Buffalo Gal
Have a nice time i find Buffalo Gal Yes, I think that interesting .
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Reviewed by Cynthia Murphy for Breeni Books
The middle of winter might not seem like the best time for a book set in Buffalo, New York, but Laura Pederson's Buffalo Gal is definitely worth reading any time of year. Pederson's childhood makes for a hilarious memoir, and the setting is a key element. Buffalo's harsh climate shaped Pederson's life in interesting ways. If you live in the South, her recollections of Buffalo during the energy crisis of the 1970s will also make you grateful for the milder climate.
Buffalo Gal is truly laugh out loud funny. Pederson begins her story with an account of her first visit to the American Stock Exchange. In all of its chaos, she finds her calling. Something about the crazy atmosphere feels right to the fourteen year old Laura. It turns out that her own wacky childhood was the perfect preparation for her dream job.
Laura Pederson describes her childhood through surprisingly unsentimental eyes. In her own witty way, she recounts growing up as the only child in a somewhat dysfunctional household. Her mother worked as a psychiatric nurse, and her father served as a court reporter. Pederson's family is an interesting blend of Irish and Scandinavian heritage. Both sides provide their fair share of dark humor throughout the book. Pederson's childhood was unconventional to say the least. Her mother went back to school and became a nurse at a time when most mothers stayed home. Every description of her father features the huge cloud of smoke surrounding his head. He is a chain smoker who is never without a cigarette. Pederson's grandmother was an early version of the modern day trader, and her immigrant grandfather worked as a popular waiter. This colorful family left Laura to entertain herself most of the time. She was a very independent child. By the time her parents separated, it didn't effect her daily life.
One of my favorite people in Pederson's life story is her eighth grade social studies teacher, Peter Heffley. Pete is a larger than life character, sort of her own personal Auntie Mame. Pederson formed a lifelong friendship with Pete and spent a lot of her free time with him. The time with Pete provides an escape from her crazy family. Pete is probably the most colorful character in Pederson's childhood and certainly the most entertaining.
The setting is the key element in Buffalo Gal. Most of Pederson's memories involve the harsh winters, fierce blizzards, and brief but beautiful summers. She also captures the decline of the area in an interesting way. Pederson tells her own story and the story of her hometown. As she was growing up, Buffalo dealt with an energy crisis and dwindling jobs. Pederson's witty style keeps lends a surprisingly upbeat tone to a rather sad story. Despite the fact that she left Buffalo for college and never returned as a resident, it is clear that Laura Pederson loves her hometown. At times, Buffalo Gal seems like a love letter to the Buffalo of her youth.
Parts of Laura Pederson's story feel familiar to me, and I am definitely not a "Buffalo gal." Her depiction of life as an only child rings true. I guess I'm a bit biased since I'm an only child of Irish descent. I could also relate to her struggles with her pale complexion. Her account of working at a summer camp and the subsequent sunburns, bug bites, and chaos is one of the funniest parts of this book. (This is probably funnier to those of us who can get a sunburn by simply looking at the sun, but it really is hilarious.)
Buffalo Gal is the story of Laura Pederson's childhood, but it is also the story of Buffalo's decline. She frames her own with the story of her hometown. It is a story that rings true for many residents of the Midwest in the 1970s. What sets Buffalo Gal apart is its humor. Pederson's sharp, witty style makes the otherwise sad story fun. This memoir is more humor and social history than anything else. If you like to laugh out loud, this is a great book to curl up with on a dreary winter day. Unless you live in Buffalo- then you may want to wait for summer.
Jean Shepherd for the tail end of the baby boom
This was an unexpected find. I will admit I hadn't heard about Laura Pedersen and I picked this up just because it sounded interesting. It is a wonderful and entertaining memoir of growing up in Buffalo in the 60s and 70s (but you don't need to be from Buffalo, or a cold climate, or have grown up in the 60s or 70s to enjoy it). I have always had a soft spot for Jean Shepherd (A Christmas Story, Phantom of the Open Hearth, etc.) and this is like Jean Shepherd for another era. I will definitely be reading more of Pedersen's books!
WOW! Memory Lane!
Laura Pederson,
I just received your book as a gift and I was understandably curious.
Then in the initial perusal, I laughed out loud at several random paragraphs. I wanted to whiz through it and also savor it, as well.
You placed me in a time warp. I grew up in Buffalo, in Tonawanda, in the 50s and 60s, and you placed me back there in a nanosecond, or in a single paragraph. With your vivid descriptions, I could see the Friday night fish fry that was so large it covered the entire plate, feel the heavy with allergies evening summertime breeze, and smell the winter-wet clothing in a pile near the basement door where we put our mittens, hats, coats and boots, and then put them on again after the hot chocolate. I remember the sound of the can when the kids in the neighborhood played kick the can way into the evening, the effort of the car engine as it rocked back and forth trying to get out of a snowpile, and the sound of chains on the tires in the snow.
Now I know what to get my childhood friends for their next gift!
You uncorked my laughter and my memories. Thank you for your vivid, on-target descriptions, your perceptive insight, and for your incredible and inspiring resilience.
About Buffalo Gal detail
- Amazon Sales Rank: #69070 in Books
- Published on: 2008-10-31
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 256 pages
Product Description
Growing up in the snowblower society of Buffalo, New York, Laura Pedersen s first words were most likely turn the wheel into a skid. Like many families subsisting in the frigid North during the energy crisis, the Pedersens feared rising prices at the gas pump, argued about the thermostat, fought over the dog to stay warm at night, and often slept in their clothes. While her parents were preoccupied with surviving separation and stagflation, daughter Laura became the neighborhood wild child, skipping school, playing poker, betting on the horses, and trading stocks. Learning how to beat the odds, by high school graduation Pedersen was well prepared to seek her fortune on Wall Street, becoming the youngest person to have a seat on the American Stock Exchange and a millionaire by age 21. Combining laugh-out-loud humor with a slice of social history her hometown was a flash point for race riots, antiwar protests, and abortion rallies, not to mention bingo, bowling, and Friday night fish fries Pedersen paints a vivid portrait of an era.
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Bye Bye
Cheers and Care
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