Official Review: That Time I... by David O'Brien

[That Reviewer]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "That Time I..." by David O'Brien.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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That Time I… by David O'Brien is a compilation of stories that took place throughout his life. His father died at forty. That incident powered his reckless lifestyle, as he believed that he would not live up to that age.

The author's life somehow offers important lessons. These lessons are not just negative reinforcements, where the reader learns what not to do. But, some of his actions serve as positive reinforcements. As a child, he mowed lawns, shoveled driveways in the winter, had a paper route, and sold Christmas cards, magazine subscriptions, and candy door-to-door to make money. Though he had ruggedness from childhood, he could still do a lot of good. For instance, he helped a blind man who slipped and fell in the toilet. He even helped him win money and made sure he got treated. It shows that deep within, he is a good person. And most of all, he's a great giver.

The author seems to have lived ten lives in one lifetime; he has experienced and been involved in so many things that might take ten different human beings to experience individually. The book is filled with so many adventures and a lot of famous people.

I loved how the author was very real and expressive in his writing. He wrote things the way they were. He didn't hide or obscure certain details; he wrote about both the good and the bad, especially the bad. And that was what made the book unique and became my favorite aspect of the book.

The author consciously attempted to make the book humorous. I found the narrative to be quite funny. I laughed so hard a lot of times as I read the book.

The author didn't just recount his actions and adventures; he also recorded his thoughts and feelings, making the book more realistic and showcasing his writing skills.

The author added pictures of sketches at the beginning of the chapter. It gave the book a "comic" feel. The sketches at the beginning of the book created the base on which all other elements in the book fell into place and ultimately determined how the story was told.

The only thing I disliked about the book was its characterization. The characterization was very weak. The author did not add much detailed description of the characters, so it was difficult to remember the characters as the storyline progressed. However, this didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book.

The book contains quite a large amount of profane words; the book is filled with it. I don't recommend it to children.

I found only one clear-cut error in the book. However, it seemed like some of the other errors I saw were deliberately done by the author. Therefore, I'd rate the book four out of four stars.

It's a unique book that will appeal to lovers of heart-warming memoirs.

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That Time I...
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[Silpi B]

This sounds like an insightful read. Loved the review. Putting it on my to-read list.

[Jennifer Aldo]

Even without strong characterization, I feel the book still has a lot to offer. Thanks for the review.

[MsH2k]

“It shows that deep within, he is a good person. And most of all, he's a great giver.”

I like this guy already! It seems like he has an unfiltered look on life. I hope he’s made it past 40 now. Thanks for introducing this book!