Picking up where he left off in his acclaimed memoir Sting-Ray Afternoons, Steve Rushin brilliantly captures a bygone era, and the thrills of new adulthood in the early 80s. Thanks for the memories, Mr. Rushin. A gem of a memoir, a tribute to family, and a delectable slice of American history. Except I came from soccer as opposed to football. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. 3 mass deportations. This book is absolutely riveting for any American male who came of age in the seventies. In lovely, funny, acrobatic prose, he's told a story that's deeply American, one in which you'll find echoes of your own, yet in the end is very much his own. Car: ours was a Chev Beaumont station wagon and then a Dodge Monaco. 99. Parallel universe. Ships from and sold by Magnolia A Books. Of a road trip in a wood-paneled station wagon, with the kids in the way-back, singing along to the Steve Miller Band. His eldest brother is portrayed as a horrible person, I wonder how accurate that is in real life. And an incredible tale of survival against all odds. Please try again. My 2 brothers go when they can. See 1 question about Sting-Ray Afternoons…, [ATY 2021] - "My Favorite Things" from Sound of Music, This Just In: ‘SNL’ Star Colin Jost Is Seriously Bookish. “Charming and heartfelt, hilarious and touching, Rushin's Sting-Ray Afternoons is a pitch-perfect portrait of growing up in middle America during the Brady Bunch era. Rushin's nostalgic look back at the 70s was kind of delightful. Very funny and again, perfectly written. Steve Rushin's story is his, not mine, but it certainly has elements with which I identified. Will the family survive intact? This book had so many instances I could relate to I found myself nodding my head in complete understanding throughout the book. Something went wrong. The author looks back fondly upon his 1970s childhood in the Midwest. With sidesplitting commentary, Rushin creates a vivid picture of a decade of wild youth, cultural rebirth, and the meaning of parental, brotherly, sisterly, whole lotta love. I’m a child of the 70s, as is the author, so all the rhymes and tv shows etc were familiar, but you don’t have to be our age to love this book. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. Nicely detailed, occasionally bittersweet, and often funny - highly recommended if you grew up in a suburban nuclear family during or close to the same era. Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2017. And he is. And probably yours. Although I was a girl in the deep South, born 10 years before the author, there was SO much that related so well to my childhood. If I say nothing it may get stolen. When a life of affluence is torn away and replaced with strife, unimaginable challenges, and heartbreaking realities, how will a young mother cope? ", A "touching nostalgic memoir.... A vivid and comedic approach to [Rushin's] personal touchstones for the era.". (It's the sort of book you CAN put down and come back to later, which is what I needed.) "—Nina Sankovitch, author of Tolstoy and the Purple Chair and The Lowells of Massachusetts It is very unusual for a book to make me laugh out loud but this one did. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! My husband goes over to my elderly parents' house to work on projects my Dad can no longer do. A boots-on-the-ground insight into rhino conservation from someone who came to love the endangered rhinos he was protecting, more than life itself. Mr. Rushin has a fine eye for detail and a way of drawing the reader thoroughly into the world of his youth. Then picked it up again. The reason I gave it 4.5 stars instead of 5 was that in places it was sort of like talking to my husband with too much mechanical detail given to 747s, bikes, radios, TVs. And yet he understands the symbolic power that an earned object holds.”, “Childhood disappears down a storm drain. Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2017. .orange-text-color {color: #FE971E;} Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration. Growing up in Western Canada a few years older we went through almost identical events and touch stones. Sting-Ray Afternoons I grew up in "prestgious west Bloomington", and attended Lincoln H.S. "―Nina Sankovitch, author of Tolstoy and the Purple Chair and The Lowells of Massachusetts It's a story of the 1970s. When I got this book, I thought, "Why does the world need a memoir of childhood by a middle-aged white guy who grew up in Minnesota?" Like the Nine Mile Creek referenced by the author, the ambient 70's nostalgia flows steadily throughout his various anecdotes. We learn about 3M and their competitor Memorex as Rushin's dad was a 3M salesman. Hey, maybe as a kid Steve Rushin saw the writer's life as one of easeful repose; it's a common enough misperception, and one that he's sought to perpetuate, describing his scribbling as a kind of offhand endeavor. A wild and bittersweet memoir of a classic '70s childhood It's a … A wild and bittersweet memoir of a classic '70s childhood It's a story of the 1970s. SO MANY brand names and references to commercials. Surrender: A Memoir of Nature, Nurture, and Love. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. In the tradition of Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid and Jean Shepherd's In God We Trust, Sports Illustrated journalist Steve Rushin takes on the 1970's. His father was a traveling salesman for 3M, while his long-suf. It was simply a trip back if you were around in the 70’s. Excellent, Sincere Memoir Relevant To Many, Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2017. Sting-Ray Afternoons – Steve Rushin’s memoir of the Golden Age of candy cigarettes, sugar on your grapefruit, and Nixon on the TV – is an exhaustively thorough, exuberant recollection of … 1961. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. I'm really glad I did. His memories will take you back to a long-gone time, when Saturday morning meant watching hours of cartoons, when vacation meant piling all of the kids into the family station wagon for a road trip to visit relatives, and when a boy had the free time to rove the neighborhood on his Schwinn bike with his gang of friends. Standing In My Lane: A Memoir Of An Reality Urban American Dream. Fun, fun book. .orange-text-color {font-weight:bold; color: #FE971E;}View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Sting-ray Afternoons A Memoir (eBook) : Rushin, Steve : This is a story of the 1970s. I laughed out loud and at times cried. I took it with me on vacation, which was great. July 3rd 2017 “Beyond that box camera he saw in a shop window in Chicago in seventh grade, Dad has never wanted anything, as far as I know. As a child of the 70s who grew up in the Twin Cities - this memoir was a wonderful reliving of a carefree childhood spent praying for snow days, thawing out in the warming house, bat days at Met Stadium, and remembering the numerous yardsticks stacked in our garage emblazoned with logos from local retailers. Steve Rushin has created a masterpiece. I'm positive that "Sting-Ray Afternoons" will go on the New York Times best sellers list, if it hasn't already. A gem of a memoir, a tribute to family, and a delectable slice of American history. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published A fun flashback to my childhood. Ordinary people have wonderful tales too. Sting-ray Afternoons: A Memoir by Steve Rushin / 2017 / English / EPUB. Remember that Sears catalogue and the Wish book... the Bible of Christmas, that’s in there. His affection for his family is on every page - and my only disappointment is that we weren't actual neighbors with the Rushins. Sting-Ray is a small, incandescent work of memory, imagination and artistry, and books like this don't come easily. Ostensibly Sting-Ray Afternoons is a memoir by Steve Rushin, who made his fame writing for Sports Illustrated. I enjoyed this memoir so much. Or get 4-5 business-day shipping on this item for $5.99 Releasing the Butterfly: A Love Affair in Four Acts, Recipes for a Sacred Life: True Stories and a Few Miracles, Not Tonight, Josephine: A Road Trip Through Small-Town America, The YOU beyond you: The Knowledge of the Willing. This is a supremely enjoyable read for anyone who came of age in the 70s, or grew up in the chaos of a big family, or went to Catholic school, or had a bike and road it around town, or rooted for a losing sports team, or road in a station wagon on a family vacation or loved and feared your parents. Such a dilemma, if I go out and tell my parents they are apt to take the bike away from me. Of a road trip in a wood-paneled station wagon, with the kids in the way-back, singing along to the Steve Miller Band. Picking up where he left off in his acclaimed memoir Sting-Ray Afternoons, Steve Rushin brilliantly captures a bygone era, and the thrills of new adulthood in the early 80s. Sting-Ray Afternoons NPR coverage of Sting-Ray Afternoons: A Memoir by Steve Rushin. If you have done any or all of these things you will laugh out loud at Steve Rushin's memoir many times and you may choke up once or twice as well. .orange-text-color {color: #FE971E;} Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip. It's a story of the 1970s: an utterly fond, psychedelically vibrant, laugh-out-loud-funny portrait of an exuberant decade. Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (July 3, 2017). If you grew up in the 60-70's in North America this book will bring back a flood of memories. Sting-ray Afternoons A Memoir (Book) : Rushin, Steve : This is a story of the 1970s. If you weren't around for the 70s, well, here is your chance to live them vicariously. Sting-Ray Afternoons: A Memoir by Steve Rushin. The book reminds me of what we have lost,and what we will never have again. The book hit store shelves in July, and if you came of age in the 1970s or 1980s, I recommend you track down a copy, too. His was the prototypical suburban childhood of that era. It reminds me that life really. An inspiring read. A few years younger, thousands of kilometers away, a childhood in a different country in fact, and I can still relate. 4 boys, I girl. (a Class of '79 graduate along with Jim Rushin). They got quite a few chuckles out of it so I'm giving almost everybody this book for Christmas! How could so many of us have the same childhood? Find all the books, read about the author, and more. What a fun book!! This book brought back my youth for a couple of days. "―Nina Sankovitch, author of Tolstoy and the Purple Chair and The Lowells of Massachusetts Condition: Used - Good. And then there was basketball too. Refresh and try again. But sometimes it is.”. Lots of humor and plenty of 1970s nostalgia. The writing just sparkled- it’s a reminiscent childhood memoir with no sad stuff so a writer that can pull that off is one hell of a writer. Of growing up in a magical era populated by Bic pens, Mr. Clean and Scrubbing Bubbles, lightsabers and those oh-so-coveted Schwinn Sting-Ray bikes. He is a talented writer who can evoke belly laughs and tears. The expressive language was wonderful. For many years, nostalgia in books and movies has been reserved for the 1950s and 1960s. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Sting-Ray Afternoons: A Memoir by Rushin, Steve available in Hardcover on Powells.com, also read synopsis and reviews. So many funny and enlightening moments. Put it down. A gem of a memoir, a tribute to family, and a delectable slice of American history.” Of brothers waking up early on Saturday mornings for five consecutive hours of cartoons. People of Color, Personal Memoirs. Sting-Ray Afternoons: A Memoir, by Steve Rushin. Truly a must-read for any male from any generation. Romper Stompers, Kick the Can - Great Memories and a Wonderful Message, Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2017. What a beautiful book you wrote, Steve Rushin. Perfect for these stressful times. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Take a trip down memory lane. An eye-opening memoir about mental illness and the medical profession delivered in a well-written, interesting, and engaging style. A young Jewish boy goes through all possible levels of hell. I enjoyed this walk down memory lane so much. Of course. This is memoir writing at its finest, a collision of pop culture, history, and family life from Rushin's formative years in Bloomington, Minnesota. With what I suspect was far greater effort than he would let on, Rushin has accomplished the memorialist's task: to find shape and meaning in his own life, and to make it interesting and pertinent to us readers. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. I lived through this, I remember this stuff, and I was looking forward to a 'story' as well. As a young boy growing up in the 1970's, this book brings back amazing memories. Steve Rushin captures all the sporting, and lots of the cultural, highpoints of growing up a sports crazed kid in the 1970's and 80s. How will she explain to the child she gave away? Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Average Rating: (4.0) stars out of 5 stars 3 ratings, based on 3 reviews. There is no discernible story to this "memoir", just product placement. I loved this book. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Steve Rushin's attention to detail from Sunday morning wrestling on TV (and in the basement) to his father's love for puns and his mother's insistence of not using the F word (fart - not the other one) - combine to give such a vivid avocado green picture of Bloomington, MN in it's hey day. The first portion of Sting-Ray Afternoons is just a litany of products of the 70’s – bikes, cars, candies, cleaning products, airplanes, toys, gum – there was a lengthy section that listed all of the categories of the Sears Roebuck Christmas catalog! So many great memories unearthed in this read but with a message as well, revealed with subtlety with the turn of a page. His was the prototypical suburban childhood of that era. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Over the next 19 years, he filed stories from Greenland, India, Indonesia, the Arctic Circle and other farflung locales, as well as the usual nearflung locale to which sportswriters are routinely posted. TV commercials made having "this" car, "that" pair of running shoes, "those" cookies important. Sting-Ray Afternoons : A Memoir. And if your were not aware of the newest hottest aspirational brand you quickly found out what you were missing from your friends! Sting-ray Afternoons A Memoir (Book) : Rushin, Steve : A bittersweet memoir of the author's 1970s childhood nostalgically shares observations of his family life as it was shaped by influences ranging from the Steve Miller Band and Saturday morning cartoons to Bic pens and Schwinn Sting-Ray bikes. Who gives a s**t? Although set in Bloomington, Minn, Steve Rushin, like all of us who had a television and a Sears catalogue was living in the era of name-brands. Sorry about that: I don't believe it of his sportswriting, and I sure don't believe it of Sting-Ray Afternoons. (So thorough are the names, I'm sure he looked up old catalogues and magazines.) HPB condition ratings. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. 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