The Italian Comedy Book

This book is lovely! It's a funny way to learn American history during the 20th century. Bob Hopes recollections put a happy spin on everyday life in Cleveland, Ohio in the early 1900s.

Another reviewer said he didn't enjoy reading non-stop jokes they lost their punch. I read a few pages of this small book before going to sleep; I was still smiling as I closed my eyes.

Bob Hope is an American icon (even if he was born in England) and his banter takes us along the streets to see children playing in patched and worn clothes. Since everyone was in the same boat, no one realized they were poor.

I don't know how we would have made it through the Vietnam War without Bob Hope. I remember being an adolescent and afraid our country was coming apart at the seams. Then Bob Hope would get on TV and exchange banter about the war and I didn't feel so worried about the riots and demonstrations.

Mr. Hope taught me that there was another way to view hard times and together we would make it through this problem too. I've always loved the man for his ability to make fun of anything and anybody ... especially himself.

If you are looking for the definitive history of Mr. Hope, you will need to go elsewhere. This is a happy frolic through his long life, one joke at a time!