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Summary: A Journy through Life
Review: America is said to be the land of the free. This freedom provides a wide variety in the ways that people choose to live their lives. Everyone has a different and unique family situation. Dysfunctional families exist all over the nation. "This Boy's Life: A Memoir", by Tobias Wolff, puts you in the shoes of a young kid growing up in a dysfunctional family. The main character in the story is the author Tobias Wolff in his childhood. In an effort to escape his abusive father, Toby and his mother move from Florida to Utah to try to get rich from uranium. In Utah, Toby makes friends with the trouble makers at school and becomes a master of deception. As the story progresses, Toby struggles with his identity. He wants to be the son his mother expects him to be, but he can't stop lying and stealing. Later in the story they move to Washington where Toby's mother remarries a man named Dwight, who also turns out to be abusive. And the cycle continues.
This story is told very true to life. Wolff tells his story very well so that even if you do not live in a dysfunctional family, you can still understand the harsh situation that people are in across the country. Some families only have a mother, others only a father. Whatever the situation may be, unless someone has lived in a situation like this it is hard to imagine what life might be like in a single parent dysfunctional family. In the book, Wolff gives a child of a unique family situation a voice, and brings his story to life. Wolff tells the story well enough that you understand emotionally, what Toby is going through. Throughout the story, Toby is met with some common conflicts a lot of people encounter during adolescence. How many people can say they have never in some way lied, stolen, or questioned their identity? Not very many. The book is a journey through Wolff's life, but at the same time it's a journey through a lot of people's lives.
This book reminded me of some very valuable life lessons. It reminded me that difficult situations like Toby encountered are not punishments or barriers, but rather character builders. In the story, Toby learned to cope with the absence of his father, and he also learned to search for positives in a world full of negatives. I think most people would agree that situations like Toby's only make you a stronger person. Living and experiencing pain and bad luck, you learn to deal with the things that life throws at you. Your experiences and make you who you are. I think Toby learned a lot from what was happening around him. For him, growing up in a dysfunctional family, I think showed him what he didn't want to turn out to be.
The story ends with Toby and his friend Chuck driving in the car singing along to the radio. Toby had been through a lot, and was still in a tough situation, but for the first time he seemed happy. He had let go of all of the things that were happening to him, and he learned to overcome his situation. This ending sent a very powerful message to me. It reminded me that no matter what life throws at you, you always have hope, and you can always move on.
I think this is a great story because it deals with real life issues. This book is about life, the good and the bad. Though this is a very depressing story, I found this book to be very inspiring.
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Summary: "This Boy's Life" Book Review
Review: "This Boy's Life", By Tobias Wolff, explores the life of a troubled boy reaching maturity in the 50's. The novel is about a mother and son who move to Washington. Toby's mother remarries Dwight, also a divorced parent. Toby later finds out that his stepfather isn't all that nice. While living through a life of lies and deceptions, he meets role models influencing his life in many ways. Although the book may have some "slow parts", the book was interesting, and overall an entertaining reader. The way Tobias Wolff portrayed the younger version of himself was not as a hero, but in need of a hero. Toby was a wild kid when growing up, and did many crazy things. He forged checks, stole gasoline, changed his name to "John", wrote graffiti on walls, and stole money from people on his paper route. Toby does many more acts of insubordinate behavior throughout the story, each revealing part of his personality and that he wants to fit in.
Toby wanted his mother's satisfaction but did not want to disappoint her, so he would often lie to her. "I said I didn't do it. If he said he didn't do it, he didn't do it, my mother said. He doesn't lie." (Page 79) Even if his mother suspected him of lying, she wouldn't question her son's word, thus making it easier for him to get away with things.
There were many people in his childhood that shaped his personality. Toby's mother was a hero for him because she stuck by his side throughout all the trouble he got in. Parents play a major role in their children's personality because they are an example to their kids. If Toby's mother didn't have such a big heart that she did, Toby would have gotten into more trouble than he ended up in. A person that shaped his personality in a negative where all the kids that caused trouble with him. Most of the time it was there ideas, and he just followed through with them.
This book backs up the idea that role models influence children's lives, both good and bad. Toby got into trouble many times throughout the novel, yet he is carefree and happy at the end. Every book has its boring pages, and I admit that this novel also has some. Tobias Wolff summarized his life magically in this novel and I would recommend the novel to anyone who likes to read about comical issues teenagers' face.
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Summary: Turn on the Lights
Review: This is not your All American idyll. No, young Wolff is not the barefoot boy with cheek. It seems his life would be everything he could desire if only he weren't drawn to the wrong sort of peers and if only his mother avoided abusive men. After a few pranks such as drawing a bead with a 22 rifle on passers by, and pelting with eggs a well-to-do man in his new Thunderbird Convertible it almost seems like just desserts for Wolff and his mother to be swept away to an isolated company town in the Cascade Range of Washington State with the nefarious Dwight the dim-wit.
But whoa, the new man in their life is a monster who eventually is banished from their lives by court order. Halleleuh! But for two or more indelible years, this is the sort of stepfather who makes young Wolff deliver newspapers for the brief years of their association, claiming to be saving the funds for the boy but instead spends the money on fancy hunting rifles for great horseback hunts which never happen. A drunkard and a master of brow beatings, the one redeeming factor dull Dwight brings into Wolfe's life is an association with the Boy Scouts and indeed Wolff credits his scouting days with his later decision to join the army.
As presumably a real life memoir, the writing is excellent. It does however beg the question; what is craft without purpose? The strength of This Boy's Life is the candor and comfort with Wolff recounts his struggles. Hurray then for candor, hurray for the anti-hero but please Turn on the Lights! Must this hero live in darkness? Give him purpose, direction, and discipline. Most of all, give him fresh thunder!!!
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Summary: A Harsh Life
Review: This Boys Life is a memoir by Tobias Wolff, and his book is a powerful and moving story of a tough child hood full of abuse and Tobias's anger towards the world. Tobias Wolff's story may help many children, or adults, with giving them the ability to know that there is other people in the world that have had abuse, and showing them that there is a way out for them.
Tobias Wolff was a young teen in the book that had the reputation as one of the "bad kids", and was not favored by many. Toby was always getting into trouble with respecting authority, and keeping up in school. Toby had a loving and caring mother that always helped him through any problems he had though, and always believed that Toby was a good kid.
When Toby's mom married Dwight, an abusive ragging alcoholic, Toby's whole world turned upside down. Dwight took Toby's bad life, and decided that it was his responsibility to change him through punishment to give Toby a good reputation. Toby was forced to live in a very remote town, where everyone knew each other, which lead Dwight to know about anything bad Toby did from other local people, which was located in Chinook. The whole story took place in the 1950's, which was a tough enough point in time already all on its own, not to mention how harsh Dwight was to Toby.
Toby was beaten on a regular basis, and hardly ever stuck up for himself, that was until Toby stole Dwight's car and wrecked it. Toby believed that if he stuck up for himself and never gave up he would be able to finally be rid of Dwight, and luckily for him it happened. Toby worked hard for his dream to have a better life, and all his hard work was rewarded when he reached his dreams of going to a pep school and showing everyone, including himself, of how he deserved to have a good life.
This book was a very powerful and compelling true life story of a child that was severally abused and beaten, and how in by believing in himself, it allowed him to reach his dreams. This book proves that anything is possible if the right amount of dedication and hard work is used to reach those goals.
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Summary: About a Boy
Review: This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff is the true story of a boy who survived a horrible childhood. This book mixes humor with sadness and can be an inspiration for anybody with a life goal.
In this book the main character has to survive a rough childhood in the 1950's. He endures constantly moving, separation from his father and brother, an abusive stepfather, and a bad high school experience. This is about the hardships some have to endure before they're old enough to understand.
This book can put a person in the mind of the boy and gives insight on a child who wouldn't give up. His goals were to achieve social status and to some day make a name for himself. This is the story of someone who was willing to do whatever it took to come out on top.
He tries and tries to become better. Every time he moves or meets someone new, he presented himself differently than ever before. He wanted so much just to be cool, and he refused to become discouraged. He had a never ending supply of motivation he kept drawing from.
This book is so much more than a simple tale of an unhappy boy, but a glorious telling of a victorious young man trying to make something of himself in the world. This is about how someone, anyone, can make their dream come true.
There's no such thing as impossible, only the currently unattainable. Most people take a lifetime to realize that it's okay to accomplish a goal you set. They can't understand it's alright to reward themselves for the little things. But Toby found that it's alright to have a goal you want to accomplish before he was through with high school.
It's such a moving, heartbreaking book. It isn't just the story of a childhood, but an example of triumph and failure, victory and defeat, succeeding and falling short. This is the story of a man who prevailed not just because he was great, but because he managed to survive.
Anybody who has ever wanted something, but was too afraid to go after it, this book is for you.
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Summary: excellent book.
Review: This was an excellent book. I could relate to it in many ways. I too had a childhood like Tobias and I am finally getting over it.
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Summary: "This Boy's Life" is an adventure to set yourself free!
Review: This memoir of young Toby in the 1950s and 60s is wonderfully written, and I couldn't take my eyes off the book. I would definitely rate this book a perfect 10. Many people can relate to Jack's life of adversity and struggle to find his identity. He wonders what his purpose in life is and sets out on many journeys to find a sense of peace and belonging. Wolff's genuine writing style can engulf any reader because of his humorous innocence. I would say Jack has been through more adventures than most average kids go through to escape family horror and find freedom. When I read this book, I realized that power and fear may restrain someone only for so long. However, one eventually finds a way out. One of Jack's thoughts was, "I learned a couple of lessons. I learned that a punch in the throat does not always stop the other fellow. And I learned that it's a bad idea to curse when you're in trouble, but a good idea to sing, if you can." If Jack can sing so can you and I, so read this book and you may learn a lot about yourself.
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Summary: This Boy's Life Touches the Lives of the Readers
Review: Writer Tobias Wolff does a superb job of recreating his dysfunctional childhood in his memoir _This Boy's Life_. The journey he and his mother take across the country to get away from an abusive relationship lands them in places where they have nothing and know no one. Through it all Toby Wolff and his single mother make the best of what they have and constantly strive for bigger and better things. The struggle of this small family is easily relatable to many readers across the country who have dealt with and are dealing with similar problems. That's why when the reader is finished reading this book they feel a sort of connection or peace rather than a deep emotional pain because they know that similar things go on and they aren't as "different" as they think. The fact that this book is a real life drama appeals to many people and makes the book more fascinating. Wolff does a wonderful job of making this book flow and connect. His down to earth writing style and structured plot bring the book together and leaves the reader with a contentment that most books about family issues don't.
I am a junior in high school and I read this book for my Advanced Contemporary Lit Class. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read a book that was not written for entertaining but for the value it personally brings to the author and to the reader.
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Summary: Keemy's Opinon
Review: I really enjoyed Reading this book.The reason i enjoyed this book is because of the pace and it helps my vocabulary.I imagine the characters as people I know them or are friends of mine.When I read I start to understand the problems the characters are going though and the problems their facing in life. I recomend this book to people because it is a wonderful book to read.If you read this book and you didn't like it wasn't for you.If you decide to read this book but ,you wasn't sure my review will help you understand that this is a good book.I promise to you that you will be disappointed if you read This Boy's Life.
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Summary: Excellent Book
Review: This Boy's Life is a memoir of a vulnerable childhood in the mid 1950's. Toby, the main character has had a life full of trouble and grief. His mother and father are divorced, leaving him with his mother, Rosemary, while his brother and father live in Connecticut. Toby and his mother are always on the go and through this Toby and his mother become very close. They are trying to become new people and escape Troy, Toby's abusive stepfather. "It was 1955 and we were driving from Florida to Utah, to get away from a man my mother was afraid of..."(Wolff 4). The book carries you through various troubles that Toby and his mother get involved with; Toby commits a few schemes of his own along with it. The book is a very good read for teenagers and adults can also take something away from this memoir too.
The majority of the book takes place in West Seattle in a low key community. "We lived in a boarding house...At Night if my mother wasn't to tired, we took walks around the neighborhood, stopping in front of different houses to consider them as candidates...the boarding house was full of old men and men who probably seemed old" (Wolff 37). Toby finds himself with a bad crowd of friends which gets him into trouble. He breaks cafeteria windows, nails some rich people's cars with eggs, and is just a thug when he is not around his mother. He is lost between his mother and the rest of the world.
I would definitely recommend this book to teenagers especially runs that have experienced some things like Toby such as abuse and always being on the go. The book draws you into many different situations that bring you to the heart of the moment. Although this book review may not be very convincing that this is a "must read", if you ever get to pick up the book you will be drawn to it in a snap of a finger.
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