Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
1st out of 88 books
—
4 voters
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
Is it possible to find humor -- corrosive, taboo-shattering, laugh-till-you-cry humor -- in the story of a 38-year-old- cartoonist who's both a quadriplegic and a recovering alcoholic? The answer is yes, if the cartoonist is John Callahan -- whose infamous work has graced the pages of Omni, Penthouse, and The New Yorker -- and if he's telling it in his own words and pictur...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
April 14th 1990
by Vintage
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
235)
This is a sick, twisted, offensive, hilarious, and ultimately, poignant book. It was supposed to be made into a movie with Robin Williams some time ago, but unfortunately, it was never made. Author John Callahan is a cartoonist who, through his own admitted stupidity, became a quadriplegic at age 21 after a drunken night of partying and driving led to a tragic car wreck. Among other subjects (including his alcoholism and his fight to beat it), Callahan addresses the car wreck in great detail in...more
this book was recommended to me by a friend of mine in college. it's the autobiography of the controversial/offensive/hilarious comic john callahan, from adoption to addiction to disability. it not only looks at his disability as it relates to society as a whole, but it also points out day to day challenges that not many "able bodied" people would think about. it's pretty raw, but i appreciated his honesty and the cartoons (though not for the faint of heart) are pretty damn funny.
Very approachable honest book about callahan by callahan. Instead of being more integrated longer story, he naturally separates his story into sections of Drinking/Youth, Recovery/Being Quad, and Cartooning/Work with some illustrations, comics spread throughout
Since moving to Portland in 2001 I got to know Callahans comics and humor in his one box comic published in the weekly. They were very much in your face, too honest, sometimes embarrassing -- but funny, almost always funny. I didn't know...more
Since moving to Portland in 2001 I got to know Callahans comics and humor in his one box comic published in the weekly. They were very much in your face, too honest, sometimes embarrassing -- but funny, almost always funny. I didn't know...more
I've been a fan of Callahan's cartoons for a long time and remember when he was being published in Willamette Week. This book is fascinating in its gritty realism and stark descriptions of daily life when you require help to do just about anything.
Less compelling, however, were Callahan's portrayals of the AA culture and his (justifiable) rants at the welfare system. I personally found the most touching moments in the book had to do with Callahan's search for his birth parents and coming to ter...more
Less compelling, however, were Callahan's portrayals of the AA culture and his (justifiable) rants at the welfare system. I personally found the most touching moments in the book had to do with Callahan's search for his birth parents and coming to ter...more
Funny, but often with dark humor, story about the late cartoonist John Callahan's descent into alcoholism and welfare and his ascent to sobriety and productivity. The journey is a compelling one because he becomes a quadriplegic while driving drunk, so medical problems, embarrassment and discomfort become his daily companions. The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous figure prominently in the book, as they should. There is no better advertising for AA! He also offers incredible insight into nurs...more
Callahan tells a great story. He applies his comic wit to the first-person literary memoir, fully conscious of the genre.
Some cartoons are included. I only wish more had.
His self-awareness is probably due to the fact that he is educated. He worked hard for it, sure. His partial paralysis was caused by an accident due to self-admittedly risky behavior.
Dark time eventually is vanquished -- this is an epic tale.
Callahan is not a victim and he is willing to share with brutal honesty his reality. It...more
Some cartoons are included. I only wish more had.
His self-awareness is probably due to the fact that he is educated. He worked hard for it, sure. His partial paralysis was caused by an accident due to self-admittedly risky behavior.
Dark time eventually is vanquished -- this is an epic tale.
Callahan is not a victim and he is willing to share with brutal honesty his reality. It...more
I was very sad to hear that John Callahan had passed away last month. His great memoir of his struggles with alcoholism and becoming quadriplegic was still on my main bookshelf, having survived the great Book Purge of 2003 when I moved to Palo Alto, so I reread it in tribute to the man.
You have probably seen Mr. Callahan's cartoons at least once in your life. They are somewhat crudely drawn (on purpose, by the way), generally deal with handicapped people, and make you laugh despite knowing that...more
You have probably seen Mr. Callahan's cartoons at least once in your life. They are somewhat crudely drawn (on purpose, by the way), generally deal with handicapped people, and make you laugh despite knowing that...more
1 like
·
like
· see review
view 1 comment
Sep 14, 2007
Tracey
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone looking for a straight-shooting autobiography with a little black humor around the edges
Shelves:
no-longer-owned
I'm not sure where I picked up Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot: The Autobiography of a Dangerous Man but I imagine the title caught my eye, then I realized it was by John Callahan, one of my favorite sick cartoonists [http://www.callahanonline.com/index.php].
The first chapter leads us up to the accident that left him as a quadriplegic; he was out partying with a friend who was driving while very, very drunk. "Dexter had mistaken a Con Edison pole for an exit and had run straight into in a...more
The first chapter leads us up to the accident that left him as a quadriplegic; he was out partying with a friend who was driving while very, very drunk. "Dexter had mistaken a Con Edison pole for an exit and had run straight into in a...more
My rating of this book is based on reading it as a youth and feeling connected to disability culture.
I don't have many memories about specifics, but I do appreciate much of the author's humor, as well as occasional discomfort. I miss his presence in our world as a counterbalance to a particular kind of ableism that treats lived experience of disability as too fragile for social commentary.
I don't have many memories about specifics, but I do appreciate much of the author's humor, as well as occasional discomfort. I miss his presence in our world as a counterbalance to a particular kind of ableism that treats lived experience of disability as too fragile for social commentary.
John Callahan has written a darkly funny and brutally honest book about his experiences that blows stereotypical attitudes out of the water. As the mother of a child in a wheelchair, I can relate to so much of what he's written, laugh with a lot of his dark humor, and wish this was required reading for everyone.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was a re-read after many years, and I still like his story. It's funny and smart-*ssed and irreverent and sick. So are his cartoons. But if you aren't afraid to admit you like it, he writes like a friend we all know. I found myself re-reading it after recommending it to someone (who I plan to loan it to).
I found this on my Dad's bookshelf. This is the autobiographical story of a man who became a quadraplegic and then a fairly well known cartoonist. Unfortunately my Father discovered him after his death in 2010. Some of his cartoons are hysterical and some are just awful. His story was very inspirational
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I'm sorry that I didn't find this book until just after Callahan's recent passing, but glad that I found it at all. I'd certainly seen a few of his cartoons, but knew nothing of the complex personality behind them. A deceptively slim volume for the amount of misery and hilarity crammed into it (plus it has pictures!). Fragrantly foul and purely honest, and funny, funny, funny.
This was our book club read for this month. While it is R rated for sure, it is an interesting autobiography of John Callahan, a neurotic, quadriplegic alcoholic turned cartoonist. It's an interesting book with some insight into the problems of our health care and welfare systems.
I've been laughing at Callahan comics for years, but picked this book up at a thriftstore recently. An autobiography of the comic's life that doesn't really gloss over his mistakes.
Darkly inspirational, if that's possible - John Callahan tells the story of his life and how he ended up becoming one of the most twistedly funny cartoonists to come along in a long time.
The traditional narrative about someone suffering a debilitating accident has the victim becoming stronger, braver, kinder, and more accomplished; going on to win athletic completions, taking up painting. Superman becomes a mensch and an advocate. This is not that story. Callahan does not try to become the poster child for quadriplegics, he just carries on, much as he had before. He gets angry and annoyed and he still find absurdity amusing. I prefer this kind of story. For a similar memoir, try...more
amazing story which gives insight into the world of an quadriplegic struggling with alcoholism. His cartoons are fantastic.
Surprisingly engaging read. Once I started, I didn't want to put it down. His brutal honesty reminds me of Anne Lamott.
Oct 17, 2007
Stephy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People in Recovery
Shelves:
autobiography
AS Drunkalogs go, this is a fine job, with some humor to it. John came out of an automobile accident parlyzed. He was someone who managed his psychological and physical pain with alcohol. He drank a lot. He tells many funny stories about it. He made it sound almost fun. Being drunk is highly over-rated. Finally he wakes up, and the story gets more readable, and he claims himself and his life back from the booze. It is a heart-wrenching first person story about how drunken driver and drunk drivin...more
If you think that you are not sure if you should be ashamed of laughing - you shouldn't
Autobiography by a quadriplegic alcoholic cartoonist.
'Nuff said.
'Nuff said.
Læste den på dansk.
Very entertaining.
A very funny and personal account by this quadriplegic who employs dark humor about disabilities his cartoons. Honest and vibrant writing to the core.
Jul 19, 2008
Matt
added it
I love this book. I need to get this John Callahan's other books even though I haven't read them, I'm so confident that they'll be hilarious. It reminds me a lot of (If I may make a television reference here.) South Park and Family Guy, that level of deliberatly being offensive.
Combines my reading interests in first-person drug stories and first-person disability tales. Plus it's incredibly funny. I read it again and again and am always sorry when it's over.
A true story. The author salvages his life from alcoholism and anger. He lives a hard life. He has become a famous cartoonist who lives as independently as possible in Portland, OR.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
John Callahan was a cartoonist who often drew on his struggles (he was a paraplegic and recovering alcoholic) for his humor.
More about John Callahan...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
