A Fistful of Fig Newtons

by Jean Shepherd

From the wild and wacky world of favorite funnyman Jean Shepherd, a dozen truer-than-life tales of tailgating on the Jersey Tumpike, infuriating infants, and other everyday catastrophes, defeats, and humiliations that are the familiar fate of Americans everywhere.

Jean Shepherd was one of America’s favorite humorists, his most notable achievement being the creation of the indefatigable Ralphie Parker and his quest for a BB gun in the holiday classic A Christmas Story. But he was so much more, a comic Garrison Keillor–like figure whose unique voice transcended the airwaves and affected a whole generation of nostalgic Americans. A Fistful of Fig Newtons is classic Jean Shepherd—sidesplittingly funny and sardonically irreverent. It is a brilliant comic assessment of American life—all of them delivered in Jean Shepherd’s witty, classy, unforgettable style.

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Short Stories, Essays

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Jean Parker "Shep" Shepherd Jr. was an American storyteller, humorist, radio and TV personality, writer, and actor. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known for the film A Christmas Story (1983), which he narrated and co-scripted on the basis of his own semi-autobiographical stories.

Reviews

[Kevin]

When Jean Shepherd tells a story you know it's going to be epic, legendary tall tale. Ralph, Randy, the Old man and his mom are back along with Farkus, Schwartz and Flick. I think my favorite story is sort of a spiritual sequel to Christmas story when the boys all head off to summer camp. His story about the troop train shows what a great writer Shepard was as he makes you feel that you are on the train with him. The best story about the Old Man and family has to the Ice Cream war. I really think that Shepherd is as good as Twain at telling a story about a time and place in America and also for making you laugh.

[Jay Blanchard]

This is a great collection of short stories the author ties together as flashbacks while trying to navigate one of the tunnels between New York and New Jersey. A fair way to treat the collection even if it doesn't do anything other than tie the author to the flashbacks.

Many will be able to easily relate and smile at the memories each of these stories brings. I was especially engrossed by the story of his first summer camp as it brought back a flood of my own memories of doing the same. I was also able to relate to some of the other stories easily and found the rest interesting.

[Kate]

I was missing Jean Shepherd's voice, but after having read a huge biography of him last year, and experiencing anew the shock of the late-70's-attitude towards women in the first few stories in this book, I guess I would have been better off renting A Christmas Story. The quality of these stories is somewhat uneven - the childhood stories are better than the army stories, which are better than the college stories, etc. Still, it was nice to read a few tightly written short stories from the waning years of the tightly written short story.

[Wendy]

Another fun read from Jean Shepherd.

[Mike]

Many belly-laughs in this. (Especially the stories of youth.)
It brought to mind his funny narration in A Christmas Story.

Notes:
29... Big Daddy, in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: "Mendacity, my boy. Mendacity is what life is all about."
31... So much of my best solid contemplation is done in the john. Archimedes hollered out "Eureka!" in his bathtub.
48... Camp life ... I began to feel lean and sinewy.
57... mud ... My shoes had grown 4 sizes by the time I had walked a yard.
67... 4-hole outhouse ... The four of us squatted in embarrassed silence ... My first visit with mass facilities had a curiously inhibiting effect. ... Camper's Cramp
68... my mattress seemed filled with fingernail pairings .... a constellation of prickly things jabbed me everywhere.
125... GI beer run, in GI under wear shorts, GI shoes, and dog tags. Lost forever in Arkansas.

[Rex Libris]

In my own humble opinion, Jean Shepherd is probably the best story teller in our time, and very high on the list of best ever. In this volume shepherd entertains us with stories of life in the army, what is like to be a person with a name at the end of the alphabet, and life in a mill town in Indiana.

While filled with humor, you do not need to get to the jokes to appreciate Shepherd's work. The description of the blast furnace lights reflected on the surface of Lake Michigan is as good as being thereto see it yourself.

[Clint the Cool Guy]

Very funny! I’m liking Jean Shepherd’s books more and more. If you’ve only seen “A Christmas Story”, then you are missing out on all the hilarious memories and characters that he describes. It’s a collection of semi-biographical stories, best read a little at a time. Some of the cultural references are now becoming a little dated but that just makes the history in this stand out more. I plan to read all of his books! Recommended.

[Lisa Tangen]

Fun, vivid writing. Hilarious accounts of summer camp, joke catalogs, camp experience, army, anthropologists studying 20th century America, etc.

" He scooped up 3 at one swoop, the poor little fig Newtons hopelessly clinging to each other for companionship in their last moments on earth."

"We trudged on through the stifling heat the first mosquitoes were coming on duty. A ragged sparrow flew by on his way to the city dump. Each of us carried his own private knot a fear that the end had come. We had many such terrors of our lives for instance it was well-known that if you lick the point of indelible pencil thus purple in your tongue there was no hope. Or it was fully recognized by the best medical authorities among the kids that are sure way to commit suicide in a particularly nasty manner was to swallow a water bubble gum which would cause your guts to stick together. Naturally it was believed that eating too much candy caused you to get worms which while not fatal was certainly serious. There were hundreds of these mortal dangers that we believed in and I must admit that even today I'm very careful around indelible pencils in bubble gum. Then there was the 2 aspirins on a swig of Coca-Cola which was guaranteed to make you drunker than a scalp it was it goes without saying that drinking a tank full of river water had to be the very least fatal we were listlessly shuffling in the general direction of our various houses instinctively the way a herd of Geurnsey cows heads for the barn at twilight, kids in the flatlands of Indiana mosey barnward at supper time."

[Sylvia Snowe]

Jean Shepherd is one of the greatest writers of humor. Also just a great writer--I can smell, see, hear everything as he describes it, along with the perfect characterizations of all his subjects. Whether he's writing about a scrabbly ball park in a 1930s steel mill town, doing KP on a troop train during WWII, or eating fig newtons in a men's dorm, I'm there with him. Garrison Keillor and David Sedaris are his peers.

[Holly]

A charming and engaging set of stories, all strung together like remembrances or thoughts of an unnamed driver stuck in traffic. Many of the stories are about boys being boys - eating contests, laxative, summer camp and turf wars, beer runs and kitchen patrol in the service, gag magazines, meeting up with old girlfriends. It was a pleasure to read, pure escape.

[Alice Teets]

I am sad to say that I didn’t enjoy this book. A Christmas Story is my absolute favorite movie, which came from his book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, and I really enjoyed Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters. This one just didn’t hit the same level of nostalgia and good writing for me.

[Aaron Mays]

One of the best books I’ve read so far. Jean is the greatest storyteller. I just still can’t believe that all of these stories about Ralphie Parker have been out here all this time and I just discovered it. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a funny story.

[sarg]

"A fist full of fig newtons " Jean Shepherd
Good humerus book the writer of the Christmas story. Not his best but was worth 4 stars

[Karen]

Just glimpses of the fun of the Christmas Story. Interesting to remember things from 30 years ago.

[Patricia DeRose]

Pure Shephard

Wish you were here, Jean. You are very much missed by your old fans from your New York radio days.

[James]

3.5 stars rounded up. While not as good as In God We Trust or Wanda Hickey, this book still shines with Shepherd's effervescent prose and wit. A true gem!

[Cindy]

Enjoyable, but not as uproarious as “Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters”.

[Stephen Drivick]

This one has a bit darker tone but still very comical reading.

[Dan]

Great stories from Shepherd's past. Cozy, nostalgic and hilarious. From his army days to summer camp and everything in between. Great read.

[Tom Boothe]

Typical Shepherd, relating his everyday events to yours and mine in a way that makes you laugh out loud.

[Dave]

The man behind the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story". I was a devoted fan of his WOR radio show in NYC in the 1960's.

[Cole Meador]

As always, JS never fails to make me laugh. Guffaw. Chortle.

[behsforensics]

Cutting is for Lost at C
By Jean Shepherd

[Beverly Hollandbeck]

I didn't like it. I read it all the way through, and much of the humor was Three Stooges type. More appreciated by men.

[Elliott Bush]

Old Shep fans.

Great book for any old Shep fan who can still hear his voice riffing from the Limelight late on a Saturday night.

[Patrick]

Classic Jean Shepherd. I always enjoy and laugh a lot with these timeless tales.

[Vince Mattaliano]

Musings of an adult Ralphie Parker, from elementary school, through his time in the Army. Excellent Jean Shepard!

[Elisha Condie]

I love Jean Shepherd. I love his narrative voice. This book is another collection of short stories, many of them centered around his army days (so a little later than the stories in "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories"). I pick it up often, and just did again, because I just don't get tired of these. He's so funny and always adds just the right details to his stories, so I can totally see the scene he's painting.
I have a lesson to prepare, a book club book to read, a library book to read that's due soon, laundry to fold, and yet I find myself reading THIS book again because I like it so well. But I've found that not a lot of people have read these books, or really think Shepherd is as funny as I do. It's a kindred spirit that gets the humor, I guess.

[Debra]

Published in the early 1970's this collections of humorous essays shows just how much our reading styles have changed. The print font is ridiculously small and some of the essays are very long. The format of connecting the essays is the author's daily commute through the tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey. The traffic is the small snarl, but the lack of air conditioning in the cars and the effect that has on fellow drivers adds additional humor. The essays cover growing up in small town America, Army life, and, my favorite, the summer camping experience. This collection still holds up well today, it just takes a little slowing down to enjoy the richness of the words and the experiences. This is not a book that you sit down and savor one chapter a day.

[Jc]

I have been a big fan of Jean Shepherd since the mid-1960s when I first heard him chatting away each night at 10:15 on WOR radio, NY. I even have a signed edition of his second book, and dozens of recordings of his shows, poetry readings, etc. With that in mind, I think this book, Fistful of Fig Newtons, is more for the old-time fan than the person who is looking to be introduced to Shep (including those who know him only from his Christmas story. For newbies, read "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash," or "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories" instead. But, if you are a true Fathead, then by all means get this book and cover it with your thumb prints. Excelsior -- Flick Lives!