The Education of Robert Nifkin, is a funny yet pointless book. It needs to be added to Pinkwaters extensive list of funny books. I would recommend it to anyone from 10-18. ( )

My favorite blurb for this book is the one Daniel Pinkwater wrote for himself: "The Education of Robert Nifkin is a true-to-life story of a sensitive and affectionate boy and his heart-warming adventures with his perfectly normal friends in Chicago in the 1950s." That is, if normal includes the high school from hell, complete with anti-Semite teachers, Marxist ROTC leaders, and math taught by copying text into a notebook. Luckily Robert meets some normal friends, who lead him to a progressive school where no one expects students to attend class. Instead, he hangs out at lunch rooms, smokes cigars, and wanders the city. In Pinkwater's world, that is normal.

Robert manages to get a good education, especially during the summer session where the cynical teachers actually challenge the kids to learn. As a kid, I'd enjoy the satire of traditional schools and the cool private school where kids have the freedom to actually learn. As an adult, I couldn't enjoy the joke as much -- these kids deserved better! B ( )

The Education of Robert Nifkin by Daniel Pinkwater takes place when America was busy defending itself against the evils of communism and many of Pinkwater’s jokes are based in this historical context. The beginning of this book is humorous in places but the humor is quickly replaced with continuous descriptions of unlikely characters as they are randomly introduced into Robert’s life. The characters are many and their names are very confusing. The dialogue between the characters is quick, haphazard and hard to follow. The end of the book becomes more of a list of what Robert and his friends are accomplishing, good and bad than a story. I did laugh out loud while I read the descriptions of Robert and his family but as this story continued it became laborious to finish. ( )

I read this Daniel Pinkwater novel on the recommendation of Cory Doctorow over at the BoingBoing blog...it follows the titular Nifkin through a year of high school in 1950s Chicago. The child of immigrants, he endures public school (where teachers spend more time ranting about Commies and Faries than imparting wisdom) and then escapes to a chaotic, more beatik private school where he manages to learn a lot without having to attend any boring classes. This is a slight book, but it's amusingly written, and no one has to convince me of the soul-crushing ennui enforced in our public schools...

One of my most highly recommended books would be The Education Of Robert Nifkin by Daniel Pinkwater. The main characters of the story are Robert Nifkin, Pamela/Natasha Kenny Papescue, and Linda Pudvokin. Robert always had negative things on his mind and never seemed to be satisfied with anything he seen or gotten. Pamela/Natasha is a mysterious type of girl. She always acts strange in front of Robert and other people. Kenny and Linda are two teenagers currently dating and hoping to get married and move to Paris.
Robert starts school in the 1950’s in the city of Chicago. He moved from California and beginning to attend Riverview High school. When he began attending Riverview, he plain out hated it. He dislikes how his parents act and lifestyle in their home. He hates the atmosphere and environment of the school and students.
Even though the school may be unpleasant, he explores around the city. The city has many things to offer Robert Nifkin. He meets a lot of different people in Chicago. Robert does many tricks to change a lot of stuff in his life. He even switched high schools. From what I read, I would recommend this book. This book can relate to people currently in high school or just starting something new.
This book has many hilarious moments which made this book more interesting to read. When you reach all the twist and turns that occur, you will just want to never stop reading this book. If you want to find out what happens with Robert in his beginning high school and new switched high school, I recommend that you read this book and I highly believe that it will be worth it. This book has a lot of things to offer such as a great ending to the story. There will be many shocks, surprises, and twist and turn if you read this detailed and hilarious book. ( )