Bad Haircut: Stories of the Seventies

Perrotta proves again that his writing is likeable if not very impactful in this book of loosely connected stories about growing up in the 1970s.

While I didn’t enjoy Bad Haircut as much as Perrotta’s later novels, I still devoured it more or less in one sitting and then tossed it aside. It was like a good lunch: I enjoyed the experience but wouldn’t recall it much by the next day.

Almost more like a collection of short stories than a novel, Bad Haircuts follows the coming-of-age adventures of Buddy from a nine-year-old Cub Scout to a college sophomore. Serious problems like racial tensions or a friend’s teen pregnancy are mixed with episodes that are less serious—a talented player quits the football team over principle; a fifty-year-old neighbor who lives with his mother loses her and hangs around the house a lot. To the extent that there is a unifying thread here, it is Buddy’s growing—but always tenuous—awareness and understanding of the people and events around him. The understanding grows with Buddy as he ages throughout the book; when he is nine, he describes his mother’s friendship with the show more Wiener Man who passes through town, and when he is thirteen, it’s a friend who steals from his stepfather’s store. All of the stories are compelling, and though it’s not a happy book—Buddy does not describe personal joys or triumphs—it’s not depressing to read. show less

Life is too short to read bad books, is my mantra and one short story into Mr. Perrotta’s collection I had to jump ship. The story in this case was “The Weiner Man” in which a boy goes with his den pack to meet a hotdog company mascot. What could be amusing in someone else’s hands here just ends up reading like dull Boomer memoir with no apparent point. I’m pretty sure there was sex in this story but the author chose not to describe it. Not sure if that was modesty or if he was hoping for fan letters asking about this. Wish I cared more to ask. No. Just…no.

Loved these stories. Written in straight forward, accessible language, the stories brought back memories of high school and those miserable, exhilarating times. Good stuff!

It appears that Tom Perotta and I are not going to be friends. I'm disappointed.

The Wiener Man - Your past is never far behind you. A mother connects with an old friend.
Thirteen - Coming of age is terrible when trying to help a best friend get the girl.
Race Riot - Which side are you on? Racial tensions and peer pressure and a bad combination.
Snowman - revenge is not as sweet as you think.
Forgiveness - standing for the flag is a choice.
A Bill Floyd Christmas - Bill loses his wife and latches on to another family to fill the void.
You Start to Live - take chances in life.
The Jane Pasco Fan Club - Dating in high school can be dangerous.
Just the Way We Were - prom memories.
Wild Kingdom - sometimes people can be animals.