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khornstein1's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this. Lots of nostalgia; great if you were a 70's kid. Listened on audio; liked the narrator. Sweet, touching, and interesting in re. the "how it's made" aspect of some of his descriptions.
mbkarapcik's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book so much that I needed to savor it. It brought me back to the 1970s although I think I am the same age as the youngest in the family and not the author. Reminded me of life in my hometown, my cousins on both sides (my maternal cousins grew up in the area where the author grew up incidentally), childhood and neighborhood friends, stories of my husband's childhood. So many things resonated with me. Made me want to pen my own childhood memories for myself, if no one else. I was sad to finish it.
lamom77's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this memoir so much. I knew it was a memoir of growing up in the 1970s, but I didn't realize all the other parallels there would be between my childhood and the author's - moving to Minnesota from Chicago, growing up in Minnesota, going to Catholic school, brothers, etc... I enjoyed this walk down memory lane so much. The reason I gave it 4.5 stars instead of 5 was that in places it was sort of like talking to my husband with too much mechanical detail given to 747s, bikes, radios, TVs, etc... (my husband and I laughed about this when I told him).
alexrobinsonsupergenius's review against another edition
5.0
This feels like a Gen X version of Jean Shepard, really evoking nostalgia for growing up in the suburbs in the 1970s.
mnyberg's review against another edition
5.0
Fabulous book. Really captured growing up in the 70'and 80's. I could especially identify with the book since I grew up in the authors hometown of Bloomington. Although I did not know the author, Steve, I knew and graduated high school with his brother, Tom. Fun connections.
sandin954's review against another edition
5.0
A nicely written memoir of a childhood in the seventies. The author is just a few months older than I am so the nostalgia factor was high, the pop history facts woven into the narrative were interesting, and the family moments were both funny and sweet. The audio was narrated by Greg Baglia who was quite good.
kerryanndunn's review against another edition
4.0
I really, really enjoyed this book. This is like a stroll through pop culture and consumerism of the 1970s. It's a nostalgia trip back in time. I was born in 1976 so not all of it hit me as hard as it would if I were a little older, but it's a fun read nonetheless. I listened to this on audio and the reader was lively and did great impressions. The only part that was tedious was when the author listed literally every toy in the Sears catalog. I forwarded the audio on that. If I had been reading the book, I would have just skimmed it. Some people have complained that this is just a book of brand names, but that was part of the point of this book. And I loved how he would include the history of a brand when bringing it up in his story. But there is so much more to this book than that. It's is also about a loving family in the suburbs of the midwest. I enjoyed so much the interactions between siblings and parents and neighbors and friends. The 4th of July chapter alone with the big twist ending involving the father and the "creek freak" was outstanding.
pleasereadittome's review against another edition
4.0
Rarely will I pick up a memoir, period, let alone for someone I don’t even know (Rushin is a sports journalist, FYI), but the setting of Bloomington, Minn., – now home to the Mall of America – and his father’s position at 3M in a bygone division (8-track magnetic-tape sales) intrigued me.
The title is a homage to the Schwinn bicycle that was his constant companion for several too brief Minnesota summers. The Sting-Ray, his first taste of buying into marketing hype and participating in capitalism, is detailed with humor, familial history and actual product history that presents a perfect trifecta and cadence for tracing Rushin’s life through the “Me” decade.
This approach is replicated throughout as he shares memories of back-to-school shopping with the Sears catalog, watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show and rooting for, and continually being heartbroken by, the Minnesota Vikings that played a few miles from his home prior to relocating to Minneapolis in 1982.
Even though I’m a 1980s baby, there were many times I felt Rushin was telling the story of my life, because he unabashedly celebrates growing up Midwestern. From the ridiculousness of the Wisconsin Dells (if you’ve been, you know) to being packed into minivans to venture across interstates lined with farmland.
This memoir isn’t about reconciling a difficult past, it’s simply remembering where you came from and how that shapes who you become.
It’s about celebrating the moments of family lore that will be told at gatherings for decades and that will continue to bond you and your siblings long after you’ve moved out from under the same roof.
It’s about holding close the memory of the moments when you experienced “important” things for the first time and how that felt, and who was with you, because the older you get those traces of innocence can provide comfort and perspective.
Those with regional knowledge of the Upper Midwest, specifically the Twin Cities, will probably enjoy “Sting-Ray Afternoons” more than others, but I think all readers or listeners of a certain age and background will see themselves in the pages.
My only complaint that as a hybrid read/listen, Greg Bagalia butchered the pronunciation of some Minnesota towns, which temporarily pulled me out of the story. I can’t believe Rushin let this pass.
The title is a homage to the Schwinn bicycle that was his constant companion for several too brief Minnesota summers. The Sting-Ray, his first taste of buying into marketing hype and participating in capitalism, is detailed with humor, familial history and actual product history that presents a perfect trifecta and cadence for tracing Rushin’s life through the “Me” decade.
This approach is replicated throughout as he shares memories of back-to-school shopping with the Sears catalog, watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show and rooting for, and continually being heartbroken by, the Minnesota Vikings that played a few miles from his home prior to relocating to Minneapolis in 1982.
Even though I’m a 1980s baby, there were many times I felt Rushin was telling the story of my life, because he unabashedly celebrates growing up Midwestern. From the ridiculousness of the Wisconsin Dells (if you’ve been, you know) to being packed into minivans to venture across interstates lined with farmland.
This memoir isn’t about reconciling a difficult past, it’s simply remembering where you came from and how that shapes who you become.
It’s about celebrating the moments of family lore that will be told at gatherings for decades and that will continue to bond you and your siblings long after you’ve moved out from under the same roof.
It’s about holding close the memory of the moments when you experienced “important” things for the first time and how that felt, and who was with you, because the older you get those traces of innocence can provide comfort and perspective.
Those with regional knowledge of the Upper Midwest, specifically the Twin Cities, will probably enjoy “Sting-Ray Afternoons” more than others, but I think all readers or listeners of a certain age and background will see themselves in the pages.
My only complaint that as a hybrid read/listen, Greg Bagalia butchered the pronunciation of some Minnesota towns, which temporarily pulled me out of the story. I can’t believe Rushin let this pass.
daviddiamond's review against another edition
4.0
If you grew up in the 1970s this book will be a nostalgic return to that era.
I would have given this book 5 stars were it not for all the sports stories contained within.
I'm not a sports fan and couldn't really relate to many of those particular stories.
Nevertheless, this was an extremely fun trip down memory lane.
I would have given this book 5 stars were it not for all the sports stories contained within.
I'm not a sports fan and couldn't really relate to many of those particular stories.
Nevertheless, this was an extremely fun trip down memory lane.