like the only negative thing I can say is that I knew too many of the stories already. "A Christmas Story" has become a holiday tradition (on TBS anyway), so the tales of Red Ryder BB Guns, evil bullies, and muttered profanities are not as amusingly shocking as originally intended. Still, it's like some kind of amazing director's cut that I never knew existed-- what happened to Ralphie later in life??

For those who grew up in the midwest, the story still holds amazing...more

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Dec 28, 2011

Lisa rated it

I highly recommend this collection of short stories by Jean Shepherd, which most were originally published in Play Boy during the 1960's. The stories are all found in A Christmas Story, but of course there's a bit more detail and only one took place during Christmas. I enjoyed reading about the famous leg lamp because I learned about the popularity of puzzles and contests back in the 1930's, which brought to life a small piece of Americana. The last story about the Bumpus's (and their dogs) was ...more

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Jan 09, 2012

E rated it

Shelves: read-2012, wishlist

It's hard to talk about this book without mentioning the movie, which has been a Christmastime staple in my house for as long as I can remember. We always watch it the night we decorate the tree, after finishing our steak fondue and these delicious angel pastries my mom makes.

This book doesn't need a review. It's as brilliant and funny as the movie is. Jean Shepherd has a fantastic way with words. But I suspect that A Christmas Story, in whatever form, is one of those things where y...more

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May 31, 2010

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

· review of another edition

Some of this book is so good as that I just need to say, try it. Many reading this have seen the movie "A Christmas Story" and the stories from that movie are based on some here. If you're (as I am) a child of the '50s...or possibly of the depression era before and into the '50s, try it. I had a BB gun when I was 8, I suffered the indignities of elementary school confrontations and have personally dealt with "double dog dares". Maybe you also have some memories that have take...more

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Jan 23, 2010

Jc rated it

· review of another edition

Jean Shepherd may be an acquired taste, but he holds a special place in my heart. Pretty much every week night from 5-9th grade, at a little after 10pm, Shep talked to me about what life had in store. A comic master for those of us who listened. This is the first collection of his stories, published in 1966. I have been reading these aloud to Nicki over during road trips -- took about 10-12 trips to finish the book. Bits and pieces of the stories in here show up in Shep's film, "A Chris...more

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Apr 27, 2009

Rich rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites, classics, humor, favorite-authors

This is the book they based the movie "A Christmas Story" on. It's not a novel, but a collection of Shepherd's humorous and satirical writings, looking back at childhood in the Midwest during the Great Depression. Shepherd grew up in Chicago, but sets his stories in a fictional Indiana town on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan.
Shepherd excels at striping away the rose-colored glasses to show, as he put it, "things were just as rotten then." But by the time you're...more

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title link	preview: A Christmas Story: The Book That Inspired The Hilarious Classic Film
avg rating	preview: A Christmas Story: The Book That Inspired The Hilarious Classic Film Goodreads rating: 3.97 (1182 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5319.A_Christmas_Story?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320506175m/5319.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5319.A_Christmas_Story?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]A Christmas Story: The Book That Inspired The Hilarious Classic Film by Jean Shepherd[/url]

A Christmas Story: The Book That Inspired The Hilarious Classic Film

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