The Banana Sculptor, the Purple Lady, and the All-Night Swimmer: Hobbies, Collecting, and Other Passionate Pursuits

by Susan Sheehan, Howard Means

A humorous study of American leisure explores a wide variety of unusual activities and hobbies, from swimming the Great Lakes to growing bonsai trees. 35,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published March 26, 2002

Reviews

[Marcia Lusted · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting stories of regular people and the hobbies they pursue, but at 300 pages, it did get a little tedious.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a book of stories about people with unusual collections, hobbies or other interests. Like any collection, there were some essays I found more interesting than others. I'm not really into sports, other than baseball, so the sports section wasn't appealing to me. I did enjoy the other essays, particularly Mr. Lauder, who collects postcards because they are beautiful, and the lady who bakes for the state fair. This book is good for reading in snippets; the essays are just long enough to be interesting, and short enough to read before bed.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who could resist a title like that?! Read it over a length of time, each chapter is a new story. A look at all sorts of hobbies, collections, & other pursuits that people are passionate about, some bordering on obsession. Ordinary people who do unusual things. Interesting & amusing. Donated: Book Store 2018

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this book to young people wondering what they want to do with their lives as well as newly retired people asking the nearly the same question. The variety of people and hobbies portrayed insure that there is something here for any person.