Rating: 
Summary: What a horrible book!
Review: Never have I felt so duped for believing all of the hype and critical acclaim that surrounds this pathetic excuse for a book. In purchasing the book I wondered -- is it an autobiography? a novel? a memoir? In case you were also wondering is none of those things. It "reads" like a nonsensical rambling on of Dave Eggers mundane and often totally pathetic (e.g. audition for The Real World) thoughts and life events. Accounts of those tragic events that affect and shape Eggers' life, such as the death of his parents (which I think was the impetus for this book), are told without a trace of human feeling and spirit. I could not connect with Eggers and kept asking myself -- who is this ordinary Joe and why am I reading his book? I finally put it down without finishing it and returned to flipping through Marie Claire and Vogue. Much more interesting to read.
Rating: 
Summary: enter the vulcan
Review: This book is a mirror, but it is not a true mirror. For instance, (I am quoting now) "For a long time I used to go to bed early. Mother would let me pull the heavy, unsuitable bedspread from its resting place myself, but before the nightly ritual of salts and teeth commenced she would appear in the doorway haloed by the quick inconsolable light of the hallway light bulb." I would like to explain these words, although it requires a level of insight which some have claimed I am incapable of: as though they lived in my own country, my own land! (Yes, Mr. Entwater, I am talking to you.)Tonight's news reflects no further solace, no brighter representations of the day about to dawn. In other words, I cherish this book and its illimitable characters: the fisherman, Sarah, the firebug, Li'l Pete. The scene at the billboard factory is alone worth the price of the book (in fact, one might say, it _is_ the book *SPOILER*). Forgive me for my hands. Now I am giving up book reviewing in order to become a superhero.
Rating:
Summary: I needed so much Kleenex for this!
Review: I read this book during a three day bout with the new and improved Killer Flu, and it's better than you could ever imagine. The last few pages left me literally breathless. If you know the name Seymour Glass, you will love this book. The question you'll be left asking: when does this guy tour? He completely involved me in his story, to the point that I wanted to BE him, then he sneezed in my face for feeling that way. I'm not even through chapter two, so you know you are getting a (version) of a life faced with unique illnesses. An American classic cut from the cloth of all American classics, yet woven together into a post-modern bandage of stunning originality, this is one thriller that will blow you through the back wall of the pharmacy. Yet as retold in Eggers own glittering prose, these familiar scenes come alive with the sights, the sounds, the diseases of a bygone era. << Above sentences are clips of other reviews, patched together in a Benedryl-induced fog >>
Rating: 
Summary: more hype than substance
Review: Eggers is actively soliciting e-contributions to this column, and that speaks to a certain unsavory neediness that cries out (and frequently whines out) on almost every page of this tiresomely overhyped production. Don't get me wrong, there's some good writing here, but it's good in the way of an angry, self-confident twentysomething rattling the bars of the human cage-- as we all rattled them once upon a time-- and in the end, what really works here is less the story than the projected attitude of the writer. Whether Eggers can tell a story, write a REAL novel, whether he's a real writer or simply someone who had particularly bad-- uniquely bad-- luck as a human being and turned that bad luck into literary grist for profit-- this question will only be answered when he steps up to the plate for his next at-bat.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny, powerful, yet uneven
Review: The first section of this book left me breathless and weeping. Eggers captures his mother's decline and death in a poignant, non-maudlin fashion. I also enjoyed all references to growing up in the 70s in a middle class Midwestern home (the shag carpet in the dark paneled family room of my youth was pea-soup green, not white like in the Eggers home). Eggers has a real feel for capturing the pivotal moments in his life (except for maybe the kidney stone episode), but the book suffers from his exhaustive analysis of those moments. Because of this, I found the book uneven (even though I was warned of this in the preface, I thought he was just being self-deprecating), yet overall, well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: The guy I shared a locker with makes good!
Review: I have watched Dave Eggers ("Davey" to those of us who know him from junior high) progress from boisterous Gen-X soapboxer to a much milder, hometown U.S.A. sage. This book brings Davey full-circle, back to little red-brick house where it all started. The intricate wood-cut illustrations only deepen the joy we feel at reading about Davey's first communion and, later, learning of his decision to follow to his heart to trade school instead of the Ivy League. Not just a must-read; this one is a must own. Note: This book is incomplete without a close reading of the footnotes. In fact, reading only the footnotes will reveal an emotional subtext unmatched by Davey's "Lake Huron" trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, not staggering
Review: The first forty pages of so are both wonderful and unreadable as Eggers spares few details in his description of his mother's decay and death. The book then becomes lighter and more fun, but also more uneven and less involving. It is shamelessly self-indulgent and narcissistic, but the writing is strong enough to carry the story through, even when there isn't much of one, which is often. Genius is open to debate, but definitely a good read.
Rating:
Summary: A book of great charm.
Review: It's been a long time since I've been so captivated by a book. Its voice is original, utterly distinctive, and very appealing. You don't want it to end, but it's very hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: I need to borrow a STAR
Review: I need to borrow a star from some NYT "bestseller" so that I can add it to this review. If ever a book deserved 6 stars, this is it. Eggers'piece is so stuningly infectious that I'm having a hard time making it through a day without it creeping into my consciousness. If there is any doubt in your mind about this book's staggering genius - read the page usually reserved for boring Library of Congress info - then decide. It is a well crafted work indeed!
Rating:
Summary: The book discovery of this winter
Review: Eggers' compelling writing describes life's events both profound and routine with a voice which grabs, engages, entertains. I don't read memoirs, from Ireland or elsewhere, and this book was the exception to make the rule. Eggers' book instead of being episodic flows, so you know you are getting a (version) of a life faced with unique challenges. And this book should put to rest forever the idea that people of his generation are slackers, uncaring, disengaged. The author in telling the particulars of his own life writes about what it means to live, period.
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