Memoir of a Nerd, by Hank Mancini, is a personal account of the many situations Mancini has gotten himself into throughout his lifetime. From pranking his grandmother, Mormonism, and general lifetime shenanigans, Mancini writes from an upbeat and comical perspective. Memoir of a Nerd is a more detailed retelling of Mancini’s original book, The Cat That Ate a Thousand Bananas. What sort of antics can a self-proclaimed nerd get into? What exactly did a nerd do back in the 50s and 60s? Hank Mancini gives his readers a vivid retelling of the positive goings-on a nerd would partake in during that time.

This memoir is a good depiction of what life was like in previous decades and it gives its reader a clear window into the regular day-to-day happenings of the time. So often, we only hear about major life-altering events in terms of previous decades — JFK, the moon landing, Vietnam — it’s refreshing to read accounts of everyday life. Memoirs are meant to give readers insight into the author’s past experiences. Good memoirs will transport the reader back in time to each moment the author speaks about. Great memoirs will leave a reader wanting to go back and reread the book over and over again. This particular memoir was witty, humorous, and heartfelt and kept my attention to the very last page. I appreciate that each chapter was 2-3 pages long, but I would have liked more substance in each chapter. At the beginning of the book, Mancini mentions that he doesn’t want to dwell on the bad aspects of his previous memories, but I feel like that would’ve strengthened the story.

Memoir of a Nerd is a short but humorous memoir with a unique voice that makes this book stand out. It was nice to read a memoir from someone that does not aggrandize their life, but instead shares a life filled with humor and the same ups and downs we can all relate to.

Pages: 243 | ASIN: B096YRW48K