What better way to celebrate the holidays than settling in with a wonderfully nostalgic holiday read?
Who hasn't seen A Christmas Story? While many hold dear the 1983 classic film A Christmas Story, the majority are not aware that the film was actually inspired by the autobiographical short stories, originally released as a periodical series, by radio personality Jean Shepherd.
Regardless of whether you are a fan of the film or are simply curious, this is a great little Christmas read for those that love comedic writing.
Book Description:
The holiday film A Christmas Story, first released in 1983, has become a bona fide Christmas perennial, gaining in stature and fame with each succeeding year. Its affectionate, wacky, and wryly realistic portrayal of an American family’s typical Christmas joys and travails in small-town Depression-era Indiana has entered our imagination and our hearts with a force equal to It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street.
This edition of A Christmas Story gathers together in one hilarious volume the gems of autobiographical humor that Jean Shepherd drew upon to create this enduring film. Here is young Ralphie Parker’s shocking discovery that his decoder ring is really a device to promote Ovaltine; his mother and father’s pitched battle over the fate of a lascivious leg lamp; the unleashed and unnerving savagery of Ralphie’s duel in the show with the odious bullies Scut Farkas and Grover Dill; and, most crucially, Ralphie’s unstoppable campaign to get Santa—or anyone else—to give him a Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot range model air rifle. Who cares that the whole adult world is telling him, “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid”?
The pieces that comprise A Christmas Story, previously published in the larger collections In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash and Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories, coalesce in a magical fashion to become an irresistible piece of Americana, quite the equal of the film in its ability to warm the heart and tickle the funny bone.
About the Author:
Birth and Death Date: July 26, 1921 – October 16, 1999
Career: Jean Sheperd was an American storyteller, radio and TV personality, writer and actor. He was often referred to by the nickname Shep.
Best Known For: With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known to modern audiences for the film A Christmas Story (1983), which he narrated and co-scripted, based on his own semi-autobiographical stories.
Discussion Questions to Consider:
- If you have seen the film, did you notice any significant divergences that the film took from the novel?
- Shepherd's humor has been described as 'laugh out loud funny' and his writing as exquisite in its detail. Do you agree? Were you able to connect with the characters and/or picture the scenes as they played out?
- Among the incredible wit and hilarity of Shepherd's prose, there is a hint of seriousness with the setting occurring during the depression era. Were you able to pick up on this? Was it effective in the story as a balance to the humor?
- Were you satisfied with the five short stories that comprised the novel? Did you feel satisfied with the amount of information readers were given, or do you believe that more stories were needed to make the piece feel whole?
- Would you recommend this book to a friend or family member? Why? Why Not? How would you 'sell' it to them if so.
Movie Trailer:
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The author , Jean Shepherd, is wonderful at setting a scene and describing the struggles of childhood. He connects with the reader and we are drawn into his and our own childhood. The book touches on the struggles of life during the depression, even though Ralphie's family was perhaps better off because his father had a job. I enjoyed this book!
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right! Shepherd captured my attention from the get go, and doesn't shy away from mixing real struggle with humor. I was thrilled when I discovered that one of my favorite holiday movies was a book!
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