Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in.
Becoming and over 300,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle – Amazon’s new wireless reading device. Learn more

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
16 used & new from $17.95

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Becoming
 
Customer image from David Major
 
Start reading Becoming on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don’t have a Kindle? Get yours here.
 
  

Becoming (Paperback)

by Mark Lichterman (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

List Price: $24.95
Price: $24.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Tuesday, July 21? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
11 new from $19.95 5 used from $17.95
Also Available in: List Price: Our Price: Other Offers:
Kindle Edition (Kindle Book) $1.99

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Do you remember your radio and "Captain Midnight," "The Lone Ranger," "Junior Miss" and "Let's Pretend"? The first time you inhaled a cigarette? Your first swallow of hard liquor? The thrill of the first exploration of the body of your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife... your own body? Your first orgasm? Remember when as a people we loved America, and showed it? Then you might be ready for a nostalgic, funny, romantic, sexually frustrating novel. A novel that may remind many of us of ourselves, "way back then," when God's most mysterious creation was the opposite sex. A novel about life and the often funny, sometimes sad, day-to-day things that stir the memories of our lives. Reminiscent of the Neil Simon trilogy, Philip Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint" and the humorous writing of Jean Shepherd in the mid and late sixties; uniquely original, we are introduced to five-yearold Mitchie in 1939 in an ethnically diverse, lower middle-class neighborhood on the west side of Chicago. As children do, subtly growing over the next sixteen years,seeing World War Two through the eyes of this Jewish child, and later, lying about his age, joining the National Guard, "'cause girls love guys in uniform." Accidentally getting caught up in the Korean war at age fifteen, "Becoming" follows Mitchell's life in a series of nostalgic, comical, romantic, sad and - because "those" situations with girls, and later women, rarely conclude as young men hope - vividly described, extremely funny sexual situations. "Becoming" climaxes hilariously in 1955, in Brighton Beach, New York, when Mitchell is twenty-one and a man. or, because it takes more than age and size to "become" one... the semblance of a man.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 736 pages
  • Publisher: Metropolis Ink (June 15, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0646492160
  • ISBN-13: 978-0646492162
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,430,226 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below.

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search
No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

 

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great entertainment, September 27, 2008
By Renetta Randy (nashville tn usa) - See all my reviews
Wonderfully well written it paints a life picture at times through eyes of both humor and disappointment. I was reared in the rural south but this work transcends ethnic and geographic boundaries so that we can easily identify with Mitch, especially in his quest to lose his virginity. Mark's wit and great sense of humor comes through in a style that holds ones attention long after putting down his book. You just know this has to be Mark's story and that of those who experienced life with him. This is indeed a book worth reading for the sheer enjoyment of remembering the way we were and those people who made it interesting.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Coming-of-age Novel, June 28, 2008
By J. Magoun (Thousand Oaks, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
As one raised in a Chicago neighborhood around the same time Lichterman grew up in his, I found this coming-of-age novel very reminiscent of my own childhood and adolescence. However, to enjoy this book, one needn't be from Chicago (or Peoria, for that matter), nor a child of the same era. The scenes, characters, experiences, relationships, conversations and events in this book are vividly and brilliantly depicted in a way that will awaken fond, fearful, and passionate memories in the reader fortunate enough to acquire this gem of a book. It is a poignant, humorous and timeless tale that moves along at a satisfying pace.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5.0 out of 5 stars I lived that!, June 26, 2008
By David Wilkins "st.george" (Newbury Park, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
You just know the author either lived next door or maybe on the next block `cause
that's the way things were growing up in the late 30s, 40s and into the `50s. There was no TV showing "things" or a computer to "Google" what a boy needs to know. It was just day-to-day wonderment and exasperation to face.
The story was so close to my younger years that I started to bet myself that he would add other happenings of my life, and he sometimes did.
O! The fun, anger, bitter joys of your growing years that the author brought back.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
Ad
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]

   


Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category


Everything to Maintain Your Landscape

Shop for gardening tools
From pruners and saws to shovels and rakes, we have the gardening tools you need to keep your landscape looking its best.

Shop all gardening tools

 

Best Books of 2008

Best of 2008
Find our top 100 editors' picks as well as customers' favorites in dozens of categories in our Best Books of 2008 Store.
 

Buy Three Books, Get a Fourth Free

4-for-3 Books
Order any four eligible books under $10 and get the lowest-price book free in our 4-for-3 Books Store. See more details.
 

Best Books

Best of the Month
See our editors' picks and more of the best new books on our Best of the Month page.
 
Ad

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Where's My Stuff?

Shipping & Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue shopping: Top Sellers
Free
Free by Chris Anderson
Paranoia
Paranoia by Joseph Finder
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan, Sir, 1859-1930 Doyle
My Soul to Lose
My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent

Conditions of Use | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates