by Dave Barry
First published 2015
Dave Barry tackles the challenge of dispensing life advice across generations in this collection of humorous essays. He addresses his new grandson and his daughter Sophie, who faces the terror of learning to drive in Florida. Barry examines his hometown youth, where supposedly rigid 1950s adults had more fun than his own Baby Boomer generation, which promised rebellion but delivered helicopter parenting instead. He dissects cable news absurdity, explains why Google Glass makes you look ridiculous, and reveals the harsh truth that high school girls never swoon over sarcastic boys. His observations span home repair disasters, Brazilian soccer mania, and Vladimir Putin's disturbing stare that suggests he strangles small animals for relaxation. Barry offers no guarantee that readers will gain actual wisdom or feel more connected to the universe. He does promise plenty of laughs along the way.
Genres: essays, humor, contemporary, non-fiction
Vibes: humorous, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: humor, personal-essay
Setting: Florida
Period: 1950s, Baby Boomer
225 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons