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The Ferrari in the Bedroom
“[Jean] Shepherd is that very rare breed, a homespun humorist cut from the same Midwestern cloth as Mark Twain and George Ade.”— Saturday Review
Jean Shepherd was one of America’s favorite humorists, his most notable achievement being the creation of the indefatigable Ralphie Parker and his quest for a BB gun in the holiday classic A Christmas Story . But he was so much more, a comic Garrison Keillor–like figure whose unique voice transcended the airwaves and affected a whole generation of nostalgic Americans.
The Ferrari in the Bedroom is Shepherd’s wry, affectionate look at the hang-ups and delusions of Americans in the 1970s. From his sardonic assessment of fads such as the nostalgia craze (“Thinking that the old days were good is a terrible sickness. Everything was just as bad then as it is now.”) to a modest proposal for the foundation of S.P.L.A.T. (The Society for the Prevention of the Leaving of Animal Turds), Jean Shepherd provides a generous measure of his special brand of wise and warm humor as an antidote for some of America’s more ridiculous obsessions.
Jean Shepherd was one of America’s favorite humorists, his most notable achievement being the creation of the indefatigable Ralphie Parker and his quest for a BB gun in the holiday classic A Christmas Story . But he was so much more, a comic Garrison Keillor–like figure whose unique voice transcended the airwaves and affected a whole generation of nostalgic Americans.
The Ferrari in the Bedroom is Shepherd’s wry, affectionate look at the hang-ups and delusions of Americans in the 1970s. From his sardonic assessment of fads such as the nostalgia craze (“Thinking that the old days were good is a terrible sickness. Everything was just as bad then as it is now.”) to a modest proposal for the foundation of S.P.L.A.T. (The Society for the Prevention of the Leaving of Animal Turds), Jean Shepherd provides a generous measure of his special brand of wise and warm humor as an antidote for some of America’s more ridiculous obsessions.
269 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
40 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Jean Shepherd
47 books151 followersJean Parker "Shep" Shepherd Jr. was an American storyteller, humorist, radio and TV personality, writer, and actor. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known for the film A Christmas Story (1983), which he narrated and co-scripted on the basis of his own semi-autobiographical stories.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 17, 2021
Anything that takes me back to my youth, I'm watching (YouTube) reading and rehashing with friends I grew up with, so naturally this book caught my eye based on the title. Strong start with Shepherds youth, like mine but perhaps 10 years earlier. Then the book gets weird with little stories with characters that appear from thin air and conversate a full chapter (4-5 pages) and I have not a freakin' clue who they are, they're not developed at all. Inasmuch as I like that humor, like modern day Chuck Kloysterman (misspelled) sort of, this pattern continues throughout the entire book leaving me having to either read one chapter (4-5 page) a day, or kinda skim as I'm not feeling I can relate to anyone or anything they're about doing
May 16, 2016
The Ferrari in the Bedroom is the fourth Jean Shepherd short story collection that I have read, and I think it is the worst. That isn't to say that it is bad, but it is very inconsistent. I thought that eight of the last nine stories in the book were very good. They were witty, observant, and had that understated "gee whiz" kind of tone that is characteristic of Shepherd. The earlier stories in the collection felt more like the ramblings of a curmudgeonly old man who is sexist, ageist, and a angry at a changing world. If I were to recommend this book, I would recommend that you skip to the story titled "43 Miles on the Gauge" and read the rest of the book. The six that come before that one aren't very good.
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November 2, 2016
Loads of fun, as are all of Shep's works, this is a collection of shorts from Car & Driver (mostly) of varying topics. Now, Shep is probably an acquired taste, but some of these tales are genuine hoots, like "An independent survey..." and "The man of the future..." But he is at his best when he's recalling events from his past, as in his days as a gas jockey, or his first trip to the Indy 500...true classics, both of them. A book to be savored, and saved. Thanks, Shep.
June 11, 2009
All I can say about this book is that I loved it. I gave it only four stars because as good as it is, I gave five stars to Jean Sheperd's best book, Wanda Hickey's Nights of Golden memories, and Ferrari wasn't quite as good.
June 21, 2014
First published in 1970, these stories are hopelessly outdated and politically incorrect, except for those of us alive in 1970 who understand all of the people and cultural references. Living in 1970 sure was a hoot!
May 21, 2010
Should out to the Route 22 Flagship.
August 9, 2012
Not quite as good as Shepherd's other books but still a fun read.
August 10, 2012
Culturally dated yet psychologically relevant humor.
May 18, 2023
Of Shepherd's previous works I had said the stories, while they hadn't necessarily aged well, were heartwarming and reminiscent of an earlier, supposedly simpler time in Midwest America. But I sensed something uneasy underlying all of that storytelling and have now uncovered it while reading The Ferrari in the Bedroom.
This group of stories (some repeated from earlier works) is uncomfortably dated. Shepherd leans a little more into misogynistic, xenophobic, and even racist judgment of the world around him. Either that or the low-level sinus headache I have had for days has jaded my view of what I read.
Take this excerpt -
"A thin, pale young man stood in the aisle. His crystal-clear boy soprano quivering with exultation, he led us on to further glories. True, he reminded me a little of Jane Fonda, who never was exactly my type. His little-boy bangs carelessly brushed down over his forehead, his clearly symbolic denim-blue workshirt open, nay, ripped open, la fist-fightin' Millhand, he was the very image of a Master Sufferer Singer of our time. In the overheated air of our First Class cabin you could almost see his head starkly outlined in a grainy black and white photograph--towering above the rubble of an American street--a perfect Album Cover head. One of the New Breed--the New Breed of fiction artists edging out the old crowd who had used writing as a medium to create fictional characters in novels and plays and short stories, characters that were clearly recognized as make-believe.
The New Breed has gone one important step farther. They use their own lives as a medium for fiction and their own persons as fictional characters. The New Breed can imagine himself to be anything, and believe it--Cowhand, Lumberjack, Negro, Itinerant Fruit-Picker, Bullfighter--any romantic figure that fits his fancy. So, at 19 or 20, a man can have lived a full, rich, dangerous life and feel that he is a worn-out, misery-scarred pilgrim. And what's more, his followers believe him, because they work in the same medium."
Did I miss the point? Only a couple of these could be described as romantic figures but the thoughts of cultural appropriation come through quite clearly.
Maybe I am being too sensitive, but this small riptide exists in a lot of the writing here. I understand the time and place in which Shepherd wrote and I appreciate much of his humor but somehow the nagging uncomfortableness will not let go.
This group of stories (some repeated from earlier works) is uncomfortably dated. Shepherd leans a little more into misogynistic, xenophobic, and even racist judgment of the world around him. Either that or the low-level sinus headache I have had for days has jaded my view of what I read.
Take this excerpt -
"A thin, pale young man stood in the aisle. His crystal-clear boy soprano quivering with exultation, he led us on to further glories. True, he reminded me a little of Jane Fonda, who never was exactly my type. His little-boy bangs carelessly brushed down over his forehead, his clearly symbolic denim-blue workshirt open, nay, ripped open, la fist-fightin' Millhand, he was the very image of a Master Sufferer Singer of our time. In the overheated air of our First Class cabin you could almost see his head starkly outlined in a grainy black and white photograph--towering above the rubble of an American street--a perfect Album Cover head. One of the New Breed--the New Breed of fiction artists edging out the old crowd who had used writing as a medium to create fictional characters in novels and plays and short stories, characters that were clearly recognized as make-believe.
The New Breed has gone one important step farther. They use their own lives as a medium for fiction and their own persons as fictional characters. The New Breed can imagine himself to be anything, and believe it--Cowhand, Lumberjack, Negro, Itinerant Fruit-Picker, Bullfighter--any romantic figure that fits his fancy. So, at 19 or 20, a man can have lived a full, rich, dangerous life and feel that he is a worn-out, misery-scarred pilgrim. And what's more, his followers believe him, because they work in the same medium."
Did I miss the point? Only a couple of these could be described as romantic figures but the thoughts of cultural appropriation come through quite clearly.
Maybe I am being too sensitive, but this small riptide exists in a lot of the writing here. I understand the time and place in which Shepherd wrote and I appreciate much of his humor but somehow the nagging uncomfortableness will not let go.
December 29, 2025
I have always enjoyed Shepherd’s raunchy and uproarious reminisces of boyhood and youth. He had a knack of stringing words together in a way that causes helpless guffaws. His juxtaposition of elements to create situations is fundamental to great humor. He was also amazing at sketching. However I was disappointed with The Ferrari in the Bedroom because it revealed too much of the dark side of a scrappy midwestern upbringing - conservatism, misogyny, and homophobia. The fantasy of true masculinity and true femininity as judged by strong white males, the fantasy of rugged individualism that requires and gives no government help to those in need, and the belief that regulation is for sissies, seeing all of this has spoiled the book.
Read
September 3, 2019 I read this book when I was 12 years old, I was a huge fan of "Shep" and for a few years I would listen to his radio show most nights. I have an original copy that I got signed at a reading/ Q and A.
July 2, 2020
Still pretty funny as most J. Shepherd books are, but this one has a more adult theme. There are less funny (possibly made up) stories about his Depression-Era childhood, and more stories about Jean's take on modern life. Still pretty funny. Not as good as his previous works.
August 29, 2020
I love Jean Shepherd's books, this one not so much. A lot of ramblings after the first hundred pages that are possibly observational but not interesting or funny.
I HIGHLY recommend his others- In God We Trust, Fistful of Fig Newtons, and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories are great, heartwarming nostalgic comedies to re-read.
I HIGHLY recommend his others- In God We Trust, Fistful of Fig Newtons, and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories are great, heartwarming nostalgic comedies to re-read.
January 3, 2021
I love Jean Shepard so i may be biased. Worth rhe read. Maybe not perfect but it will make you laugh. I miss him.
August 4, 2021
Great stuff when he shares his past experiences and recalls how things used to be. Less so when Shepherd grouses about how American culture is in decline in comparison.
Read
January 9, 2022Gave up early on. Very dated and lacking the charm of A Christmas Story.
January 14, 2026
Not Shepard’s best but still decent.
April 9, 2013
Great stories with interesting developments.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews