Customer Reviews

Ned Ventures: Teenage Life in the 1950s

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The cover of this book takes you back immediately to the 50s when coca cola was searved in a real glass at a soda fountain after school; where pretty girls and anxious boys laughed and used their straws to stir the crushed ice. A time where there were stools to sit on and booths to stretch and slide in. A time of more formalities. Those "good ole 50s". The days that a previous television champiom, Archie Bunker, would lament in the 60s. Of course there are many of Archie's holdovers who even today lament those days. But, it "ain't gonna happen". We have run too far toward the center of acceptable behavior that our perspective is in the mushy zone of maybe yes or maybe no. And we float in the dreamland of anything goes. The most intriguing thing about this small paperback is that it reminds one of the recently published William J. Bennett's book "The Book of Virtues-A Treasury of Great Moral Stories". Of course, Bennett's book is more than 800 pages; while "Ned Ventures" barely makes 64 pages. But the same ten themes discussed by Bennett run through out the seven short story topics in Ned's adventures for they are used to describe a way of life for a group of teens that would be difficult to find or duplicate today anywhere in the United States. This book would probably be viewed as a collection of short, rather interesting fairy tales that could be classified as fiction on a reading list.Many teenagers might not believe that a life such as this ever existed. Yet, an older parent or a grandparent could enlighten us all. Most young people would read this in utter shock for it's almost unbelievable that a half century ago kids really lived this way-and enjoyed it. Example, when did you last see a fourteen year older working on his bike in order to get ready for the race through town? When have you seen a teenager on a bike throwing papers on a paper route? Are there any curly hair blonde girls around or is it all straight and long? Do you know any kid who knows anything about Charles Atlas-Who? Yes, Charles Atlas! If you can get a teenager to open this paperback, they will not stop after the first page. They will find it enjoyable and fascinating.

I couldn't believe people actually lived like that. So I bought this book and I'd recommend this book to anyone who doesn't want to wade through thousands of pages of heavily biased [stuff] disguised as non-fiction. Note to Mr. Faine- when are you coming out with the next book??(thanks for signing my copy.)