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109th out of 1,915 books
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3,775 voters
My Life and Hard Times
Widely hailed as one of the finest humorist of the twentieth century, James Thurber looks back at his own life growing up in Columbus, Ohio, with the same humor and sharp wit that defined his famous sketches and writings. In My Life and Hard times, first published in 1933, he recounts the delightful chaos and frustrations of family, boyhood, youth odd dogs, recalcitrant m...more
Paperback, 106 pages
Published
October 6th 1999
by Harper Perennial Modern Classics
(first published 1933)
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I remember having to read "The Dog That Bit People" in class during my sophomore year of high school. Twenty five bowed heads in a room, each making no sound (save the occasional sigh), and one nerd giggling his bespectacled head off, which was me
These stories are absolutely superb. "The Night the Ghost Got In" and "The Dog That Bit People" are wonderful, and the episode in "More Alarms At Night" where his dad "threatened to get Buck" is laugh-out-loud hilarious. I love the characters, as well....more
These stories are absolutely superb. "The Night the Ghost Got In" and "The Dog That Bit People" are wonderful, and the episode in "More Alarms At Night" where his dad "threatened to get Buck" is laugh-out-loud hilarious. I love the characters, as well....more
probably the funniest (in a wryly funny, self-depricating, midwestern sort of way) thing ever written in the english language, and the cartoon illustrations are even better.
4 likes · like · see review
Chris Healy
My Life and Hard Times Review
There are many novels and pieces of literature that are considered classics. These books include Call of the Wild by Jack London, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The definition of a classic can vary from person to person, but they generally have several things in common. Books known as classics demand respect from society, and are widely accepted to be “good” pieces of literature. T...more
My Life and Hard Times Review
There are many novels and pieces of literature that are considered classics. These books include Call of the Wild by Jack London, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The definition of a classic can vary from person to person, but they generally have several things in common. Books known as classics demand respect from society, and are widely accepted to be “good” pieces of literature. T...more
Thurber and the Wide Sargasso Sea
As I try to write about Thurber, with his My Life and Hard Times and The Wide Sargasso sea by Jean Rhys, I think that I should change my reading strategy.
At this stage, I try to read all that the great books on the top 100-150 lists of books given by The Modern Library, TIME, The Guardian, Friendswood and eventually Le Monde. Le Monde has a different perspective, with its list of best books- „Starting from a preliminary list of 200 titles created by bookshops and...more
As I try to write about Thurber, with his My Life and Hard Times and The Wide Sargasso sea by Jean Rhys, I think that I should change my reading strategy.
At this stage, I try to read all that the great books on the top 100-150 lists of books given by The Modern Library, TIME, The Guardian, Friendswood and eventually Le Monde. Le Monde has a different perspective, with its list of best books- „Starting from a preliminary list of 200 titles created by bookshops and...more
Have you ever felt like your family isn't normal? Then you can relate to My Life and Hard Times by James Thurber.
James is a boy who's family is made of interesting people, a weird car, and a house in the middle of an odd neighborhood. This family of five lives in a cinder block on a farm and it’s a difficult life. There is barely enough food to feed her family, the winters are harsh, and the farmer’s cat can’t wait to get his paws on the mice.
Timothy gets sick, and the small cold becomes life...more
James is a boy who's family is made of interesting people, a weird car, and a house in the middle of an odd neighborhood. This family of five lives in a cinder block on a farm and it’s a difficult life. There is barely enough food to feed her family, the winters are harsh, and the farmer’s cat can’t wait to get his paws on the mice.
Timothy gets sick, and the small cold becomes life...more
My Life and Hard Times. James Thurber. 1933. Perennial Classics. 106 pages. ISBN 0060933089.
Okay, okay, so I know James Thurber is a celebrated author and artist who spent the majority of his career writing for The New Yorker, but that was over 50 years ago. I really need to start washing my hands of classics such as these because they're just too old. I can appreciate his talent, but from an enjoyment standpoint I just need to stick to later, humorous biographies written by people that are stil...more
Okay, okay, so I know James Thurber is a celebrated author and artist who spent the majority of his career writing for The New Yorker, but that was over 50 years ago. I really need to start washing my hands of classics such as these because they're just too old. I can appreciate his talent, but from an enjoyment standpoint I just need to stick to later, humorous biographies written by people that are stil...more
2 likes · like · see review
http://tinyurl.com/neqwdu
I'm not sure I agree that Thurber has been our (American) best humor writer, or our best short story writer. What about Raymond Carver? Doesn't Jon Stewart count?
Certainly, I find his writing humorous, but I also find it a bit monotonous. In this semi-autobiography, I tired easily of the bumblings in the dark. There were far, far too many of these stories. The electric car piece is hands-down the best of them all, but I feel he never achieves that level again in the "col...more
I'm not sure I agree that Thurber has been our (American) best humor writer, or our best short story writer. What about Raymond Carver? Doesn't Jon Stewart count?
Certainly, I find his writing humorous, but I also find it a bit monotonous. In this semi-autobiography, I tired easily of the bumblings in the dark. There were far, far too many of these stories. The electric car piece is hands-down the best of them all, but I feel he never achieves that level again in the "col...more
Before starting: I need something light, and I love memoirs, so this should be perfect.
And it was! A very short memoir that says it all. Some writers don't have to talk and talk and talk, just a few short episodes, all humorous, tell about the essential elements of James Thurber's boyhood growing up in Columbus, Ohio - the flatlands. Even though the chapters could be seen as short stories, they are not! They are true episodes in this humorist's life. The book was written in the 30s and it has lo...more
And it was! A very short memoir that says it all. Some writers don't have to talk and talk and talk, just a few short episodes, all humorous, tell about the essential elements of James Thurber's boyhood growing up in Columbus, Ohio - the flatlands. Even though the chapters could be seen as short stories, they are not! They are true episodes in this humorist's life. The book was written in the 30s and it has lo...more
2 likes · like · see review
When I was in my teens, my father decided I needed a little more culture in my life. So he bought me a subscription to The New Yorker.
If I didn't dislike the old man so much, I’d feel bad about wasting his money. Because me and The New Yorker…we didn't get each other. I tried, I really tried to read and understand the articles. (Even then, I knew ENJOYING them would be beyond my meager abilities.) But it was a hopeless case. My idea of culture was the next Christian Slater movie, or the newest B...more
If I didn't dislike the old man so much, I’d feel bad about wasting his money. Because me and The New Yorker…we didn't get each other. I tried, I really tried to read and understand the articles. (Even then, I knew ENJOYING them would be beyond my meager abilities.) But it was a hopeless case. My idea of culture was the next Christian Slater movie, or the newest B...more
Am I missing something here? This seemed like a children's book, and maybe I am no longer young at heart, but not a good one either.
The stories were not funny at all and just throwaway anecdotes that might have been funny to the author's immediate family or maybe as part of a silent era slapstick movie, but as written words they were pointless and instantly forgettable.
I liked "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" so I was surprised by the one-dimensional self-centered voice of this "autobiography"....more
The stories were not funny at all and just throwaway anecdotes that might have been funny to the author's immediate family or maybe as part of a silent era slapstick movie, but as written words they were pointless and instantly forgettable.
I liked "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" so I was surprised by the one-dimensional self-centered voice of this "autobiography"....more
Good, easy-to-read book. I don't really care for the illustrations but the anecdotes included throughout the book are endearing. The narrative style is quaint and successful in being funny.
The chapter about the day the dam broke was especially inspired. So was the chapter on his memories of Ohio State University:
"I was mediocre at drill, certainly-- that is, until my senior year. By that time I had drilled longer than anybody else in the Western Conference, having failed at military at the end o...more
The chapter about the day the dam broke was especially inspired. So was the chapter on his memories of Ohio State University:
"I was mediocre at drill, certainly-- that is, until my senior year. By that time I had drilled longer than anybody else in the Western Conference, having failed at military at the end o...more
I read this book for the first time shortly after moving to the Midwest. I moved here from Boston when I was ten, and a year or two later, I was flipping through my anthology textbook for my Literature class and found a short story written by James Thurber. It was absolutely hilarious, so I went to the library and checked to see if he had written any actual books. This popped right up so I borrowed it and took it home to read.
This short 'autobiography' is dry, witty, self-deprecating and interes...more
This short 'autobiography' is dry, witty, self-deprecating and interes...more
Hilarious! Are the stories really true? Quite possibly. Could they happen in present-day america? Probably not. Thurber tells stories about his family, characters plagued by phobias but nonetheless ready to make a daring go at misunderstanding what is going on.
This is actually the first thing I've read by Thurber. Well, the first complete piece. I discovered halfway through that I had read a bit of this book as it was included in Eliot Aaronson's The Social Animal (excellent book). It's the bit from the "flood," where everybody starts running away from a completely non-existent flood. Aaronson used it as an example of conformity, as I recall.
Anyway, though, as I said, I'd never really read any Thurber. As I read this and talked to people about it, it...more
Anyway, though, as I said, I'd never really read any Thurber. As I read this and talked to people about it, it...more
I remember reading Thurber as a child and thinking he was hilarious. I don't know whether my sense of humor has changed or whether it was the TV show I found so funny years ago. There is certainly humor here, I guffawed only once or twice. I think "My World and Welcome To It" is more playful, linguistic and indicative of Thurber's genius, but it's interesting read his take on his childhood and family. It's heartening that his telling of beds collapsing (I had one of these as a child) cranking/pu...more
This is one of the notable but neglected books Jonathan Yardley heaped praise upon in his Second Reading collection of essays. As the excerpts of this slim but outstanding autobiography (and ode to his hometown, Columbus, OH) had me laughing out loud (at the time and upon reflection!) I knew I had to read it. Of course, taking two English classes and reading several other books simultaneously (I'm aware I have a problem) should've prohibited me from snatching it from the library shelf earlier th...more
Cleverly written and absurdly funny, it's also a very realistic picture of the craziness found in an ordinary family. Thurber rambles out into such interesting tangents, you don't even realize he's done it until it comes back. But my favorite thing about this book is that it's filled with places and landmarks that are still part of Columbus, OH. Reynoldsburg, Franklin Park, Clintonville, Broad/High and the statuary on the State House lawn all make appearances in these short stories. The characte...more
Sadly, this wonderful book is hardly ever referred to. While the world knows that Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, and the Bronte sisters wrote Literature, hardly anyone who hasn't read Thurber recognizes the name. And he's got to be very near the best humor writer out there. I can drive my family crazy by giggling out loud while I'm reading him. They complain, and ask me to stop, but I just can't. I am incapable of reading this collection (his best, in my opinion) out loud, because I burst ou...more
Brillance comes in small packages. James Thurber packs a lot of funny and absurdity in a tiny book that you should definitely read.
A quaint little book of short autobiographical vignettes prior to 1918. Known as a major humorist, I feel Mr. Thurber's book is a bit dated, which allowed for some unintended charm to shine through with the use of dated sounding words like rigamarole. I had hoped for the book to give me a laugh or two after a couple of stressful weeks dealing with family, but was satisfied with some pleasant smiles, especially from the Grandfather character. Short, sweet and a bit old fashioned. Looking up some...more
James Thurber’s memoir of his early years, written before he was even middle-aged, is a look at what it was like to live in the early 1900s with a senile grandfather, a family that didn’t understand the technology of the day, a father who thought everyone else was crazy, and a whole bunch of other people who just don’t communicate. All this is the basis for a series of funny and satirical anecdotes.
Thurber’s grandfather couldn’t tell the difference between a police officer in the early 1900s and...more
Thurber’s grandfather couldn’t tell the difference between a police officer in the early 1900s and...more
I just reread this book for the first time since middle school or high school. I definitely appreciate Thurber's humor and subtlety. Here are a few quotes I especially enjoyed:
"Your short-piece writer's time is not Walter Lippmann's time, or Stuart Chase's time, or Professor Einstein's time. It is his own personal time, circumscribed by the short boundaries of his pain and his embarrassment, in which what happens to his digestion, the rear axle of his car, and the confused flow of his relationsh...more
"Your short-piece writer's time is not Walter Lippmann's time, or Stuart Chase's time, or Professor Einstein's time. It is his own personal time, circumscribed by the short boundaries of his pain and his embarrassment, in which what happens to his digestion, the rear axle of his car, and the confused flow of his relationsh...more
I find the disparaging comments from twenty-somethings about Thurber's "My Life and Hard Times" amusing. So would Thurber, because he could always use another philistine foil for his smart protagonist. If you find this material to be too dated you should get off Facebook long enough to have real interactions with real people, then you'd appreciate Thurber's wickedly understated and subtle wit. If you don't get it, it's not because the material isn't funny. It's because you don't get it. Get it?
I actually have the fifth printing of the 1961 Bantam Classic edition, but I don't know how to get that information into the system if it's not already there.
James Thurber has a gift with words. He always knows when to add a particular detail and when to add a comment on the events he's narrating. This collection of stories leads me to believe that the author grew up in a uproariously crazy household; in fact, he could have lived a commonplace life, but his telling of it is exquisite.
James Thurber has a gift with words. He always knows when to add a particular detail and when to add a comment on the events he's narrating. This collection of stories leads me to believe that the author grew up in a uproariously crazy household; in fact, he could have lived a commonplace life, but his telling of it is exquisite.
Yes, yes, yes! This book was great! Everyone needs to read it right now. I laughed like crazy.
This is James Thurber's memoir - it's a collection of 10 stories from his childhood/youth. It's only about a hundred pages long, so I was hoping I'd be able to read the whole thing whil waiting in line at the bookstore where I was doing my Christmas shopping. But the lines were actually moving pretty fast, so I had to buy it.
This is a book that would be fun to read aloud.
This is James Thurber's memoir - it's a collection of 10 stories from his childhood/youth. It's only about a hundred pages long, so I was hoping I'd be able to read the whole thing whil waiting in line at the bookstore where I was doing my Christmas shopping. But the lines were actually moving pretty fast, so I had to buy it.
This is a book that would be fun to read aloud.
Is this book funnier than Steven Colbert? Yes, it is. Is it funnier than your mom? Yes, it is. Is it funnier than Samuel Beckett? Believe it or not, YES IT IS! Is it funnier than Spiro Agnew? Trick question! Spiro Agnew is not funny. This is actually the funniest book ever. You won't believe that it was first published in 1933. 1933 was not generally considered a funny year, but this book is absolutely hilarious. It's a must read! Check it out!
It took me a few stories to catch on to the spirit of this book; the sly tone and the humor that comes from understatement. But the fact that each story seemed to be funnier than the last is a sign this book was very good at teaching me how to read it. A mixture of slapstick and mockery that I believe readers today will still find it very funny.
Sep 11, 2012
Dale Baker
added it
are you from ohio or love an ohioan...then you will love the humor of this ohio/columbus genius that refined in nyc and the new yorker...a must read for any thurber enthusiat or fanatic...trust me ...you will love this book if you only have a pulse, even just a weak one...it will change your life..ok,not that...but you will laugh out loud...
a friend of mine who is obsessed with James Thurber took me to his home for a tour of where he grew up in Columbus, Ohio. (we're both from there) After the tour she bought the book for me and recommended I read it. I will always be grateful for that because it's one of the funniest, most enjoyable books I've read in a very long time.
The other day I wanted to read this book again, so I went to my bookshelves, found the T's and...it wasn't there. I looked through all the other books to see if it had been misplaced, but no luck. After thinking about it for a few days I have a very vague memory of forcing this book into someone's hands a while back. I suppose whoever it was still has it. If it was you, you can keep it. I bought another one.
I have loved James Thurber since high school when I read "The Catbird Seat" as part of a...more
I have loved James Thurber since high school when I read "The Catbird Seat" as part of a...more
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Thurber was born in Columbus, Ohio to Charles L. Thurber and Mary Agnes (Mame) Fisher Thurber. Both of his parents greatly influenced his work. His father, a sporadically employed clerk and minor politician who dreamed of being a lawyer or an actor, is said to have been the inspiration for the small, timid protagonist typical of many of his stories. Thurber described his mother as a "born comedien...more
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“My mother, for instance, thought-or rather, knew-that it was dangerous to drive an automobile without gasoline: it fried the valves, or something. 'Now don't you dare drive all over town without gasoline!' she would say to us when we started off" (31).”
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“In the pathways between office and home and home and the houses of settled people there are always, ready to snap at you, the little perils of routine living, but there is no escape in the unplanned tangent, the sudden turn.”
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3 people liked it
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May 18, 2010 07:09am
Jun 18, 2012 11:55pm