A Drinking Life: A Memoir
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.32 (733 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0316341029 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 265 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-11-06 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
20 years after his last drink Pete Hamill looks back on his early life. As a child during the depression and World War II he learnt that drinking was to be an essential part of being a man, it was only later he discovered its ability to destroy lives.
Brilliant autobiography of a life in which drinking is pervasive Jessica Lux I picked this up because it was referenced in Caroline Knapp's Drinking: A Love Story, and the two are often cross-marketed on Amazon.com. I was expecting more of a story about alcoholism and specific drunk events in Hamill's life. This is much more than a story about alcoholism, it is a story about Hamill's life, and alcohol just so happens to be pervasive throughout his childhood and adulthood. This is truly a complete picture of a man, of his boyhood in the Neighborhood, his family, marriage, his career, and alcohol touched every a. A story of a life B. Murphy This is a story about a very textured life, lived fully and successfully, with a persistent and painful subtext of alcohol. I am in awe of people who achieve much in life in spite of drinking quantities of alcohol that would have disabled me completely - Pete Hamill is one of these people. As Hamill states in the book, after he finally quit drinking, he never wanted to moralize or preach about his decision to quit drinking. This attitude is informs the book, which is more a story of his life & times and his improbable path to writing . A colorful life, a well-told tale. Oh, the places Hamill will take you in this gritty, unflinchingly honest look at a fascinating interior life. Growing up in a poor neighborhood in Brooklyn, complete with cockroaches, Pete slowly acquires an understanding of what it means to be an Irish-American. Around age 8, his father, Billy, walked him to Gallagher's, the corner saloon, where young Pete got his first introduction to the camaraderie of the neighborhood bar. There he witnessed his father's serenading of the crowd, after loosening himself up with booze. It was an ini
When asked why, he said, "I have no talent for it." It may be the only talent Hamill lacks. Wanting more, he studied art, soon meeting a nude model named Laura who was a lot different from the neighborhood girls, those "noble defenders of the holy hymen." And escape was always on Hamill's mind. Much time was spent in saloons away from his wife and two daughters and he remembers the taunts of his childhood, "Your old man's an Irish drunk!" Then one New Year's Eve 20 years ago he noticed all the drunkenness and had his last vodka. To understand Hamill ( Loving Women ), one must know his immigrant parents: Anne, gentle and fair; Billy, one-legged and alcoholic. He recalls such a