Little Man, Big Mouth, by Dave Schlenker, SEP 2022 LETR
Talk Reviews of Early Reviewers Books
Join LibraryThing to post.
1LyndaInOregon
Disclaimer: An electronic copy of this book was provided in exchange for review by publishers Black Rose Writing, via Library Thing.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dave Schlenker’s collection of columns culled from 30 years as a Florida journalist and reporter, provides a pleasant and often nostalgic look back at a life filled with pets, children, and occasional collisions with the oddities of life.
Like that other famous Dave from Florida (who’s not only mentioned in passing but who turns out to have played a pretty important role in the author’s life), Schlenker generally manages to find humor in the stresses of parenthood, the joys of a long marriage (even if your partner somehow misses the point of your favorite movie), the insidious ways in which four-footed “pets” so often seem to end up ruling the roost, and in the frequent helpings of nonsense that get plunked onto our plates. Standout among these has to be the tale of J-Lo, the chicken with “two rear ends”, and how he managed to break his wrist by falling off a gingerbread house while wearing a wig and a dress and carrying a giant cupcake. (You sort of had to be there.)
He also pulls out an occasional more serious piece, discussing such meaty topics as infertility, the death of friends, and the passing of family pets, handling these rites of passage with insight and sensitivity.
There aren’t a lot of literary fireworks going on here, and the humor is more of a friendly recognition of life than of the laugh-till-you-cry variety, but Schlenker isn’t a bad companion for a weekend of laid-back reminiscing and an occasional grin.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dave Schlenker’s collection of columns culled from 30 years as a Florida journalist and reporter, provides a pleasant and often nostalgic look back at a life filled with pets, children, and occasional collisions with the oddities of life.
Like that other famous Dave from Florida (who’s not only mentioned in passing but who turns out to have played a pretty important role in the author’s life), Schlenker generally manages to find humor in the stresses of parenthood, the joys of a long marriage (even if your partner somehow misses the point of your favorite movie), the insidious ways in which four-footed “pets” so often seem to end up ruling the roost, and in the frequent helpings of nonsense that get plunked onto our plates. Standout among these has to be the tale of J-Lo, the chicken with “two rear ends”, and how he managed to break his wrist by falling off a gingerbread house while wearing a wig and a dress and carrying a giant cupcake. (You sort of had to be there.)
He also pulls out an occasional more serious piece, discussing such meaty topics as infertility, the death of friends, and the passing of family pets, handling these rites of passage with insight and sensitivity.
There aren’t a lot of literary fireworks going on here, and the humor is more of a friendly recognition of life than of the laugh-till-you-cry variety, but Schlenker isn’t a bad companion for a weekend of laid-back reminiscing and an occasional grin.
