Books

Average customer rating:

good in sections
Reasons to be a fan of A Fan's Notes
How idealism and self-pity destroys man.
My Favorite Work of Fiction
Hilarious and Sad Warning about the Pitfalls of Self-Pity

A Fan's Notes
Frederick Exley
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

A Working Stiff's Manifesto: A Memoir of Thirty Jobs I Quit, Nine That Fired Me, and Three I Can't Remember
Pages From A Cold Island
Last Notes from Home
Misfit:: The Strange Life of Frederick Exley
The Stones Of Summer

ASIN: 0679720766
Release Date: 1988-08-12

Amazon.com

Frederick Exley recounts his life as the son of a hero-worshipped high school athlete who is doomed to be a spectator not only of sports, but of life. From irresponsible drifter, to dreamer of impossible dreams, to drunkard, to frequent patient at an insane asylum, Exley carried baggage from his childhood through much of his adult life, never feeling he could escape the dark cloud of expectation that hung over him. When Frank Gifford, former New York Giants backfield star, is injured, Exley is jolted into painful realizations about his life, and a confession.

Book Description

This fictional memoir, the first of an autobiographical trilogy, traces a self professed failure's nightmarish decent into the underside of American life and his resurrection to the wisdom that emerges from despair.

Customer Reviews:

good in sections.......2007-01-01

first third is good, so is the last third. middle is muddled and the writer rambles on about nothing much.
constant mention of Frank Gifford and football might bore you stiff (like it did me.) It seems Exley worshipped the ground Gifford walked on... My take on that is: so what? Sports figures are mostly overrated--even when they appear to be "winners."

Lots of rambling in this book...that can be tiresome at times.

I'd actually give it about four stars, or maybe 3 1/2--if I could change my rating.

Reasons to be a fan of A Fan's Notes.......2006-10-04

I'll be brief: this is a long, intense, parodic, rhapsodic, beautiful and, at times, ungainly piece of American literature. A Hemingwayesque verve, a Faulknerian playfulness, and a Nabokovian look at the underside of American life, this book should be read by men, women, and children (over 18 years of age, of course), after which they will know not only much more about narcissism, alcoholism, sex, friendship, celebrity worship, suffering, gluttony, satire, and wit, they will have experienced an important excursion into a truly literary and literate sensibility: less polished but deeper than updike, less funny but wider ranging than cheever, less grand but more poignant than fitzgerald.... a grand, flawed maw... to be read and savored like an oversized plate of ribs or, if you're a vegetarian, like a mound of fried sweet potatoes. Bon Appetit.

How idealism and self-pity destroys man........2006-04-09

As I went through A Fan's Notes I couldn't stop thinking of it as a sequel to J.D. Salinger's famous coming of age novel The Catcher in the Rye. From the utter lack of direction to his search for the ideal and deeper meaning to life, Fred Exley is every bit the Holden Caulfield. Exley details his life of alcoholism, his dreams of making it big on Madison Avenue and marrying the perfect girl with the golden thighs, his numerous trips to his mother's davenport, the mental asylum and back again, his mindless endeavors with the mysterious Mr. Blue, the Counselor and anyone else he can hit up for money, and of course his infatuation with the inimitable Frank Gifford.

Though it may read like one man's rant about a wasted life and lost opportunities, A Fan's Notes is a reflection of people's universal albeit often doomed quest to escape anonymity, and ultimately matter in this world. Exley's insatiable desire for fame and not so subtle rebellion against society are his ways of attempting to be "more than a mere fan in this life." Oppressed by the shadows of his father and his fellow USC grad Frank Gifford, Exley is consumed by his need to escape. However, he is also haunted by the harrowing superficiality and phoniness of the reality. Unable to reconcile his pursuit of purpose and his ideal vision of the world, Exley sinks into depression and finds himself sustained only by alcohol and football.

By his own admission, Exley is stuck in the past or rather past-present, utterly incapacitated by the continuous wave of change. This book should serve as a warning to people's indulgence in self-pity and constant comparison with false heroes. Indeed it was only after Frank Gifford's debilitating injury that Exley was able to come to terms with his life and accomplish the one act that now defines his life- writing A Fan's Notes.

My Favorite Work of Fiction.......2006-03-01

This is my favorite work of fiction. Other things written by Exley are not very impressive - this is a great work and it is simultaneously full of humor and sadness.

Hilarious and Sad Warning about the Pitfalls of Self-Pity.......2006-03-01

As many critics and nay-sayers have said about this book, about a sports fans who lives vicariously through sports heroes while drinking and watching life pass him by, this autobiographical novel is indeed an indulgent exercise but that is the point. Self-indulgence, self-pity, self-absorption are killers. They leave us inert. Exley's self-deprecation and humor elevate this from naval-gazer narcissism to a theme about men and their meaning of life crises. Many American men obsess over sports because sports provide a venue for their fantasies of masculinity, heroism, and self-worth. That Exley was able to take this subject, which affected him very deeply, and make the pathology universal is a great achievement in this book, a novelization of his life told with brutal honesty, self-introspection, and wisdom. For an updated novel about today's adults, still trapped in adolescence, check out Tom Perotta's comic novel Little Children.

Average customer rating:

What to Do When the Shit Hits the Fan
David Black
Manufacturer: Skyhorse Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Disaster Relief | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1602391335

Book Description

Would you know how to prepare for an unforeseen emergency, or handle an unexpected disaster? With real-world considerations in mind, disaster preparedness consultant David Black shows us how to stay alive when tragedy strikes. His step-by-step actions can help us make it safely through a variety of crises, from catastrophic weather to terrorism to civil unrest. Black presents tailor-made plans for individuals, businesses, organizations, small groups, and communities to follow, in all regions of the country and broken down by type of emergency and environment. In addition, he provides a hierarchy for response including communication, healthcare, food, water, and shelter in the absence of institutions and commercially available services and supplies.

Donors get first crack at tickets to bowl.(Sports)(UO Football Notes: It's a select group of fans who can dip into Oregon's allocation of 15,000 tickets ... from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)

Average customer rating:

Donors get first crack at tickets to bowl.(Sports)(UO Football Notes: It's a select group of fans who can dip into Oregon's allocation of 15,000 tickets ... from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)

Manufacturer: The Register Guard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008IN6PK
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on November 21, 2001. The length of the article is 1009 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Donors get first crack at tickets to bowl.(Sports)(UO Football Notes: It's a select group of fans who can dip into Oregon's allocation of 15,000 tickets for the Fiesta Bowl.)
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: November 21, 2001
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: B6

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Let the Good Times Rock! (Fans Notes on Post-War America)

Average customer rating:

Let the Good Times Rock! (Fans Notes on Post-War America)
Bill Millar
Manufacturer: Music Mentor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0951988883

Modern and Ancient Deep-Sea Fan Sedimentation (Sepm Short Course Notes, No 14)

Average customer rating:

Modern and Ancient Deep-Sea Fan Sedimentation (Sepm Short Course Notes, No 14)

Manufacturer: Sepm Society for Sedimentary
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Modern and ancient deep-sea fan sedimentation: Lecture notes for short course no. 14 (SEPM short course)

Average customer rating:

Modern and ancient deep-sea fan sedimentation: Lecture notes for short course no. 14 (SEPM short course)
C. Hans Nelson
Manufacturer: Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006YMBFC

Average customer rating:

A Fan's Notes
Frederick Exley
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVIDF4

You Might Be a Football Fan If: Simplified Game Notes for Would-Be Fans

Average customer rating:

Grandma trying to understand the game!

You Might Be a Football Fan If: Simplified Game Notes for Would-Be Fans
Dorothy D. France , Jason A. Frankle , and David A. Frankle
Manufacturer: Quixote Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Perfect Paperback

Sports | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Football (American) | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0967758386

Book Description

A compact book with a light-hearted touch. Yet it also provides valuable help in understanding the game.

Customer Reviews:

Grandma trying to understand the game!.......2001-07-13

Dorothy France, a retired minister, wanted to understand the game her grandsons loved but had quite a time coming to grips with common football terms such a "a play clock" which "is not the one to use when teaching a child to tell time"or "tackle is not what a sportsman uses to catch a fish."

To help the novice, the author includes a diagram of a football field as well as a drawing of a player in full football gear. Terms football fanatics take for granted can be quit daunting to one being introduced to the game. This little gem not only explains in simple terms but is quite humorous in the telling!

Walk the walk. Talk the talk. Award-winning ads illustrate how processors reach ethnic consumers.(NEWS & NOTES): An article from: Refrigerated & Frozen Foods
Average customer rating:
Walk the walk. Talk the talk. Award-winning ads illustrate how processors reach ethnic consumers.(NEWS & NOTES): An article from: Refrigerated & Frozen Foods

Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000GH3L80
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, published by Thomson Gale on April 1, 2006. The length of the article is 637 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Walk the walk. Talk the talk. Award-winning ads illustrate how processors reach ethnic consumers.(NEWS & NOTES)
Publication: Refrigerated & Frozen Foods (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 17 Issue: 4 Page: 8(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

W.A. Mozart: Cosi fan tutte.: An article from: Notes

Average customer rating:

W.A. Mozart: Cosi fan tutte.: An article from: Notes
Michael Collins
Manufacturer: Music Library Association, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Online Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on June 1, 1997. The length of the article is 1497 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: W.A. Mozart: Cosi fan tutte.
Author: Michael Collins
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 1997
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: v53 Issue: n4 Page: p1142(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Books:

Books