The Natural Man

by Ed McClanahan

Book Overview

Fiction. "Others have observed the natural man in the American condition before, but nobody has done it with such good humor. Ed McClanahan's good humor both sharpens his eye and gentles his vision. I... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140070427
• ISBN13: 9780140070422
• Release Date: May 1984
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 229 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Yes, its funny, but..

More than just being one of the funniest books I've ever read, the book is a masterpiece of economy of language. I've re-read it many times and always wish that other writers took such care to craft every sentence so perfectly. Rumor has it that the Kinky Friedman of Kentucky has a sequel in the works. Stay tuned for the Return of the Son of Needmore!

So happy this book has been reprinted

If he upped his output, Ed McClanahan could be the Faulkner of the Midwest. He can certainly run-on a sentence like the Laureate of Yoknapatawpha could, only using it more sparingly.This book is a lot funnier ... probably owing to the geography as much as the subject matter -- growing up male, insecure, and horny in small-town southern north central Kentucky, on the cusp of television and Masters and Johnson. I split a gut every time I read my copy from the first paperback printing.

Historically Informed and Uproarious

This is one of those memorable books that will have you constantly laughing. And what makes it so memorable is that it's a veritable encyclopedia of "off-color" popular culture of the '50's. You will find hundreds of ancient raunchy jokes imbedded in the text as well as side-splitting acounts of the prissy mores of that time. What's striking is how innocent it all seems--what was considered offensive back then is virtually G-rated next to something like Eminem. A wonderful read.

A first-rate laugh riot

As the other reviews attest, this is a very funny novel. And my only question, after reading it a dozen times since it's publishing date, is: how come some smarty-pants hasn't seen fit to make it into a movie?

HILARIOUS!

On a scale of 1 to 10 this book rates a 21! I swear I almost peed my pants from laughing so hard. Ed McClannahan is truly a gifted writer and he seems like the kind of guy you'd like to sit down and drink a beer with. By the way: if you like McClannahan (and you will!) you will also enjoy "The Luckiest Man In The World" by Randall Silvis, another of my favorite authors. - Thomas