I Thought My Father Was God: And Other True Tales from NPR's National Story Project

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Summary: Intimately examines the connections among us all
Review: "I Thought My Father Was God: And Other True Tales from NPR's National Story Project" is a superb and unusual book that manages two wonderful things: it confirms the universality of the human experience and it amply demonstrates that everyone, EVERYONE has a story to tell.

The experiences told in this eclectic and endlessly absorbing collection are varied and run the gamut of experiences life has to offer. There are stories of love, loss, regret, joy, sorrow, and growing up. The subjects that bring on these emotions are as varied as a pet bird, a sharp slap from a parent, a new piece of clothing, a weekend alone at the beach, a party in which the increasingly annoying guest of honor gets his face pushed into the cake, a reconnection with a former lover, a loose car tire, and a harrowing audition for a sleazy adult film.

Some of the stories are flatly told, facts laid out on the page. Others take loving care with the details. Either way, the accretion of all the stories gives the reader a most satisfying sense of membership by the end of the book--membership in the human race.

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Summary: Not worth reading
Review: Chicken soup for the soul series has it all over this book. It tries to copy those short stories, but it misses the mark big time.

With the exception of a handful of stories, most of them are just plain dumb. Many are just sad. Depressing. I was left with that, "HUH?" feeling after reading many of them.

I like to read. I rarely consider reading a waste of my time. I bought this book and consider it a waste of my money. Even if someone GAVE me this book, it really isnt worth my time.

I noticed many of the rewiews gave it 5 stars and that kind of influenced my decision when I bought the book. I wish someone had written from this perspective so I might have had a feeling that it wasnt like chicken soup books.

I hope I can help someone else not waste their money.

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Summary: God, Reader's Digest, and Reality TV
Review: For those readers who liken this accomplished, rare book to reader's digest; or whose complaints point to the storytellers' lack of literary skill, and their self-indulgence, I urge you to turn off your televisions. You have missed the subtleties of this book altogether, and suffer the misfortune of not recognizing the book's contribution to the history of our time. See...Sarah Fox's full review of this book, for exemplary insight into the value of Auster's collection. Think Harry Smith, Studs Terkel--have you listened to the traditional folk songs from this country, read Terkel's accounts of real life lived by real people in America? Are we at a point, post-historically, when actual stories told quietly and personally, and I might add bravely, move us not in the least? I challenge those negative reviewers to write their own stories, using Auster's original guidelines. How might people judge your work? Is there a reason why they should?

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Summary: Americana at its best
Review: I came upon a British publication of this book when I was in Vienna. I was very sick at the time, and as a young single woman travelling alone through Europe for the summer, was glad to have this company in my tiny hotel room for the three days I did not have enough strength to leave. Even if I was well, I don't know that I would have been able to put this book down.

The format of individual stories divided by genre is simple to pick up or put down without missing a beat, and the range of emotions, experiences, diversity, American geography.... it's beautiful. From sea to shining sea, the truth of what America is, what it has failed at, where its glories lay, what it can become. And just what life is. In the words of so many. I loved this book and was delighted it at home under a different title.

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Summary: Too Many of the Same Stories...
Review: i enjoyed this book so much. once again it proves the adage that EVERYONE has a story. i like that the stories weren't polished, it made the stories much more transparent and meaningful.

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Summary: Funny, touching, moving, chilling
Review: I love this book! The stories are uniformly fascinating. A couple of them nearly moved me to tears, and several made me laugh out loud. Many of them stayed with me-- I found myself telling my coworkers about the war photographer who "witnessed his own death."

My only complaint is that it's a bit overedited-- the voice is very consistent, and you sometimes get the feeling that you're listening to one person tell several stories, rather than several telling one.

Be aware that this book is very dense-- you'll only want to do only a few stories at a time. I read this on the train to and from work each day (a 15-minute ride) and that was about the perfect size for a bite.

Rating:
Summary: Funny, touching, moving, chilling
Review: I love this book! The stories are uniformly fascinating. A couple of them nearly moved me to tears, and several made me laugh out loud. Many of them stayed with me-- I found myself telling my coworkers about the war photographer who "witnessed his own death."

My only complaint is that it's a bit overedited-- the voice is very consistent, and you sometimes get the feeling that you're listening to one person tell several stories, rather than several telling one.

Be aware that this book is very dense-- you'll only want to do only a few stories at a time. I read this on the train to and from work each day (a 15-minute ride) and that was about the perfect size for a bite.

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Summary: We are each in this book
Review: I was not looking for this book but in a thrift shop looking at other things. A woman came out of the back room with books in her arm that had just come in and she walked toward me with I Thought My Father Was God and handed it to me saying this looks like a good one, as if she knew me. I took it and have hardly been able to put it down since. I have read some of the stories aloud to my husband and we have laughed together and we have cried. When I wake in the morning I know the people are there waiting to tell their odd, miraculous, glowing, quiet stories and that in these stories I find threads of myself. I hope this is an ongoing book project because it is treasures like this that will spread the word that the world is not only about the dreaded stories on the 6 o'clock news - that these are the kind of stories that have the power to change the way we see our own lives and the lives of others no matter how small or insignificant they seem. These are the stories we need to understand that the world is more than the nightly news or the mostly violent movies on the screen today but the world is full of good, funny, clever, and an 'average sadness' of people trying to understand the Mysterious that happens to them in their lives.

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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.

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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.