The Lessons from Lucy book was exceptional, This one not so much. The stories behind the stories were interesting and early life events correspond to most of us Boomers. While on the end years of Boomers, I too remember hiding under a desk in case of nuclear attack, However I also remember saying the pledge of allegiance and a prayer at the beginning of a day. I probably should have stopped reading when he blatantly declared being an atheist. On this subject, I would direct him to the books written by Lee Strobel. Being an avid reader and the book mostly interesting I trudged on until I read the statement about his opinions of the current President of the United States and the half of the population of the US that voted for him. Many of us are professionals - not total idiots and many hold college degrees.) To us so called idiots you are correct, we will never trust the press again. You lost that when CNN reported the location of US troops to the Viet Cong.This president has been attacked by the press and other politicians as never before. What we all like about him is that he isn't A politician. He says things that the rest of redneck USA think. If you atheists had left prayer and patriotism in school we wouldn't have so much deviant,violent behaviors in the generations that have followed. Mr. Barry has become one of them, a liberal socialist and elitist who has lost touch with the common citizen,Too busy living the rich life to understand what real working people experience. As he said frequently, he couldn't believe he got paid to to some of the things he did. Thus this book became a name dropping arrogant smartazz's personal opinions, not totally what one thinks of as a memoir -usually a life story, life experiences and lessons learned . I was provided and advanced reader copy at my request. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Dave Barry is a well known, award winning humorist who has been writing steadily for over fifty years and has written innumerable newspaper columns syndicated across the country and dozens of books, none of which I’ve read. I did just read, however, an advanced reader’s copy of his autobiography, “Class Clown,” provided to me by NetGalley. My review of this book is voluntary.

It is often hysterically funny, causing me to laugh out loud repeatedly. When not hysterically funny, it’s just plain amusing, entertaining, and enlightening. Mr. Barry’s career has been long and incredibly diverse, allowing him to cross paths with a vast array of interesting and noteworthy people, many of whom are celebrities or famous in their fields. I enjoyed reading about his work and career, as well as his philosophical leanings, and his brief discussion of his novel and the movie based on it, “Big Trouble,” made me want to read the book and then watch the movie.

Class Clown is the memoir of Dave Barry - a syndicated humor columnist for many years. This book is full of some of his favorite stories and anecdotes - most of which appeared in a past column. There are lots of laughs, including stories from his childhood and his time as a new reporter. He got to have a job where he could make fun of everything and get paid for it. (All of us that were ever class clowns are jealous) His experiences covering the political conventions were interesting as well as his time marching in Obama's inaugaration parade. One of the funniest things was his list of band names at the back (The Wood Tick Snorkels, Shy Fruiter and the Saplings, Flamimg Squirrels, Earl Piedmont and the Dipthongs)

We could all use a laugh and this is a great place to start.

Dave Barry is well known for his writing, particularly his humor column, He also had a television program based upon two of his books. While his memoir has some very serious moments, (such as his mother’s suicide), much of his life story is expressed in a light-hearted matter. He doesn’t seem to take himself very seriously, and he does seem to know how to have a great time. He had several mock runs for president, and played with a rock band that he freely admits was loud but not very good.
Fans of Dave Barry would enjoy this book, and other readers would find this memoir worth reading as well.

A wonderful read!
I've been a big fan of Mr. Barry's work for years. This is a fun and readable memoir. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

"Class Clown" offers us a look into Dave Barry's life. I enjoyed his regular newspaper columns in the past, and enjoyed his look back at his career and his life. Anyone who has enjoyed Barry's columns will enjoy this walk down memory lane with him.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book - Class Clown is available now.

I love memoirs that give you a glimpse into other people’s lives through humor and this was perfect for that. Dave Barry’s astute observations on life, politics, Miami, the media, and other events had me laughing out loud and sharing snippets with my husband. His brushes with celebrities, particularly Barbara Bush, were so relatable that I couldn’t help but laugh and feel a little of his embarrassment, too. This was a quick, fun read.

I have enjoyed reading Dave Barry over the years, be it his columns, novels, or nonfiction books, and I enjoyed this memoir as well. It was fun to see how he got started and I appreciated his sprinkling in some excerpts from his columns, which worked well in the text. My only complaint is that it’s a little slim and I feel he could have included more. That being said, it’s well worth the read for his fans.

3.5 stars! I actually had to Google who Dave was before requesting this book - the cover is what drew me in. I really enjoyed getting to know him and learning about his life and career. He's a humor writer and that definitely shines through. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review - it's out now!

A wonderful view into Dave Barry's life, the people he's met, the places he's been, and all the things he's done in his lifetime. He writes with a charm that is sincere, and shares so many wonderful stories of his life. If you haven't read Dave Barry you're missing out!


Pub Date: May 13 2025

Many thanks for the opportunity to read 'Class Clown'

As Dave himself says, he used to be funnier, but this was part funny, part real life so he can be forgiven for not being funny every minute of the book.

After having read many of his earlier books, I lost interest other than the annual recaps usually found around New Year's Day. Then, it's true, I did say that he had been funnier in the past and stopped reading once I got to February. I almost didn't request this one, but I am glad I did. I now know the story behind some of the stories. Let's face it, we were all better at what we do years ago. Funny seems hard to carry off over and over, but he has done that.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

I'm a lifelong Dave Barry fan, and think he's about the funniest person on the planet. He's done a wonderful job with his autobiography/memoir, taking us from his childhood, throughout his growing career as a journalist during some of our country's most turbulent events. Anyone who enjoys Dave Barry's writing will love this book, and it is also a great introduction to his work for those who are not as familiar.

Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize winning writer. He's well known for his humor that is sometimes a bit crass and tacky, but still timely and touching. This is his memoir. If you're a fan, you'll love it. If you're not, you will be after you read this. There are personal stories from his past, selections from his columns, lots of "name dropping", and some commentary on current affairs and the process of aging. This a very readable memoir that will elicit both tears and laughs. I loved it!!

Note -- while this a book for all ages, there is a bit of profanity and I think it will appeal especially to readers "of a certain age". Since Barry is now in his 70s, many of his stories will resonate for those who are older -- there are many references that younger readers may not understand. Having said that, it's still a good read for everyone.

I have long loved Dave Barry. My mom and I would read his columns, and I have vivid memories of listening to Big Trouble on a long road trip.

I did not know a ton about Dave Barry's life. Now I do. It is interesting the journey that people can take to become someone larger than most of us feel. Dave took such a journey. This memoir is not structured in chronological order, but instead focuses on large influences in life: parents, school, career, etc. It made for an interesting structure. I do recommend keeping tissues handy, especially if you have experienced the loss of your parents.

While told with Dave's sense of humor fully intact, this is a raw and sometimes emotional look at his life. I would recommend it to those who are fans of Dave Barry.

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I first learned about Dave Barry when my daughter became involved in forensics. Many of the participants chose to use his humorous writings, so it wasn't long before I started reading his newspaper column on a regular basis I was also privileged to hear him speak at a local women's conference. Laughter has a healing effect, so I knew I could turn to authors like Dave Barry or Erma Bombeck when I needed a dose of "medicine". It was fascinating to read Dave's memoir and learn about his wide variety of experiences and all the celebrities he's encountered during his lifetime. I definitely found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. Thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and the author for a copy to read and review.

Dave Barry has once again proved himself-not that he was trying. I read this book over a long weekend and laughed out loud by myself. The background info on his parents dealt with sad situations with real life humor. I think this is the key to Dave's appeal for me-he feels like a guy I grew up with.. that funny guy. the book generally traces his career and name drops (in a good way) all the interesting/famous/cool people he has encountered in his life. The political side was a bit long but still funny and kept my interest. From a counselor perspective, this is a fun book to recommend to students thinking about journalism is a major/career. Most kids like to laugh but also remember if the message is clear. Dave's message to me was there were highs and lows, he loves what he does and he has just made it work. That writing is hard but the rewards can be worth it. And that he can make a joke out of just about anything.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Back in the old days (1980s and 1990s), I used to read the newspaper. And one of my favorite syndicated columnists was Dave Barry. I was so pleased to see he wrote a sort-of memoir. And his humor is still intact! This is a light-hearted, self-deprecating look back on his life and work, but not an official “memoir” in the strictest sense.

Barry recounts his life as a journalist and columnist for the Miami Herald, starting at a relatively young age. Some of his writing will make you laugh out loud, he’s that good, and it shows how he maintained the role of columnist for 30 years. He was syndicated in 500 newspapers at his peak.

The author’s personal life is not all sunshine and full of laughs, though. His clergy father was an alcoholic, and later on, his mother committed suicide. As a child of an alcoholic, I, too, always chose laughter because things were not so great at home. The originality and rawness of his feelings in the first chapter alone is worth the price of admission.

For the rest of the book, Barry recounts some of his favorite columns and expands on them, telling us why they were some of his favorites and quoting from them. It brings me back in time when newspapers were so important to communities, when columnists like Dave Barry and Erma Bombeck were part of the fabric of newspapers across the country, providing respite from the doom and gloom from the front page.

The coolest thing about Dave Barry is that he is in a band with other authors, the most famous of them being Stephen King. A bunch of Boomer authors unwind by playing music together. How cool is that?

This book gets an extra star from me for the pure nostalgia.

Review published in Charleston Gazette-Mail, Saturday-Sunday, May 24-25, 2025.

CLASS CLOWN - THE MEMOIRS OF A PROFESSIONAL WISEASS: HOW I WENT 77 YEARS WITHOUT GROWING UP by Dave Barry, May 13, 2025, Simon & Schuster, 204 pages.

“I began my education at Wampus Elementary. ‘Wampus’ comes from the Native American word ‘wampus’ which means, as far as I’ve been able to determine, ‘wampus.’”

And we’re off with the autobiography of Dave Barry from childhood on. There’s some not-so-funny stuff - his dad was an alcoholic, his mom died by suicide - but Barry is always hysterical, so the Miami Herald’s”columnist’s wit always shines through.

Take, for instance, his story about how he was in the “control” group for the first polio vaccines and only got a placebo and, therefore, had to get a second set of shots: “I had to get TWICE AS MANY SHOTS AS MY SISTER. I think this at least partly explains why I ended up being an atheist.”

He worries he might not be famous enough to write a memoir. He notes that in Barbra Streisand’s recent 970 page behemoth of an autobiography (which I, personally, have been listening to for about a year and I think I’m only on chapter 12. It is 48 hours long. Will I finish it before I’m “finished”? Betting pool currently open.) she questioned whether she slept with Warren Beatty, then decides she probably did.

Barry is certain he’s never even MET either Streisand or Beatty, but notes, several times, that he’s been in a rock band, the Rock Bottom Remainders (“remainders” are books that don’t sell) with Stephen King for about 30 years and he hopes that brush with fame is enough to get him over the threshold.

Oh, Dave…I think you get in just under the wire.

His parents were Democrats but had good friends who were Republicans and they all went to loads of cocktail parties (the thing to do in 1960 - not that I haven’t been to a few in my day) where people talked politics and disagreed, and even got “emotional, sometimes angry. But never nasty. At the end of the night everybody hugged everybody because they were friends and they understood that they could disagree about politics without believing the other side was evil. Mistaken, maybe. Evil, no.”

Also in his early years , Glenn Close was in his eighth grade homeroom. And he was at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington in 1963. And he WAS voted male class clown. He went to Haverford College where he was in rock bands and wrote an occasional humor column for the college paper.

The book moves through his work history. He did not have a meteoric rise to greatness, but was eventually discovered by the Philadelphia Inquirer and then the Miami paper came calling and he remained with them through his retirement, winning a Pulitzer Prize for commentary. He could write about pretty much whatever he wanted and one of the delights of the book is reading about some of his favorite columns.

He went to the 1984 First Annual French Wine Sommelier Contest in New York and participated in tastings. “‘Much too woody,’ said one journalist. ‘Heavily oxidized,’ said another. ‘Bat urine,’ I offered.

I made so many notes for this review I’m having to leave out some of the best material, but you’ll see it all when you read the book.

Dave Barry is now 77. He no longer writes his weekly column, but he does an occasional bit for the Herald. He’s as sharp as he ever was and he has a seemingly unlimited supply of great potential band names: Fugitive Squirrel and the Clearly Disturbed Beavers and Earl Piedmont and the Dipthongs are, at press time, both still available.

I have been a fan of Dave Berry for about 25 years now. A teacher in high school gave us one of his columns, if memory serves it was about applying to colleges, and had us try to write a funny reactionary piece to it. I'm relatively sure mine wasn't funny, but my local paper published his column and I read it every week. I own many of his books, fiction and nonfiction, and got to meet him and Ridley when they were on a Peter Book tour (I think it was for the second book). I tell you all of this to say that I don't know that I can give an impartial reaction to this book.

That being said. I did very much enjoy the book. I liked getting some more info about his childhood, I didn't know about his mother and I think that part was discussed well. I wish Dave all the best in his retirement and will look forward to the movie scripts he's writing that will never be made into a movie.

Although many of Dave Barry's books have drawn from the events of his life, this is his first actual memoir. It covers his childhood, early career as a journalist, and decades as a humor columnist. Parts of it are poignant (including the serious discussion of his parents' struggles with mental health and sobriety) and most of it is funny. Some sections are both serious and funny, for example the chapter on Barry's political reporting and mock presidential campaigns. All of it is a thoroughly enjoyable read.