Customer Reviews

Collect All 21! Memoirs of a Star Wars Geek - The First 30 Years

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For anybody who was a kid growing up during the late 70's and early 80's, this is a must read book. Mr. Booth captures the essence of nostalgia perfectly for the era. There isn't one person out there from this generation who couldn't identify with the stories told in this book. It's amazing how much John recalls about his childhood. Over the years, I'd forgotten so much from my youth...until I read 'Collect All 21!' and it dislodged those memories free from wherever they were tucked away in my mind. Reading John's tales will even make you laugh out loud. And some will make you sad. Together with his undying passion for Star Wars, this book is a great dose of "remember when..."!

John Booth has created a quick read about what it was like to be a kid growing up with the release of the original Star Wars and what it is like now to continue to be an adult fan. He places us in his often personal and heartfelt situations and unleashes one's own feelings back to the saga. This is a great book for any fan of the films and a welcome edition to my Star Wars home library.

This book is like a time machine. It tells the part that Star Wars, and the merchandise it brought into the world, played in the life of a young boy. The memories he has of that period in his life are brought back to life and told in detail. His childhood friends, the local movie theatre, the toy stores, ... - they are all there, and at times it's like the reader is there with him. 'Collect All 21' brougt me back to that period in my life as well, as I'm sure it could do with many other '30-something' people out there ... this is the story of how it was to be a kid in the late seventies / early eighties and how it felt to be sucked into the world that George Lucas created : the world of Star Wars. Honestly, and I speak out of experience, it felt great, and it still does but on another level. That period in time was just magic!

Saturday, May 28, 1977. A random, insignificant date and one long-forgotten to the sands-of-Tatooine to almost everyone - everyone, that is, except me. For it was on this day - and that morning in particular - that my life would be forever-altered by a movie which was in it's nascent stage of taking the world by storm: STAR WARS.

My dad was the innocent accelerant for my obsessive and near-fanatical fascination for all-things STAR WARS. The exact circumstances which led him to making the fateful decision to load both myself and my little sister into the family car that morning for the drive to Hollywood for a matinee screening of STAR WARS at Graumann's Chinese Theater I'll never know.

But I'm glad that he did.

I wish I could recall if I was giddy with excitment or anticipation as we took our seats, but truth be told, up to this point, I'm not sure that even I was aware of what STAR WARS was exactly.

As the house-lights dimmed and the explosion that was John William's iconic score reverberated with stunning authority throughout the cavernous Chinese, I was blown-back into my seat and unprepared for what was to follow. When the opening text-crawl faded away into the blackness of space and the camera panned-down to reveal a mysterious planet-scape, the theatre was rocked by war - as laser-blasts and cannon-fire engulfed the screen. My senses were overflowing with unabashed glee as the Rebel Blockade Runner flashed onto the scene in it's desperate, futile attempt at evading the dreaded Imperial Star Destoyer which was in dogged-pursuit. The immense, indescribable size of the jewel-of-the-Imperial fleet swallowed the screen, dwarfed the rebel ship and emboldened the audience to erupt into instantaneous, rapturous applause. My world would never be the same.

I exited the theatre that afternoon all starry-eyed and bewildered (my father and sister perhaps less-so). Blindsided by the rousing space-adventure which had just unspooled before me in all of it's 70mm glory, I wanted nothing more than to return once again to that mythical place a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away.

Growing up as kid in the golden-era of the the very first STAR WARS film -and the merchandising bonanza that was soon to follow- is a cherished and most memorable time for me and one that is recalled with warm-fondness in Jonn Booth's insightful and dipped-in nostalgia COLLECT ALL 21! MEMOIRS OF A STAR WARS GEEK - The First 30 Years.

Drawing his inspiration from his experience as a first-generation STAR WARS fan, Booth effortlessly captures the magic and innocence of what it meant to be a collector of KENNER STAR WARS TOYS during the line's early years; specifically the initial-run of 21 KENNER action figures (affectionately referred to here as "Star Wars guys") and his quest to "collect all 21."

MEMOIRS reads as a step-by-step account of Booth's introduction to STAR WARS and the early merchandise developed in the wake of the film's enormous success.
It is a heartfelt look at a time long gone and follows Booth's STAR WARS evolution through kindergarten, his first viewing of the film, creating a STAR WARS scrapbook, sharing his love of STAR WARS with family and neighborhood friends and visits to neighborhood drug stores to discover new Kenner STAR WARS action figures dangling from the pegs (power droids, stormtroopers, Walrus Man, R2-D2 etc. ).

Booth's Jedi-like acumen is sparkling as he is able to paint accurate images of the late-70's toy landscape with ease. His detailed glimpses into his young-Jedi ways are reminiscent of mine and his candid and forthright observations which describe the PAINFUL longing AND wanting, the begging AND pleading to his parents to allow him to accumulate more figures is stirring, palpable stuff. His recollections of receiving the post-STAR WARS novelization SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE - which featured an UNTOLD story from the STAR WARS galaxy and which had him in fits- whilst simultaneously receiving the MARVEL COMICS adaptaion of the STAR WARS novel are wide-eyed and bursting with youthful enthusiasm, excitement and closely mirror similar experiences that I had.

COLLECT ALL 21! is a unique look at STAR WARS collecting from an interesting perspective. The original KENNER STAR WARS toyline is bathed in romanticism and unmatched sentimentality for a myriad of collectors. That Booth is able to recapture that magic and propel the reader back to that extraordinary era with Darth Vader-like manipulation is a miracle in and of itself.

Star Wars figures were always referred to as "Star Wars guys", never "Star Wars figures". I had forgotten.

This book is full of reminders like that, and for those of us who remember the mind-blowing amazement of unwrapping a mammoth AT-AT box at Christmas, or not realizing that Return of the Jedi sucked when you walked out of the theater because you had so much fun, it's a really fun book. It's well worth reading for that reason (plus you can knock it out in no time, so why not?).

Why 3 stars? Because it's just not a good book, nostalgia aside. It kind of reads like the notes for an actual book. I grew up near the author's hometown, so I even knew many of the locations he referenced. But if I hadn't? Regardless, if you grew up on Star Wars, go for it.

I did enjoy John's book. It was a pretty good balance or Star Wars regalia with a good does of John's personal life. It makes me want to do the same thing and write down my memories - good stuff. I think this book would be a good read for anyone who has really grown up with Star Wars, in particular the 30-40 something of today (I am 35). John really hit Star Wars in prime time.

It would have been great to see more photos of his memories - the front and back covers are great. Also the book is a little odd in size, so it is a little harder to read in bed at night. ;) That is a minor complaint. Overall I enjoyed the book and think any Star Wars fan around the same time as John and I will certainly have fun reminiscing while reading this book.