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This Boy's Life: A Memoir by Tobias Wolff
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Tobias Wolff Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2000-03 ISBN: 0802136680 Number of pages: 304 Publisher: Grove Press Product features: - ISBN13: 9780802136688
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of This Boy's Life: A MemoirBook Review: What a GREAT book!!!! Summary: 5 Stars
After reading the book This Boys Life, I am now able to say that I have read a fantastic book, which will impact me for the rest of my life. I feel that this is one of those books that every boy must read. I found this book so fascinating because it is a true story of the author's young boyhood experiences, and it just shows what can be accomplished in life. The book starts off with a journey across the country, as Toby and his mother look for a new identity, and at the same time scramble away from a troubled relationship with a dysfunctional father. Running away leaves Toby with only his mother to talk to, and a deep apprehension about where he will end up next. Along the way, Toby seems to be caught up in his mom's dream of freedom and transformation, which in a way creates some conflict. For it is surely not easy to be a young boy having to jump into the shoes of a grown adult, and this is what Toby is faced with. Along the way, Toby is forced into many situations where he is caught up trying to work out his identity, and must prove himself in whatever he does. This attitude leads Toby into some tough places where he is forced to make a decision. One big decision Toby makes is to attend a private boarding school. Later on Toby discovers that this is not the correct place for him, and once again moves on into an entirely new setting after getting kicked out of school. He decides that the army is his final option, so he packs his bags and heads off where once again a new identity is formed. It is such a great feeling to be reading a book, and while at the same time picturing oneself among all of the characters. This is the exact sensation I had while reading this memoir. It is just the kind of book you must experience to be able to appreciate its significant meaning and value towards life. After reading this book, I feel that it is a great piece of literature to read because it is dealing with real life problems, which many young boys are facing today. I think that this is a great representation of a young boy struggling in life. At the same time, it is so powerful, that it just overtakes you as the reader, and will not allow you to set the book down. Enjoy!After reading the book This Boys Life, I am now able to say that I have read a fantastic book, which will impact me for the rest of my life. I feel that this is one of those books that every boy must read. I found this book so fascinating because it is a true story of the author's young boyhood experiences, and it just shows what can be accomplished in life. The book starts off with a journey across the country, as Toby and his mother look for a new identity, and at the same time scramble away from a troubled relationship with a dysfunctional father. Running away leaves Toby with only his mother to talk to, and a deep apprehension about where he will end up next. Along the way, Toby seems to be caught up in his mom's dream of freedom and transformation, which in a way creates some conflict. For it is surely not easy to be a young boy having to jump into the shoes of a grown adult, and this is what Toby is faced with. Along the way, Toby is forced into many situations where he is caught up trying to work out his identity, and must prove himself in whatever he does. This attitude leads Toby into some tough places where he is forced to make a decision. One big decision Toby makes is to attend a private boarding school. Later on Toby discovers that this is not the correct place for him, and once again moves on into an entirely new setting after getting kicked out of school. He decides that the army is his final option, so he packs his bags and heads off where once again a new identity is formed. It is such a great feeling to be reading a book, and while at the same time picturing oneself among all of the characters. This is the exact sensation I had while reading this memoir. It is just the kind of book you must experience to be able to appreciate its significant meaning and value towards life. After reading this book, I feel that it is a great piece of literature to read because it is dealing with real life problems, which many young boys are facing today. I think that this is a great representation of a young boy struggling in life. At the same time, it is so powerful, that it just overtakes you as the reader, and will not allow you to set the book down. Enjoy!
Summary of This Boy's Life: A MemoirThis unforgettable memoir, by one of our most gifted writers, introduces us to the young Toby Wolff, by turns tough and vulnerable, crafty and bumbling, and ultimately winning. Separated by divorce from his father and brother, Toby and his mother are constantly on the move, yet they develop an extraordinarily close, almost telepathic relationship. As Toby fights for identity and self-respect against the unrelenting hostility of a new stepfather, his experiences are at once poignant and comical, and Wolff does a masterful job of re-creating the frustrations and cruelties of adolescence. His various schemes - running away to Alaska, forging checks, and stealing cars - lead eventually to an act of outrageous self-invention that releases him into a new world of possibility.
Fiction writer Tobias Wolff electrified critics with his scarifying 1989 memoir, which many deemed as notable for its artful structure and finely wrought prose as for the events it describes. The story is pretty grim: Teenaged Wolff moves with his divorced mother from Florida to Utah to Washington State to escape her violent boyfriend. When she remarries, Wolff finds himself in a bitter battle of wills with his abusive stepfather, a contest in which the two prove to be more evenly matched than might have been supposed. Deception, disguise, and illusion are the weapons the young man learns to employ as he grows up--not bad training for a writer-to-be. Somber though this tale of family strife is, it is also darkly funny and so artistically satisfying that most readers come away exhilarated rather than depressed.
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