Customer Reviews

My Well Balanced Life On A Wooden Leg

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

 

 

Let me get straight to the point and clarify that the major reason why I write this review is to back up my fellow-reviewer's disagreement in the editorial review, which claims that it's "hard to regard [this] book as anything more than the publication of a literary curio that Dogpatch fans may be glad to read, but that others most likely will pass up." It is indeed true that, as a big fan of "Dogpatch" (or, to me more specific, the comic strip "Li'l Abner") I enjoyed MY WELL-BALANCED VIEW ON A WOODEN LEG especially much, as it gave some insight as to how the creator of the strip truly viewed the world and himself outside of the perspective of a celebrated cartoonist. However, thanks to Al Capp's incredible gift as a writer, observer and humorist, most of the stories included here are not only intriguing due to the autobiographical information that they provide; after all, one can assume that Capp exaggerated certain of the events in order to exploit their comic potential, but what remains is all the more rewarding than a straight-forward recollection of his life. Irrelevant of whether the reader is as obsessed with the Li'l Abner-strip as I am, stories like "Short Skirts" and "Memories of Miss Maundlebam" can in any case be treasured as some of the wittiest (but also often quite poignant and insightful) short stories put on paper by anyone. I laughed as hard at "Confessions of a Non-Alcoholic" as I have at Li'l Abner, when Capp makes it into a traumatic experience for his family that he is NOT addicted to booze; worst of all, or best of all, he is actually quite convincing: "My daughter burst into tears. She knew that, although for the sake of my children I try to keep up the appearance of being a drunk (like everybody else's father), I am secretly a hopeless non-alcoholic."

The book contains ten essays covering various periods of Capp's life, as well as an insightful foreword by John Updike and an autobiographical cartoon sequence done by Capp for the war amputees after World War II. A couple of the essays were published in magazines during the 50's and 60's, but most of them were not seen by the public until this book was published in 1991. As suggested by the title, the main focus in several of these essays is on Capp's feelings regarding his loss of one leg at the age of nine. The humorous tone remains intact for the most part, to the point where a sad story like Capp losing his wooden leg outside the house of a new girlfriend caused him to run away home on one leg, in fear of her discovering his handicap, becomes disturbingly close to funny. However, Capp is not afraid of revealing that this tragedy was far from funny when he was young, even though he as an adult learnt to cope with it from a partly humorous perspective; in one of the essays, he points out that while having one leg forever remained very inconvenient, at sixteen the feelings of shame it caused him were unbearable. This is most evident in the two very first essays, which were written by Al at the age of twelve, when he was known as Alfred Caplin; these two very short essays reveal an aspect of Capp which is non-existent in the other essays, as well as in his comic strip and well known TV appearances of later years. Here, there is no humor, but a hypnotizingly haunting description of his feelings of loss and rage: "Sometimes the children come to the edge of the gate and speak a few words of pity to me; but not for long. They hear the call of health and, hastening back, resume their play." I'm not afraid to admit that these words nearly made me cry. Capp's talent as a writer and observer is as obvious here, when the author was barely in his teens, as it would later become in his brilliant comic strip.

The essays included in the book are the following:

- The Autobiography of a Freshman
As stated above, here Capp covers his desperation over the loss of one leg.
- Memories of Miss Maundebam
This essay was first published in The Atlantic, 1951. Capp talks about his school days in the early 1920's, where he first found local fame for his drawing skills.
- My Well-Balanced Life on a Wooden Leg
This is one of the very best essays, in which Capp discusses (from a retro-perspective) how the loss of one leg affected him as a child: "A teenager wants more than anything else in life to look, act and be treated like all other teenagers. On the first two counts I did fine. I am sure that I looked and behaved as oddly as all the other teenagers at Cenrtral High, Bridgeport, Connecticut, where I then lived. But I got different and special treatment, especially from the girls, and that made life hell for me. My rooster roughness and rowdiness was forgiven with sweet understanding, when what I wanted was the same thrilled contempt that was accorded two-legged rowdies for the same behavior."
- The Decisions Regarding Aunt Miriam
More childhood memories, this time dealing with how young Capp and his brothers suddenly changed their opinion on their stern aunt due to a most human revealation.
- Short Skirts
Capp's entrance into puberty, as well as his first sexual experience...or almost so.
- The Campaign Against Rhoda Turner
An hilarious recollection of when Capp and a couple of friends, then in their late teens, constantly lied to one another about recent experiences with girls, eventually forcing them into a situation they wouldn't forget so soon.
- Young Van Schuyler's Greatest Romance
Also covered earlier in this review, Capp discusses how he, for the only time in his life, was able to hide his handicap to a girlfriend.
- I Remember Monster
If you're a Li'l Abner-fan, you may have guessed what this essay is about. Capp talks about his earliest days as a cartoonist, when he ghosted the Joe Palooka-strip for Ham Fisher, a man with whom things didn't turn out so well in the end.
- Confessions of a Non-Alcoholic
Capp confesses to possess the terrible flaw of not being addicted to alcohol.
My Life as an Immortal Myth
- First published in Time Magazine, 1965. Covers the story of when Capp was invited over to Italy to be celebrated as, in the words of director Alain Resnais, an "immortal myth," as well as the "sophistication and universatility of Li'l Abner." Among the funniest stories in the book, and also interesting as it provides insight as to how differently comic strips were regarded in Europe than the US during the 60's.

MY WELL-BALANCED VIEW ON A WOODEN LEG may be somewhat short on pages, but the wit and insight which it contains should make up for the autobiography which Al Capp never finished at the end of his life. "Heily recammendad," as Abner would say...or something like that!

By the way, I'm not the same person as the other reviewer, even though we share initials.

A collection of pieces ranging from Capp's first experience with losing his leg as a child, then coping with it as a young adult, his life in the depression, the war years and finally Capp as a senior citizen.

It also features a comic strip sent to war amputees and Capp's relationship with his first boss, Ham Fisher, with could be a modern day Charles Dickens's work.

I disagree with the editorial review; I believe other persons beside Capp fans would enjoy this book as it paints a perspective from such time periods as well as a perspective from a disabled person.

It also shows the real feelings of Capp, as he does not go into character as he many times had to in order to be an "entertaining" guest on television or in a magazine.

It also has no biased standpoint that either attacked him, or he felt edgy because of his politics in the 1960's

By the way, why does Amazon include a 'NO' in 'was this review helpful to you?'. People are only human and don't like opinions that differ from themselves, thus the 'NO' makes it too easy express such displeasure.

Are they trying to discourage negative reviews, hence not purchase the CD. Such reviews only help a person in not being dissatisfied a product that received positive reviews

Fun book to read for anyone. Capp talks about growing up as an amputee and his stories about girl watching will bring a chuckle. The book would make a good read for a young person that has had an amputation. It also has a copy of the comic strip he wrote for the military.