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This Boy's Life
This Boy's Life: A Memoir | Tobias Wolff
20 posts | 45 read | 39 to read
This unforgettable memoir, by one of our most gifted writers, introduces us to the young Toby Wolff, by turns tough and vulnerable, crafty and bumbling, and ultimately winning. Separated by divorce from his father and brother, Toby and his mother are constantly on the move, yet they develop an extraordinarily close, almost telepathic relationship. As Toby fights for identity and self-respect against the unrelenting hostility of a new stepfather, his experiences are at once poignant and comical, and Wolff does a masterful job of re-creating the frustrations and cruelties of adolescence. His various schemes - running away to Alaska, forging checks, and stealing cars - lead eventually to an act of outrageous self-invention that releases him into a new world of possibility.
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Cinfhen
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Pickpick

This book was brave, honest, poignant, funny, sad and triumphant! Despite a rough and unconventional childhood, neglectful parents & an abusive step-father Tobias (Jack) Wolff proves that even those whose lives are difficult can overcome and achieve. Excellent writing, skilled storytelling. Another book I had on my TBR for far too long. Glad I finally picked this up, thanks to #BannedBooksWeek #Hoopla
Honestly, did not see anything offensive.

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Cinfhen
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My son was actually assigned this book in tenth grade, which turned him unto the joy of memoirs!! Thanks, Ms. Anderson🙌🏻
I always promised him I‘d read This Boy‘s Life one day. And so, the day has come 10 years later😜 #BannedBooksWeek

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eraderneely
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@jhod I completely forgot I had added this book to my TBR, so now it‘s like I‘m discovering it all over again! Thank you again for the birthday gift!

jhod No worries, hope you had a great day! And I LOVED this book when I first read it, I need to give it a re-read... xx 6y
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jpmcwisemorgan
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55 likes1 comment
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Ellen_Kate
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This semesters first book I‘m reading for school 📚

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GoodRoseReads
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Pickpick

I loved this book, memoirs are normally not my favorite thing to read, but this one was good. It was well written, I enjoyed the young boy narrative of it and I felt like I was being let into a time in his life that shaped him. It made me laugh and it made me angry, but mostly it made me laugh. It was relatable and real. It left me wanting more of Toby's history, aside from being an author, what did his life turn out to be?

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GoodRoseReads
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Loving this Memoir from Tobias Wolff, so good, I'm about halfway through and still curious ok every page. I'll have to look into that movie after, I have a feeling the Robert De Niro character is similar to his role in Matilda, so maybe it will be a good movie adaption.

27 likes2 stack adds
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BritanyA
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️: A memoir about a period of time during Wolff‘s adolescence. At times, gripping and eloquent but ultimately disappointed that it ended in the middle... was their a sequel? How did he go from a troubled youth to a successful author? #Memoir #BookToFilm #1989

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SubwayBookReview
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Barrington: "The story is so creative and so beautiful. It's about a boy and his Mom who was in an abusive relationship and how they are transitioning out of it. The boy is a pretty bad boy actually. He needs a better father figure in his life. I'm reading the book because Obama awarded the author a National Medal of the Arts. I miss Obama so much. He was the best leader. What he is interested in, I should be interested in as well."

mauveandrosysky I love this. 8y
LazyLibrary Very good book and movie both 8y
95 likes10 stack adds2 comments
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books_and_bobs
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Mehso-so

A memoir written like a story, this is a tale of a young boy growing up in 1950's America, through the pangs of adolescence, changing family dynamics, and maybe just a little more than the usual dose of adversity, a real coming of age piece.

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KaraDunn
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Pickpick

I didn't realize when I picked this up that it is set in my own backyard! Set mainly in Concrete, Marblemount, and Seattle, Washington, this memoir follows the childhood of a not very likable boy, told from the perspective of a very likable author.

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Jessmac25
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About to start my second book for school! I really want to like this one!

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Ericmanciniwriter
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Pickpick

From the moment I read this sentence I knew I would love this book, and I was not disappointed. Wolff's language is artful without being heavy handed, and he can perfectly sum up a person or time in his life with just a handful of words and you think: I know EXACTLY what he's talking about.

Add this book to your stack immediately

Gulfsidemusing I really liked this book, too! 8y
BethFishReads I loved this too 8y
71 likes7 stack adds2 comments
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Ericmanciniwriter
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More excellence from this astoundingly well-written book.

MyNamesParadise I've seen the film and that is fantastic! So it makes sense the book would be even better 😜 8y
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Ericmanciniwriter
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This book is GOOD

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Ericmanciniwriter
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Since I'm heading back from travel, I thought I'd capture this last fancy meal before I return to the world of dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets. Here's to BaoBao and books! @MrBook

RanaElizabeth Those are some great looking buns. Wink wink. 8y
MrBook 😳...*blink blink*...😱...I looooooovvvve baobaos!!! Every time I was in Chinatown, I would stop and get a couple of these. Meat-filled, of course 😁. They're, like, $1 or something. Oh my goodness, thank you for taking a pic of these! You've brought delightful memories back to me 😊👍🏻🙌🏻. 8y
67 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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CarrieKitz
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Pickpick

4🌟 Having grown up in Skagit Valley, Washington, I especially enjoyed this memoir set in nearby Concrete. I remember when they came to town to film the movie version. This was terrific on audio and the narrator (mostly) got the local names right.

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CarrieKitz
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Starting this before bed. I love the free audiobook downloads from Audiobook Sync!

11 likes3 stack adds
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EmilySears
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The greatest "fuck you" intro ever written: "My first stepfather used to say that what I didn't know would fill a book. Well, here it is."

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goodinfluences
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Double epigraphs in Wolff's memoir

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