A Choice of Days: Essays From Happy Days, Newspaper Days and Heathen Days

by H.L. Mencken

The brilliantly irreverent newspaperman and dedicated debunker sketches his own life in a work drawn from three previously released autobiographical tomes

Genres: Biography, Autobiography, Nonfiction, Humor

337 pages, Hardcover

First published August 12, 1980

About the author

Henry Louis "H.L." Mencken became one of the most influential and prolific journalists in America in the 1920s and '30s, writing about all the shams and con artists in the world. He attacked chiropractors and the Ku Klux Klan, politicians and other journalists. Most of all, he attacked Puritan morality. He called Puritanism, "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy."

At the height of his career, he edited and wrote for The American Mercury magazine and the Baltimore Sun newspaper, wrote a nationally syndicated newspaper column for the Chicago Tribune, and published two or three books every year. His masterpiece was one of the few books he wrote about something he loved, a book called The American Language (1919), a history and collection of American vernacular speech. It included a translation of the Declaration of Independence into American English that began, "When things get so balled up that the people of a country got to cut loose from some other country, and go it on their own hook, without asking no permission from nobody, excepting maybe God Almighty, then they ought to let everybody know why they done it, so that everybody can see they are not trying to put nothing over on nobody."

When asked what he would like for an epitaph, Mencken wrote, "If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl."

(from American Public Media)

Reviews

[Rick Rapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of essays by H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) is problematic; the variety itself is interesting and instructive...it covers events as varied as Prohibition, the Great Fire of Baltimore, and a visit to Carthage. One challenge is its pace. Mencken writes in the leisurely humorous style of Twain and has never heard (or taken seriously) the maxim "Brevity is the soul of wit." In his defense, reading 20 essays by any author over a relatively short period of time is daunting and illuminating...his style becomes predictable and at times tedious. This collection of essays is worthwhile in that it clearly illustrates the change in taste and appreciation of "humor." While I found some parts amusing, overall I was eagerly anticipating the conclusion of each of these essays. The most disturbing part of this collection is the abundance of casual racism and sexism that imbues each and every one of his entries. I can no longer swallow "well, he was a product of his time" as a defense for this. Each instance of these offenses mars what otherwise might have been an enjoyable read. Still, I learned more than a few things about Baltimore and the man himself.

[Jerrica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because H.L. Mencken is one of Hunter S. Thompson's biggest influences. That is clear from the writing style and sense of humor: that sort of hard-edged, exaggerated frustration iconoclast stuff. It made me think about Bob Odenkirk's statement in his own memoir that all comedy has a bit of anger in it. It was also interesting to read about life in Baltimore from the 1880s to 1930s, and about living through Prohibition.

Overall, the strongest part of the book is Mencken's voice. He is so lively in print, so it was shocking to read about things that happened so long ago, like the 1904 Baltimore fire or the 1920 San Francisco Democratic Convention, when the prose is so welcoming and direct it makes you feel like it happened today.

I'm not a super big essay person, so it did take me a bit to get through this because it's just all narrative essays and it didn't make me want to pick it up all the time, but I did enjoy actually reading it, once I got into it. Now to return it to the library; it is quite overdue!

[Michael Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historically fascinating accounts of the author’s life written in lean prose that sings. Just wonderful.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've just gotten past the somewhat disturbing childhood stories at last and am into the early newspaper career which is a bit more interesting. So far the wit that the man is famed for is rather lacking. It was all they had by him at the local library though and there are some amusing bits as well as vivid images of life in Baltimore at the time. This does reinforce my lack of enthusiasm for biographies and autobiographies, however.

At page 150 was weary enough of it to put it back in the bag to return to the library.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this last year and then put it down after reading about 60%. It's a collection of his autobiographical works, and doesn't contain his more topical essays. Nonethess, HL is an eccentric dude. He also loves language more than most writers (which is saying a lot).

[Zack · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-83...

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autobiography. Dry and not as interesting as I was expecting.

[nobody · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book by one of the best man of letters to ever live.