Goodbye Jumbo...Hello Cruel World [Hardcover]

Louie Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 11, 1994

Louie Anderson, celebrated comedian and author of the bestselling Dear Dad, returns with an inspiring, insightfully funny exploration of his relationship with his mother and of his physical and psychological battle to overcome his addiction to food. Satellite TV tour.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rotund comedian Anderson, who frequently appears on late-night television, knows that "fat jokes" aren't funny. In examining the source of his addiction to junk food, he here expands his search for self-understanding begun in his first book, Dear Dad. One of 11 children of an abusive, alcoholic father and a complacent mother who treated the family's hurts with massive amounts of food, Anderson chronicles the steps he has taken--forward and back--to find the causes of the low self-esteem he expresses in overeating. Comparing himself to the circus elephant Jumbo, he leavens his sad personal journey with wry humor and bits from his comic routines. He notes that his candid evaluations of family relationships facilitate an emotional healing that allows him--as he suggests it will others--to better care for his body.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Weightless epiphanies about losing weight from Anderson, professional comedian and bestselling author of Dear Dad (1989). Anderson's earlier surprise hit was low-key but effective as he faced his dead alcoholic father with unmailed letters that relieved his low self-esteem. Dad usually called him ``lard-ass,'' a memory that kept Anderson walled up in food until he joined Adult Children of Alcoholics and entered therapy. The present book focuses largely on Anderson's life before therapy and ACOA, with the prosperous but unhappy young comic having to stand on side-by- side scales to weigh his 360-plus pounds (he suggests at one point that he topped 400). Anderson bemoans the failure of diets to keep his weight off--weight he has lost repeatedly--and determines that his entire family of 11 siblings became dysfunctional (nine of them overweight) not only because of Dad but also because of Mom, who covered over the family pains with food. Anderson was grossly fat when he began school and only got worse. Throughout, he presents us with a laundry list of discoveries about food being a defense against you-name-it. Meanwhile, he feeds a mania for antique furniture that eventually finds him renting three storage cubicles for his excess chairs and a lifetime's gathering of junk. We follow him into a few fat farms and hospitals, give him a half-cheer when he buys a treadmill, and spend some binges with him. His final epiphany is a love-bearing letter-writing campaign to his siblings as he tries to unite them into a happy family. And he sells his antiques and million-dollar home in hopes of uncovering the bare bones of his inmost being. Thin, even surly, vaporings that will sell like buttered hotcakes. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing; First edition. edition (December 11, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517135671
• ISBN-13: 978-0517135679
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,813,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, sad, emotional, April 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Goodbye Jumbo...Hello Cruel World (Paperback)

Louie Anderson does a wonderful job of revealing the true self. Especially the dialogue where he becomes Jumbo the elephant. He never mentioned a Love interest (human, not food) who could be support he so needed during these transitions he struggled with, the treadmill, death of his mom, selling the home, etc. Louie remains a real human, down to earth, complete with dysfunctional family. It was difficult to see him as the superstar wealthy comedian image we see. Whether it is food or some other controlling addiction, low self-esteem, children of alcoholics, pained school years, many can relate to his struggle. A good book by a funny man!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goodbye Jumbo a Funny, Sad, and Inspiring Book, July 28, 2004

By 

Andre LeBlanc (North Dakota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goodbye Jumbo...Hello Cruel World (Hardcover)

Louie Anderson continues to battle the demons of his dysfunctional upbringing in this second of his three books. In his first book, Dear Dad, Louie focused on his abusive father's alcoholism and the impact it has had on the comedian's life and overall psychological well being. In this book, he tries to come to grips with his own obesity and the negative impact it has had on his life. He largely attributes it to his father's alcoholism and the lack of love he received as a child. Anderson's reflections are often laugh out loud funny. Yet, throughout the book, there is an overall sense of pain. As somebody who grew up battling obesity (I eventually lost 150 lbs), I can understand the psychological abuse that fat people receive on a daily basis. They are insulted, ridiculed, and treated like outcasts. This leaves the victim feeling angry, bitter, and very lonely. He or she turns to food to ease the pain, which only makes the problem worse. For anybody who has battled obesity, this book will be very therapeutic. If you've never had a weight problem, this book will no doubt give you more compassion for those who have. The 250 page book is an easy, quick read and is very inspiring.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Entertaining, & Eating too, July 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Goodbye Jumbo: Hello Cruel World (Audio Cassette)

Funny and poignant, from Anderson's heart and stomach are a guide to life, coping, eating, love, comedy, and performing. Also manages to be downright hilarious with straight-ahead stand-up comedy. Somehow it all works. And very nicely, too. Inspired and inspiring.