Dave Barry Turns 50 [Paperback]

Dave Barry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 1999

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist comes a celebration of the aging process. Not just Dave's, but that of the whole Baby Boom Generation--those millions of us who set a standard for whining self-absorption that will never be equaled, and who gave birth to such stunning accomplishments as Saturday Night Live!, the New Age movement, and call waiting. Here Dave pinpoints the glaring signs that you've passed the half-century mark:

- You are suddenly unable to read anything written in letters smaller than Marlon Brando.
- You have accepted the fact that you can't possibly be hip. You don't even know if "hip" is the right word for hip anymore, and you don't care.
- You remember nuclear-attack drills at school wherein you practiced protecting yourself by crouching under your desk, which was apparently made out of some kind of atomic-bomb-proof wood.
- You can't name the secretary of defense, but you can still sing the Mister Clean song.

So pop open a can of Geritol®, kick back in that recliner, grab those reading glasses, and let the good times roll--before they roll right over you!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When your average baby boomer wakes up and discovers he's old, it might not be the funniest moment of his life. But Dave Barry isn't your average boomer. And he doesn't read this--his hilarious account of turning 50--with the expected whining grief of someone whose world has become utterly pointless. No, where others might shriek in horror at the thought of getting "wrinkled, and forgetful and achy, and that you gain weight merely by watching food commercials," Mr. Barry takes a much more mature and less-panicked approach--he cracks jokes. For anyone accustomed to Barry's writing, with its trademark drollery and knowing wit, his off-handed narration and casual, Everyman's voice will bring an added pleasure to his hysterical observations on the golden years--especially if their eyes have started to go, along with their teeth and hair and other remnants of fleeting youth. (Running time: three hours, two cassettes) --George Laney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Barry claims, "Many bad things happen when you turn 50. You can't see; you can't hear; you can read the entire Oxford English Dictionary in the time it takes you to go to the bathroom; and you keep meeting people your own age who look like Grandpa Walton." Even so, in this follow-up to his bestselling Dave Barry Turns 40, he decided not to dwell "on the negative aspects of turning 50" and instead offers a "celebration of the aging process" by examining significant baby-boomer accomplishments ("The New Age movement! Call waiting!"). Barry begins with boomer origins in the late 1940s, a time when record players "were closer in design and sound quality to washing machines." Each subsequent decade gets a full chapter as Barry waxes nostalgic while shuffling down pathways of the past to examine an assortment of arcane artifacts and "actual facts," largely gleaned from Rita Lang Kleinfelder's 750-page When We Were Young: A Baby-Boomer Yearbook. Barry ends each chapter with "Discussion Questions" ("Did you inhale? Explain."), and maintains mirth right to the closing pages (retirement plans, death options). However, it's the look back at TV commercials, politics, inventions and attitudes that really makes those who have seen it all (much of "it" through trifocals) chortle out loud. It's not unlike an archeological dig through an attic, choking from laughter rather than dust, as familiar and forgotten memories are refreshed and taken for a satirical synaptic spin by a master humorist. 13-city birthday tour. (Oct.) FYI: Appropriately enough, this title is also available as a Random House audio ($18 ISBN 0-375-40428-7) and in a large-print edition ($22
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 31, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345431693
• ISBN-13: 978-0345431691
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The New York Times has pronounced Dave Barry "the funniest man in America." But of course that could have been on a slow news day when there wasn't much else fit to print. True, his bestselling collections of columns are legendary, but it is his wholly original books that reveal him as an American icon. Dave Barry Slept Here was his version of American history. Dave Barry Does Japan was a contribution to international peace and understanding from which Japan has not yet fully recovered. Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys is among the best-read volumes in rehab centers and prisons. Raised in a suburb of New York, educated in a suburb of Philadelphia, he lives now in a suburb of Miami. He is not, as he often puts it so poetically, making this up.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Typical Dave Barry - gut-bustingly funny - but not his best, August 12, 2002

By 

Ramon Kranzkuper (Gainesville, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dave Barry Turns 50 (Paperback)

OK - are you a Dave Barry fan, or is this going to be your first Dave Barry book? If you like Dave, this is another of his never-ending series of incredibly funny books. You'll get a copy, of course, and it will be one of the funniest books you've ever read, of course, since no one else (except James Lileks) is even remotely as funny as Dave Barry is. Like someone else said here, even if this one isn't his funniest, it's funnier than almost any other 'funny book' you'll read.

I'm not kidding when I tell you that I stopped carrying Dave Barry books to read on flights. It's not possible to laugh under your breath three times a minute, and I've noticed that people tend to stare if you laugh out loud three times a minute, for an hour or more.

If you're not a Dave Barry fan already - this one won't be the best place to start if you want to decide whether to join the Dave Barry club or not. Read "Dave Barry's greatest hits", or the travel one (can't remember the name).

After having read all of Dave's books, I must conclude that there is something fundamentally wrong with people who don't find him funny ... just kidding! But honestly, Dave's is a brand of humor that appeals to a surprisingly large variety of people; and this one (DB turns 50) is typical Dave.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Smiles, not laughs, February 28, 2000

By 

New Jersey Mom (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dave Barry Turns 50 (Paperback)

This book consisted of three different parts, stapled together. First we have Dave's reflections on turning 50, which are, frankly, a little morbid and not that funny. (Some of these appear at the beginning and some at the end of the book). Then we have the "year-by-year" review of his life and the world around him starting from his birth (1947) to 1974 when he more or less lost interest. Problem here is that some fairly awful things happened in those years and he knows he can't make jokes about them, so he mixes his humor with moral righteousness so that you know the HE was against the war (although he doesn't seem to have done much about it except get CO status for which it's fairly clear he didn't really qualify). The juxtaposition of jokes with the tone of moral outrage doesn't go that well. And finally he has a few very funny, typically Barry, obviously stand-alone type pieces on things like how to get your kid into college. But here's what I really want to know --- I only have a few Barry books but they all mention his wife, Beth. Now his wife, as per the dedication, appears to be "Michelle" and seems to be a lot younger than he is. Did Dave make a mid-life switch? And how can he poke fun at all the other late-middle-aged peccadillos and not mention this most-stereotyped one of his own?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Baby Boomers wet dream..., May 22, 2006

By 

Book Knurd "You'll Poke Your Eye Out!" (Paradise) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dave Barry Turns 50 (Hardcover)

Dave Barry Turns 50 is less about turning 50 than it is a humorous recounting of growing up a Baby Boomer.

Barry chronicles all the major events, fads, trends and people who impacted the life of a typical boomer. Along the way Barry unleashes heavy doses of his wildly funny wit, recurring punch lines and he even throws in a bit of social and political commentary to boot.

If you're a Barry fan or an aging boomer then this book won't disappoint. Plenty of Barry humor to chuckle at and lots of references to stuff and events to which every boomer can relate.

However, if you're new to Barry's world then I suggest you start with one of his other works - Dave Barry Slept Here for example. It similar to Turns 50 in the way it's constructed and written, but the humor is turned up to high and the commentary is turned completely off (except when used to poke fun at something).

Though Turns 50 goes back to the fence...it's not a quite a home run.