This Boy's Life--Tobias Wolff

Submitted By: Riley Palsma
School: South Sioux City Middle School
Grade: 8
Title: This Boy's Life
Author: Tobias Wolff
Rating: 4 stars
Review:
This Boy's Life, a memoir of the author, Tobias Wolff, illustrates the hardships of his life while his parents are divorced. He and his mother travel to the West all the way from Florida, partially for his mother to find a solid job. This book pinpoints each experience, struggle, or triumph he endures during these teenage years.

Wolff went on to graduate with honors from Oxford University and to receive his Master's degree in writing from Stanford. He also wrote two other short stories, "In the Garden of the North American Martyrs" (1981) and "Back in the World"(1985).

Wolff, the 1989 Rea Award winner, clearly describes his experiences in his memoir. He depicts each detail, making each story enjoyable and distinct. One experience of egging a man's Thunderbird includes even the man's facial expressions and where each egg hits the car. He quotes, "his face was purple and twitching with anger" (page 47). The book illustrates every detail of his experiences as a teenage kid.

This Boy's Life endears itself to readers who are interested in a child's experiences in a divorced family with its countless and elaborate incidents. Even if you're not one for this type of story, it amuses with in-depth encounters with teenage-hood. Anybody could read this book and enjoy it as much as I did.