Goodnight, John Boy: A Celebration of an American Family and the Values That Have Sustained Us Through Good Times and Bad

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Summary: Heartwarming stroll down memory lane
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. It felt like a family reunion. I grew up watching the Waltons and reading this book brought back memories of sitting with my family and enjoying the show. Photos are fun and stories inspiring!

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Summary: Earl Hamner delivers again!!
Review: In the book Goodnight John-Boy I found it to be very entertaining and informative. It has a positive family feeling that brings back many good memories of a show with moral values. Having many photos, I also enjoyed the excerpts from the specific episodes, such as the show "The Carnival" starring the 3' 9" actor Billy Barty (see also Earl Hamner's story/recollection in "Within Reach" a biographical book about Billy Barty). I recommend Goodnight John-Boy highly!

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Summary: Still on TV thirty years later
Review: Reading this book is like drinking hot cocoa on a snowy day-it warms you right through. It begins with a touching foreword by Richard Thomas who played John-Boy on The Waltons. In his preface Earl Hamner sets the tone of the book when he describes driving through the back lot of a movie studio to visit the replica of the house he grew up in as a child. He recalls the family that he re-created in his books and on television-a warm and caring family that many of us came to know watching the series. Goodnight John-Boy is a reflection on the literary and television career of a sensitive and humble man whose life's work has been a tribute to his parents, brothers and sisters, and a fading way of life. The book is sprinkled with pictures of Earl's own family and the actors and actresses who were cast to play them. In real life the two families have mingled so much over the years that it's hard to tell them apart. Thirty years after the show began, there are still reunions of some of the real family, cast members, and fans every year. In fact, plans are underway for a new Walton's Mountain Museum in Lovingston, Virginia, the county seat of Schuyler, where the "real" family lived. If you are a fan of The Waltons, you will love this behind-the-scenes look at the people who were involved with the show. Of course, I'm a little biased. The last chapter of Goodnight John-Boy contains an essay I wrote contrasting the family values of the series with the base reality shows of today. Since it began in 1972, The Waltons has appeared almost continuously on television and fans continue to find solace, inspiration, and enjoyment in it. Read this book and then start watching the series again on the Hallmark channel starting in January 2003.

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Summary: Good Night John Boy
Review: This is a great book for anyone who ever watched the Waltons. I suggest you buy several as gifts.