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Author Richard W. Block recalls
growing up in a small town in Ohio in many short reminiscences that
leap straight into the action. For many years an
electrician/maintenance man, Block tells stories related to
that employment, such as patching up a restroom wall at McDonald’s
after someone put his fist through it—twice. The third time,
Block placed plywood underneath, later being told about
someone with a battered fist being escorted out of the restaurant.
The author admires his elders: his grandmother who always worked hard,
loved animals, and was a great cook; his father, who was so poor that
he swept up at the local bakery, taking the flour from the dustpan home
to eat, dirt and all. Block learned to use a gun from his father and
now prides himself on hunting animals with a handgun. Having
had many, he stitches his cuts, with superglue. He has fond memories of
his Boy Scout years that inspired him to become a scout leader later.
Block is not a writer by trade, but he tells his tales with verve and
good humor. He comes across as a strong, determined man who has little
use for "crybabies." He admonishes us to follow the rules, avoid
mistakes, and take pride in our work. Since the stories are arranged
alphabetically by title instead of chronologically, the memory lines
are sometimes difficult to follow, but in general Block does a
creditable job of putting us in the picture of his childhood and young
manhood. His vignettes remind us that we all have extraordinary stories
to tell, even when we may have led what seem like ordinary lives.
A memoir for family, friends, and nostalgia fans, Life as I Lived It
offers amusing and at times affecting recollections of small-town
America.