Paperboy (Paperboy)
Ordinarily, I enjoy Henry Petroski's books. I like how they sort of ramble and inform, not really with a plot but with a lot of detail.
This format does not work for a memoir.
Every time Petroski starts a story, he includes a ton of detail, but none of the stories seem to go anywhere. He spends a huge amount of time talking about how he enjoyed working in a bicycle shop, but never tells us how that made him the adult he is. He also never introduces himself, just drops us into his life and his childhood as if we should know exactly who he is -- not exactly a great idea for a writer who isn't wildly famous.
While I can do without a story line when learning about pencils or bookshelves, I can't do without a story line when reading somebody's life history. I struggled through a quarter of the book, then decided I'd done my time and put it away.
# Posted by ayse