The Ferrari in the Bedroom

Rating:
Summary: A Shepherd's-eye view of America.
Review: "In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash" and "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories: And Other Disasters" are two books where humorist Jean Shepherd shows his mastery of the nostalgic anecdote laced with satire. A third book, "A Fistful of Fig Newtons", is also anecdotal, but with a more cynical, adult twist. Except for an occasional trip or two down Memory Lane, "The Ferrari in the Bedroom" presents a series of droll observations Shepherd makes of contemporary America ("contemporary" meaning the early 1970s). In a style of sociological humor only his, Shepherd takes on basic components of the American psyche: cars, road travel, consumerism, the battle of the sexes, television, just to name a few. The author also shoots some salvoes at 1970s precursors to 1990s political correctness. Much of the material in this book, albeit dated, will still make some readers reminisce on younger days; references are made to Playboy bunnies, real service stations (i.e., before self-serve), hippies, and the Generation Gap. Shepherd also treats us to amusing travelogues about Maine and Alaska, plus a "critique" of the Johnson Smith novelty catalog which also appears in "A Fistful of Fig Newtons", but under another title. After reading Shepherd's four books, "In God We Trust" and "Wanda Hickey's" stand out as my favorites (coincidentally, these two are still in print).

Rating:
Summary: Essays and Musings and Fiction from an American Master
Review: Well, this isn't Shep's best, but it's still a hell of a good read. Not really a work of fiction, it's largely a collection of essays and musings on American culture. The stories are always funny and smart, and it's illustrated with Shepherd's own excellent pen and ink line drawings. Shep fans will love it and non-shep fans... Well, there aren't any non-Shep fans, only those who haven't read him yet.

Rating:
Summary: Essays and Musings and Fiction from an American Master
Review: Well, this isn't Shep's best, but it's still a hell of a good read. Not really a work of fiction, it's largely a collection of essays and musings on American culture. The stories are always funny and smart, and it's illustrated with Shepherd's own excellent pen and ink line drawings. Shep fans will love it and non-shep fans... Well, there aren't any non-Shep fans, only those who haven't read him yet.