The Blunder Years

A humorist and baby boomer recalls his childhood in this coming-of-age memoir.

In the book’s opening pages, Caragol asks his mother about a group of siblings she knew in her childhood: Iona, Ura, Ima, and Dick Hatt. Although their names “sounded like a page from a book of unfortunate urban legends,” the author writes, “an old classmate of Mom’s confirmed that those were indeed the actual names bestowed on the Hatt kids by their apparently unstable and sadistic parents.” The anecdote sets the lighthearted, often hilarious tone of this memoir, which offers readers 31 vignettes in the life of a self-described “scatterbrained” kid with undiagnosed attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. His childhood in 1950s and ’60s Long Island was full of hijinks that included summer camp pranks and a feast from a 50-gallon plastic bag of communion wafers. The book progresses through Caragol’s awkward teenage years, including first kisses and school dances, before it turns to his time in college. As one of the few New Yorkers at the University of Colorado in the ’70s (“the hippie capital of the Mountain West”), the author stood out for his accent alone, which he says he may have temporarily lost during a psychedelic trip. He also notes that the ’70s weren’t just about drugs, protest, and sex, as baby boomers “were a generation of seekers,” as well; students on the Colorado campus, he says, experimented with Eastern spirituality and the Jesus Movement. Perhaps most endearing is the author’s account of his budding relationship with Susie Blickhahn,his future wife of almost 50 years. The author went on to an award-winning career in advertising and a stint as editor of the satirical San Francisco Comicle, but the book ends on the cusp of his wedding day. One may wish that he’d included some details from his later years, which put him into close contact with celebrities and sports stars. However, the book maintains a humble, intimate, and humorous tone that remains appealing—a personable approach that’s enhanced by family photographs and snapshots.

A funny and upbeat remembrance.