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Dave Barry
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Dave Barry Turns 50 Paperback – August 31, 1999

by Dave Barry (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 70 ratings
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From the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist comes a celebration of the aging process. Not just Dave's, but that of the whole Baby Boom Generation--those millions of us who set a standard for whining self-absorption that will never be equaled, and who gave birth to such stunning accomplishments as Saturday Night Live!, the New Age movement, and call waiting. Here Dave pinpoints the glaring signs that you've passed the half-century mark:

- You are suddenly unable to read anything written in letters smaller than Marlon Brando.
- You have accepted the fact that you can't possibly be hip. You don't even know if "hip" is the right word for hip anymore, and you don't care.
- You remember nuclear-attack drills at school wherein you practiced protecting yourself by crouching under your desk, which was apparently made out of some kind of atomic-bomb-proof wood.
- You can't name the secretary of defense, but you can still sing the Mister Clean song.

So pop open a can of Geritol®, kick back in that recliner, grab those reading glasses, and let the good times roll--before they roll right over you!
Previous page
  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Ballantine Books
  4. Publication date
    August 31, 1999
  5. Dimensions
    5.48 x 0.5 x 8.23 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0345431693
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0345431691
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"QUOTING BARRY IS LIKE EATING PEANUTS. . . . ONCE YOU GET STARTED IT'S AWFULLY HARD TO STOP."--The Washington Post

"RIOTOUS . . . [Barry] can find the humor in pretty much anything. And . . . he does not intend to go even slightly gently into that good night."
--San Francisco Examiner

From the Back Cover

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist comes a celebration of the aging process. Not just Dave's, but that of the whole Baby Boom Generation--those millions of us who set a standard for whining self-absorption that will never be equaled, and who gave birth to such stunning accomplishments as Saturday Night Live!, the New Age movement, and call waiting. Here Dave pinpoints the glaring signs that you've passed the half-century mark:
- You are suddenly unable to read anything written in letters smaller than Marlon Brando.
- You have accepted the fact that you can't possibly be hip. You don't even know if "hip" is the right word for hip anymore, and you don't care.
- You remember nuclear-attack drills at school wherein you practiced protecting yourself by crouching under your desk, which was apparently made out of some kind of atomic-bomb-proof wood.
- You can't name the secretary of defense, but you can still sing the Mister Clean song.
So pop open a can of Geritol(R), kick back in that recliner, grab those reading glasses, and let the good times roll--before they roll right over you!

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books (August 31, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0345431693
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0345431691
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.48 x 0.5 x 8.23 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 70 ratings

About the author

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Dave Barry

Dave Barry

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The New York Times has pronounced Dave Barry "the funniest man in America." But of course that could have been on a slow news day when there wasn't much else fit to print. True, his bestselling collections of columns are legendary, but it is his wholly original books that reveal him as an American icon. Dave Barry Slept Here was his version of American history. Dave Barry Does Japan was a contribution to international peace and understanding from which Japan has not yet fully recovered. Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys is among the best-read volumes in rehab centers and prisons. Raised in a suburb of New York, educated in a suburb of Philadelphia, he lives now in a suburb of Miami. He is not, as he often puts it so poetically, making this up.

Dave’s most recent books are “Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland,” and “Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog.” His next book, “A Field Guide To The Jewish People,” which he co-wrote with his friends Adam Mansbach and Alan Zweibel, will be published September 24. Dave is not Jewish, but Adam and Alan are, so it’s kosher.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
70 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ann W.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2024
Verified Purchase
I like the humorous look at aging life.
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Robert R. hoyt
5.0 out of 5 stars Laughs on every page
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2023
Verified Purchase
Dave Barry's newspaper columns almost always gave me grins, and his books invariably give me a few a page. And of his books that I've read, this one is the funniest of all. Check it out, especially when you could use a pick-me-up.
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JC Davenport
4.0 out of 5 stars Thanks Dave
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2014
Verified Purchase
Thanks Dave. I just turned 50. Which was not funny for me. I was saving your book . . . to help me cope when the time came. Turns out that you are at the head of the baby boomers (although I thought it was 1946, not 1947 . . . Ok you were close) . . . and I am at the rear end (1964).

What is surprising to me about this book is that - although you get the expected Dave Barry Laugh Out Louds throughout the book - you also get a meaningful (well ok - extremely abbreviated) early life biography of Dave Barry. And despite being a humor book - Dave gives us a pretty darn good layman's feel for the late 50's, 60's and early 70's. Apparently it all centers on . . . Buffalo Bob.

I just basically loved the year by year summaries . . . so the rest was just bonus to me.

Discussion Question I have:
So Dave was a Presbyterian Minister's son . . . or a Preacher's Kid. The one reference to God in this book (that I remember) is Dave's quote "If there really is a God who created the entire universe with all of it's glories, and He decides to deliver a message to humanity, He will not use as His messenger, a person on cable TV with a bad hairstyle."
Agree or Disagree? Discuss.

P.S.
Of course I agree. But I also sympathize with Dave. I'm a preachers kid too. I try to tell the truth . . . except when I'm joking. I also deal with fear by making jokes. And I have a hope that if he doesn't know . . . Dave gets to know the God who made him funny. That would be cool. He's way better than beer. Although beer is good.
4 people found this helpful
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R. T.
5.0 out of 5 stars So funny I was laughing so hard I was crying.
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2014
Verified Purchase
Dave Barry's Turns 50 is one of his funniest books. I'm only part way through it and I have laughed so many times I was crying. I just turned 50 a few years ago and some of things he writes about in the late 50's and parts of the 60's were still happening when I was growing up. The part about not letting Richard Nixon golf almost had me on the floor I was laughing so hard. And when he writes about hiding under his desk during atomic bomb drills reminds me of us going to the hall for tornado drills huddled down with our arms over our heads like that is going to save us if the building falls on top of us.
A word of advise you can not or should not read any of his books in public like at the airport waiting for a flight people will move as far away from you as possible or if you on the plane and in the air everyone will think you are a lunatic and your plane will have return to the airport so they can lock you away. Dave writes about any subject in a sarcastic (but in fun away) but he speaks the truth. I have turn many people on to his books. He is without a doubt the best humor writer ever. Buy his books. sadly I think his last one was not his best work but everyone is allowed one drop the ball once or twice.
2 people found this helpful
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MalibuBill
5.0 out of 5 stars The funniest man in America remains so
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book came out a long time ago and is still hilarious as is Dave Barry
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Anac
5.0 out of 5 stars Dave Barry at his best.
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2013
Verified Purchase
I have enjoyed his columns for years and this book did not disappoint me. I found it hilarious. I have just started Dave Barry's Greatest Hits, published1988, and so far it is disappointing. His "Turns 50" is far superior.
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M S M
4.0 out of 5 stars Highly "educational" :-)
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2000
Verified Purchase
Okay, I'll admit that Dave Barry has written books that are much funnier than "Dave Barry Turns 50". This is not his absolute best book by any means. However, and it sounds weird to say this, I learned a lot from it! As someone who wasn't alive until the early 1980's, a lot of the jokes about musical groups, politicians, etc. went over my head, but his year-by-year account of what he calls "the formative boomer years" taught me a lot about the things that were going on in the world at that point in history.
One of my favorite things about Barry is his ability to be informative, genuine, and funny at the same time. Yes, his writing can be very immature and silly at times, but he has shown himself more than once to be a man with opinions and a great deal of knowledge who just happens to have a juvenile side. I especially enjoyed reading the section about the Vietnam war, the draft, and the protests that went along with it. This is a great book, as Dave Barry books usually are. I hope he keeps writing, even though he's getting to be an "old fart" :-)
2 people found this helpful
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Gale O'Neill
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for baby boomers
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2015
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Great book for baby boomers, I believe Dave is in his late 60's now so wrote this about 15 or so years ago. Very funny, many references to his generations.
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Top reviews from other countries

Peter Oliver
5.0 out of 5 stars A laugh riot!
Reviewed in Canada on February 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
Wonderful read! There are not too many books that have me laughing out loud but this is one of them! Thanks Dave!
One person found this helpful
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