Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. [Paperback]

Robert Paul Smith (Author), James J. Spanfeller (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 6, 2010

"A classic evocation of childhood . . . a masterly mixture of up-country drawl and Huckleberry Finn."—The New Yorker

A hugely popular bestseller when it first appeared in 1957, Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. is Robert Paul Smith's nostalgic and often wry look back on his 1920s childhood. Smith agitates against what he perceives as the over-scheduled and over-supervised lives of suburban children as he celebrates privacy, boredom, and time to oneself away from adults. Arcane games and pastimes including mumbly-peg, horse-chestnut collecting, and Indian scalp burns pervade the book, alongside tales of young love—"I loved the smell of kerosene. Rose smelled of kerosene. I loved Rose."—and hard-won observations by Smith the elder. Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. still conveys the essence of adventure that forms the basis of a fondly recalled childhood. Ten black-and-white illustrations

Editorial Reviews

Review

Mr. Smith is sympathetic. Mr. Smith is also very funny . . . heartwarming. (The New York Times Book Review )

About the Author

Robert Paul Smith was born in Brooklyn, grew up in Mount Vernon, New York, and graduated from Columbia College in 1936. He authored four novels as well as Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. and its companion, How to Do Nothing with Nobody All Alone by Yourself.

Product Details

• Paperback: 131 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (September 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393339416
• ISBN-13: 978-0393339413
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #732,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lifetime worth of memories, in one small tattered book, December 30, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Norman, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. (Paperback)

As a young man, I found this book among some of my Father's collection. It seems it has been twenty years since I read it, but the images of life portrayed by the Author are still imprinted on my mind. I can remember the wholesome, innocent feeling that came over me, even as a rebellious youth, as I read each chapter. Even the detail of each story has escaped me now, but the impression it has left is inescapable. And now after all these years, Through Amazon.com, I am able to rekindle this friendship, between that old book and I. It is a "must read" and should be considered a classic for young people in school.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a trip down the road of childhood's fears and joys, June 28, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Durham, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. (Paperback)

AS fate would have it, i was given this book at the tender age of 12 by my best friend's mother. Growing up in a house with 2 sisters i was clueless to the minds of young men..a mystery..never understood why the neighborhood tough guys felt the need to pelt us girls with grapefruits from the safety of their fortified clubhouses and armed camps. I love this book..Robert Smith has captured the innnocent and fearful thinking process of young boys that transcends the generations..haven't we all put our fists to our eyeballs in the dark of night to see the flashing lights??

Through it all he maintains a dry wit and subtle humor than endears the reader. I re-read it once a year just to get perspective on the youth in America...a treasure not to be missed..his narrative on losing at marbles to the town bully is a classic.....fears and joys..isn't that what childhood is all about?With a wry perspective and total honesty, Robert Smith manages to ring a bell of truth in this slice of life.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, July 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. (Paperback)

This timeless collection of childhood memories is a classic. It can be read at any age, because everyone, boy or girl, man or woman, can relate to its tellings of childhood memories, dreams, and shenanigans. This is the best book ever written, aside from the Bible.