Boy
Boy is an autobiographical book by British writer Roald Dahl. This book describes his life from birth until leaving school, focusing on living conditions in Britain in the 1920s and 1930s, the public school system at the time, and how his childhood experiences led him to writing as a career. It ends with his first job, working for Royal Dutch Shell. His autobiography continues in the book Going Solo. An expanded edition titled More About Boy was published in 2008, featuring the full original text and illustrations with additional stories, letters, and photographs. It presents humorous anecdotes from the author's childhood which includes summer vacations in Norway and an English boarding school.
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8recommend
15mentions
15people
2016–2024years
53% recommend47% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Recommend Roald Dahl's "Boy" for a fascinating glimpse.
- I could not disagree with you more.
It is something you will need to explain to children at some point, and doing so over a light hearted story is an ideal approach. Shying away from the difficulties of bringing up a child isn't something you should be doing.
Besides, the best children's books are also fun for adults! (I raise you Roald Dahl's 'Boy' and Judith Kerr's 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea')
- And my advice is to read and live!
One of the reasons Roald Dahl was such a great writer is his life experiences. Read his books Boy and Solo.
- > family members who lived in Britain for years back in the day. They all describe the treatment of children in ways what would horrify Norwegians
In which case, you *must* read Roald Dahl's autobiography 'Boy' (and the follow up, 'Going Solo'). He moved from Norway as a child into the English public school system, and a treatment that horrified his parents.
Incidentally, the biographies are aimed at children but very cleverly written to appeal to adults. For example, he describes a school teacher (in the 1920's) who would occasionally jump and twitch in class, making startled noises. The children found out he had something called "shell shock" and decided that this meant a shell must have exploded so close to him that he jumped so high he hadn't stopped jumping........ Interesting and funny to read as a child, but this works on another level when you read it as an adult.
- As a child, Roald Dahl had a profound impact on me. His autobiographies Boy and Going Solo made me want to explore the world more.
- I think it has a lot to do with context - I imagine candy with unusual flavors were probably not an everyday purchase 100 years ago, let alone something soft. That, plus the exotica of "Turkish" delight (since there was a lot of curiosity re: the Middle East back then) seems like it might have been why Lewis chose that. Roald Dahl has a great bit on going to buy candy as a kid in "Boy" (http://dhunter.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/5/8/2958381/roald_dahl...) - which makes it sound much more of a magical experience than the jaded way I get m&ms at the corner store today.
An aside: not to be a snob, but the commonly found (especially in the UK) Fry's Turkish delight is kind of a bastardization, and I think the vacuum sealed airport kind is OK but doesn't really do it justice. If you happen to go to Istanbul at some point, drop by Haci Bekir, Divan, Cafer Erol, or one of the other myriad candy shops that have been at it for decades, sometimes centuries. "The Best" is very subjective, but I think all these will have good, fresh specimens. Or go to Pera Palace's cafe and have a Turkish coffee, which always comes with lokum on the side.
