Rating: 
Summary: The great ones are Great, but there's a lot to surf through.
Review: There's 10 to 20 stories here that will stay with me for quite some time, managing to communicate the "human experience", whatever that is, in a way I've never felt before. Anyone reading this will likely have the same experience with a completely different set of 20 or so stories. The problem is, do you have the time/desire to wade through everything else that either doesn't move you or does move you in a really negative way? There are honestly more than a few stories here that are severely annoying for how self-aware or self-satisfied they are. If you're feeling tolerant, though, give it a try. If you're lucky and/or patient you'll hit something pretty cool.
Rating: 
Summary: The Gamut
Review: There's this guy (you don't remember his name). He picks up a hitch-hiker and they travel together for a week or so, until the hitch-hiker pulls a gun and shoots the driver (our narrator) several times (twice in the head). The driver does not die, though. The hitch-hiker argues with the guy. Asks him why he is not dead. The driver says, take me to a hospital, I won't say who did it. The hitch-hiker (eventually) drives him to hospital. The guy never tells.This is just one story in the middle of the book (just one story among a couple of hundred. There are a couple of hundred (almost) as good. Take this one. Right at the start. Woman walks down a street. Spots a chicken. The chicken is walking down the street as if it thinks it was people. The woman follows the chicken until it arrives at a house, knocks at the door and disappears inside. In-between these two extremes, you get love and death and slapstick and all manner of humdrum banalities sent that wee bit off-kilter by the presence of something quite remarkable (what Auster would more than likely say was chance). Everybody said I should dip into this book, read it around and alongside other books, but I didn't and I don't recommend that approach. You should read this like a Paul Auster novel (a novel albeit teeming with narrators and stories and juxtaposition). Certainly you can feel his editorial presence in the occasionally clipped nature of the sentences. Not that that is a bad thing. By no means. Auster's editorial presence binds this project. He is the water in the flour. Sure it's easy to criticise. The only difference between some of these stories and the stories told to you by loved ones and work colleagues every day is the fact that they were written down and submitted to Paul Auster for consideration. saying all of that, in these scary days we now live in, there is reassurance here and a sense of something larger than the outline of the shadows we cast. Life can be remarkable you want to exclaim at times. It can also be boring and annoying and not what you want it to be. And yet, for all that, the good far outweighs the bad. Some people might say this (all of this) is intellectual Reader's Digest. I say back: life is Reader's Digest. If you don't know that, you're an ostrich.
Rating: 
Summary: When life overcomes fiction
Review: This book is exceptional. I have read many books by Paul Auster and this one, although not technically written by Auster is true to this author's fascination with life's mysterious twists of fate. The stories assembled here are captivating, often deeply moving and sometimes hilarious. The fact that these are all real stories makes the reader relates strongly to the people involved. These are rich with familiar characters (the grumpy neighbor who hates kids in the title story, the soft spoken grandfather who does not dare confront his wife in "Revenge", etc.) I could not put the book down. In this day and age where so much attention is given to shallow story lines and pre-packaged entertainment, how refreshing it is to come across these incredible, yet so believable, stories that have happened to ordinary people. The French version of the book has been published before the American version. This is how I got advanced reading of this wonderful collection of stories. Tip: Most of them make great bedtime stories as well. My 7 year old daughter really enjoys it. I got the book from my public library but I want to buy it so I can go back to it again and again.
Rating:
Summary: A constant pick-me-up (in both senses of the phrase)
Review: This book is filled with hundreds of vignettes--some funny and some moving, but almost every one interesting (and NOT saccharine as I sort of expected them to be). I pick it up when I walk by it, read one, and feel re-connected and less numb. Give this to someone you know who's tired (it's easy reading) or sad or disconnected from daily reading or daily life. It revives the reader. Great stories. I hope NPR does another one.
Rating:
Summary: A Book for all your Family and Friends
Review: This is a great easy read that will make you laugh your A.. off and cry your eyes out on the very next page. I bought one for every one of my three siblings, my mom and my aunt plus two friends. Have a box of tissues handy, both to wipe the tears and wipe the beverage that you blow out your nose laughing. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: NOT Chicken
Review: This is definitely not Chicken Soup and i couldn't be happier. I'm forcing myself to read this book slowly so the stories can soak in. These are REAL stories written by REAL people, not cheesy forwarded email drivel. The texture of so many voices, so many perspectives, so many characters is just wonderful. Anyone looking for fairytale endings is going to be disappointed, but if you're interested in hearing what touches the minds and lives of your fellow humans, this is a treasure trove.
Rating:
Summary: We all need a good story from time to time...
Review: We can all view our lives by the arcs they take or the sparks that dot it along the way. Each is revealing. Arcs talk about planning and trajectory while the sparks light the way. Reading through "I Thought My Father Was God" is a trip fully lit by these sparks. Not all the stories are beautifully written, but each expresses those moments in life where we must step back, awed by the majestic, the funny, the sad, the desperate, the joyful, and the inexplicable. These moments belong to all of us. Reading these stories, we recognize ourselves, our moments great and small, our hopes and despair, and ultimately, our humanity. Get this book. Pick it up when you need a laugh, some hope, or a spark of wonder. It will touch you in unexpected ways.
Rating:
Summary: Sparks
Review: We can all view our lives by the arcs they take or the sparks that dot it along the way. Each is revealing. Arcs talk about planning and trajectory while the sparks light the way. Reading through "I Thought My Father Was God" is a trip fully lit by these sparks. Not all the stories are beautifully written, but each expresses those moments in life where we must step back, awed by the majestic, the funny, the sad, the desperate, the joyful, and the inexplicable. These moments belong to all of us. Reading these stories, we recognize ourselves, our moments great and small, our hopes and despair, and ultimately, our humanity. Get this book. Pick it up when you need a laugh, some hope, or a spark of wonder. It will touch you in unexpected ways.
Rating:
Summary: Too Many of the Same Stories...
Review: When I first heard about this book I was very interested in reading it. After starting the book however, I realized I had read the majority of the stories in the "Chicken Soup For the Soul" series. There are a few stories that are original, but overall it wasn't worth reading.
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