How Did I Get to Be 40 & Other Atrocities [Hardcover]

Judith Viorst (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Judith Viorst was born and brought up in New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers University, moved to Greenwich Village, and has lived in Washington, D.C., since 1960, when she married Milton Viorst, a political writer. They have three sons and seven grandchildren. Viorst writes in many different areas: science books, children's picture books, adult fiction and non-fiction, poetry for children and adults, and three musicals, which are still performed on stages around the country. She is best known for her beloved picture book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 53 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 13th edition (October 22, 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671223666
• ISBN-13: 978-0671223663
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Judith Viorst has written many books for children, including the classics Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and its sequels, and If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Stories. She is also the author of Just in Case, illustrated by Diana Cain Bluthenthal. She lives with her husband, Milton, in Washington D.C.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Judith Viorst humor writing, April 29, 2002

By 

Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Did I Get to Be 40 & Other Atrocities (Hardcover)

Fine poetry this is not, but Judith Viorst hits another home run by applying her piercing sense of humor to the sundry atrocities involved in turning forty: having your children grow up, wondering about your husband, feeling left out, misunderstood, underappreciated, uncomfortable dinner parties, seeing the marriages of your friends break up, and so on.

This all sounds like very much a downer, but Viorst manages the neat trick of turning it into funny stuff, as in "The Truth":

"The truth is
If I had it all to do over
I still wouldn't study Swahili,
Learn to fly a plane,
Or take 92 lovers,
Some of them simultaneously . . .
The truth is
That I'll always want to be
Pure enough to hate white bread,
Deep enough to admire Patagonian folk art,
Thin enough to go swimming in the nude,
Mature enough to outgrow Erich Fromm,
Nice enough to be nice to my Uncle Bernie,
And secure enough to not need getting married."

Viorst raises issues that come up as you get older, and takes her readers with her by acknowledging the down side while seeing the humor it all brings as well. This is a terrific gift for a "newly forty" pal or for any married mom with kids.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knowing How it Feels, October 18, 2000

By 

Ruth A. Hayes (Marlton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Did I Get to Be 40 & Other Atrocities (Hardcover)

For a decade that begins with being "Over the Hill," there is a negative connotation comes with being forty. It implies that 40 means "old". You may often be asking yourself, "Where did the time go?" Instead of looking ahead, as for the previous years, you may find your self searching back. Lonely and Confused you may wonder, "Does anyone know how it feels?" By reading Viorst's Book, I was motivated to look ahead instead of searching for the past. She made it feel as though there is still a hike to hump of the hill. Entusiastic about being forty instead of being depressed about middle-age, she explains how to cope with the every-day experiences of being forty. To best put it she makes you feel OKAY about middle-age!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little book!, March 5, 2001

By 

Martha Cooper (Winter Garden, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Did I Get to Be 40 & Other Atrocities (Hardcover)

Judith Viorst is my favorite author! I loved discovering her books on age. She hits the mark more times than not on the feelings that we have at a given age! I find that I reread her books often when I need a lift or a laugh! Makes a wonderful gift for a good friend.