Uh-Oh: Some Observations from Both Sides of the Refrigerator Door - Hardcover

Fulghum, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679401032 ISBN 13: 9780679401032

Publisher: Villard, 1991

Synopsis

"Uh-oh" is more than a momentary reaction to small problems. "Uh-oh" is an attitude -- a perspective on the universe. The #1 Bestseller by the author of ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN.


From the Paperback edition.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

quot; is more than a momentary reaction to small problems. "Uh-oh" is an attitude -- a perspective on the universe. The #1 Bestseller by the author of ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN.<br><br><br><i>From the Paperback edition.</i>

Reviews

The bestselling author's new book is in the same easygoing mode as his still -popular All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten and It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It . Starting off with references to the unexpected that prompt the eponymous "uh-oh," the lay philosopher advises on how to turn unfortunate surprises into triumphs. A bride's uncontrollable hiccups throws everyone into helpless laughter but instead of ruining the wedding, the merriment makes it more joyous. When a passerby hijacks a costly cigar Fulghum has saved for a rare treat, the incident, as he describes it, results in "the very finest cigar I never had." Fulghum's experiences and those of others amuse, teach and even provoke tears in readers who are tuned in to his inspired observations. Literary Guild selection; author tour.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Fulghum offers a disclaimer at the outset of this collection of new essays: ``Nothing definitive is intended on any subject. In fact, I am deliberately depending on your adding your thoughts and experiences....The book will not work without your taking significant responsibility for it.'' Uh-oh. Sounds like the Fulghum machine is running out of steam--and the ensuing pages read like it, too. Like the offerings in the megaselling It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It (1989) and All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (1988), these rambling conversational musings resemble notes for homilies by a puckish minister (which Unitarian Fulghum has been) who likes to tweak his congregants without making anyone uncomfortable. There are a few relatively mind-opening anecdotes here (a juggler at a Christmas Eve service whose equipment was stolen but who nonetheless managed to wow the audience by juggling illusions; a prized cigar of the author's, laid down for a moment and picked up by an elderly passerby who savored it so thoroughly that Fulghum says, ``The old man may have smoked it, but I've not enjoyed a cigar more''). A school play of Cinderella in which a little fat boy who insisted on playing a pig (nonexistent in the script) steals the show, weddings and funerals relieved of their deadly solemnity by inappropriate bodily noises, the author's decision to liven up a dumpy day by eating Cheerios and jellybeans and walking to his office wearing his granddaughter's beanie copter--the trademark Fulghum themes are here as well, but the charm seems thinner, the sentimentality thicker, and the writing slacker. At his best, Fulghum's simple verities and undemanding spirituality have made him a brand-name remedy for our age's malaise. This is not his best, but the placebo effect will probably carry it to best-sellerdom. (Literary Guild Dual Selection for September.) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

The author of the bestselling All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten ( LJ 10/1/88) and It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It ( LJ 10/1/88) has put together another volume of bite-sized inspirational whimsies. Drawn from his experiences as a child, as a preacher, and from everyday life, Fulghum's eye-opening (although never moralistic or preachy) anecdotes are written in a comfortable and unpretentious style, giving one the homey feeling of sitting on grandpa's porch on a lazy Sunday afternoon sipping iced tea. Some of the essays are reminiscent of Garrison Keillor, flavored with a bit of Norman Vincent Peale. In any case, it is worth taking the time to appreciate simple pleasures and human kindness in today's hectic and stress-filled world. Fulghum's book is one way to get started. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/91.
- Susan Brombacher, "Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality"
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Villard
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0679401032
• ISBN 13: 9780679401032
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 244