I first
encountered American humourist Dave Barry 25 years ago at the American
Booksellers Association convention (now known as Book Expo America) in
Washington, D.C. Barry, whom the year before won the Pulitzer Prize for his
humorous columns that appeared on a weekly basis in The Miami Herald, was at
the convention to promote and sign copies of two of his latest books: the
paperback edition of his collection Dave
Barry’s Greatest Hits, and the hardcover edition of his soon-to-be-released
take on American history, Dave Barry
Slept Here.
What I
noticed about Barry was his laid back manner, his easy going bantering with the
large group of booksellers, publisher reps and journalists who eagerly lined up
to have their few seconds of chit chat with him and get their autographed
books, and the constant zingers and sarcastic (yet not maliciously sarcastic)
one-liners he kept delivering at a rapid fire pace, which kept everyone laughing
while they were waiting in line.
I couldn’t
wait to get home to start reading both autographed copies of Barry’s books; in
fact, as soon as I returned to my hotel room, I immediately started Dave Barry Slept Here. That somewhat
fast, yet curmudgeonly sense of humour that I saw him project at the book
signing session transcended onto the pages of his new book (which became an
immediate New York Times bestseller). Over the next decade, I read Dave Barry’s
new releases on a regular basis, and watched the short-lived CBS sitcom “Dave’s
World”, which was based on his writings. Although the last Dave Barry book I
reviewed was his 1990 bestseller Dave
Barry Turns 40, it didn’t stop me from enjoying his books.
It’s been over
10 years since I last read one of
his books; and when I received a review copy of his newest collection of
humourous writings, You Can Date Boys
When You’re Forty, I knew it was time to familiarize myself once
more with what has been going on recently
in Dave’s world.
Right off
the bat, let me say that despite what the title suggests, this book is not
solely a look at parenting and parenthood according to Dave Barry. What the
book is, actually, is a collection of nine essays (which are being published
for the first time) dealing with topics that Barry claims he know very little
about, whether it is death, grammar or what women really want.
All that
aside, the long time Dave Barry reader, or the uninitiated ones, will certainly
not be disappointed with his new book. The essays are filled with plenty of
rants, practical “advice”, and heaping doses of his acerbic style of
humour. Personal favorites include
“Sophie, Stella and the Bieber Plan”, in which Barry reluctantly accompanies
his daughter Sophie and her BFF Stella to a Justin Bieber concert, in which the
two girls not only fawn over Bieber in a rather fanatical way, but take that
devotion to a new level by actually leaving personally addressed invitations to
their bat mitzvahs on the stage, in the hope that Bieber will pick them up, and
eventually attend their respective rites of passage celebrations (by the way,
those who are already fed up with Bieber and his obnoxious shenanigans will
enjoy reading this essay, as Barry gives his no-holds-barred view on the
concert, which he describes as “brutal”, and says rather pointedly that “at
times the dancing looks silly, but it serves a vital artistic function; namely,
keeping you from noticing that the music [and I say this respectfully] sucks.”;
then there’s his piece on manliness, which is basically a collection of how-to
lists (such as how to cook a steak on the grill), which reads more like a
comedy routine than a bunch of helpful advice lists; and “Seeking WiFi in the
Holy Land” is a travelogue that chronicles a recent 10-day family trip Barry
took to Israel, in which his wife was always in constant pursuit of the ideal
souvenir/gift shop in order to add to her ever growing menorah collection, and
his daughter preferring those historic sites across Israel that provided WiFi.
You Can Date Boys When You’re Forty is vintage Dave Barry. Mixing his
own unique brand of insight and humour to topics that are relevant and timely,
we are satisfied that Dave Barry, after more than 30 years of speaking his mind
through the printed page, has not mellowed with age, yet he refuses to become
an old relic.
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