In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, Jean Shepherd, 1966
My favorite quote: “Heat, in Indiana, is something else again. It descends like a 300-pound fat lady onto a picnic bench in the middle of July. It can literally be sliced into chunks and stored away in the basement to use in winter; on cold days you just bring it out and turn it on.”
Notable characters: Ralphie Parker, Flick, his friend from childhood;
Most memorable scene: For me, it’s a part about a drunk neighbor who nearly blows up someone’s house on the 4th of July. That part wasn’t in the movie
Greatest strengths: The humor — it’s as good in the book is as it is in the movie
Standout achievements: Since most folks are more familiar with the movie (A Christmas Story, 1983) it seems fair to warn them that there are some significant deviations from the book. For example, the book bears the unfortunate absence of the “triple dog dare” scene. But that doesn’t mean the book isn’t good. In fact, I think its “standout achievement” is that it manages to make a great book AND a great movie (albeit, in slightly different ways)
Fun Facts: This book surprises most folks because it’s actually a short story collection — not all of which are about Ralphie Parker’s childhood
Other media: The 1983 classic, A Christmas Story, starring Peter Billingsley
What it taught me: Like the movie, this book gives the audience a vivid — and very entertaining — glimpse into Depression-era American life
How it inspired me: It made me laugh. A lot. And that’s the greatest inspiration there is
Additional thoughts: I knew this book was a separate entity from the movie and I think that’s part of why I liked it as much as I did. So, if you plan to read this, my advice is to go in knowing that it’s not a mirror image of the movie
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Alistair Cross 