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Years of Minutes: The Best of Rooney from 60 Minutes
Andy Rooney has been at it for twenty-five years. It's time to celebrate. So here's the ultimate gift for every Rooney an illustrated collection of Rooney's very best pieces from a quarter centur
- GenresHumorNonfictionEssays
544 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
26 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Andy Rooney
32 books50 followersAndrew Aitken "Andy" Rooney was an American radio and television writer. He became most famous as a humorist and commentator with his weekly broadcast A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney, a part of the CBS news program 60 Minutes from 1978 to 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 22, 2011
There's a television programme here in America called '60 Minutes' which, as you might have guessed, is sixty minutes long. Except it isn't. For if one removes the time spent on commercials then it's probably between 45-50 minutes in length but I'm assuming a tv show with the title '45-50mins Once the Commercials Are Taken Out' is just a little too out there. About once a month, nowadays at least, the last couple of minutes are taken up by an old time radio and television writer named Andy Rooney who is as famous for his eyebrows as he is for his journalism. In those two minutes Andy will rant about any given topic of his choosing and the book 'Years of Minutes' is a collection of his rants from 1982-2003 inclusive.
Mr Rooney seems to polarize people in their opinions as it appears a lot of people can't stand him and others think he's great. I happen to fall into the latter category and so it will come as no surprise to you that I loved this book. The only problem I had with it was that it only went up to 2003. Of course, it was published in 2003 so it's not as if they could have added the more recent years but I was just saying is all!
There aren't really any chapters in this book but each section of rants is broken down into the year they took place and the year takes the place of the chapter. Maybe that means there are chapters after all just in the guise of years but bear with me as I'm doing my best here. Each chapter year contains several subtitles describing the rants that appeared during that particular tv season. For instance during the 2002 season he grumbled about libraries and here's a few snippets of what he had to say:
"...silence in a library ought to be abandoned...silence can be more obtrusive than noise because you strain to hear the words of every whisper but you're oblivious to a yell or a shout."
"There are too many blank pages at the beginning and end of most books [with] authors taking up a whole page to say something like TO MY WIFE GRETCHEN WITHOUT WHOSE ENCOURAGEMENT THIS BOOK COULD NOT HAVE BEEN WRITTEN. Why should we waste our time while the author tries to get in good with his wife? If you took all the useless pages out of all the books in a library, they'd save miles of shelf space."
"Dust jackets are a pain in the neck and do not prevent books getting dusty."
Those type of comments are exactly the type of reading you get in this book on subjects from catalogues to cold remedies, from ghostwriters ("General Colin Powell...signed a book contract for $6million...[he] is going to have a ghostwriter...for $6million don't you think he ought to write the book himself?") to football uniforms.
For book lovers there are plenty of book related topics such as those already mentioned as well as many others including cookbooks, school books, magazine page numbers and also dictionaries. He even has a diatribe about his eyebrows!
All in all I found this to be a very entertaining read and with over 500 pages worth of Andy's various rants, none of which take up more than a couple of pages, it's a good book for the quick bus journey or to relax with for a few minutes while drinking your favorite beverage.
Mr Rooney seems to polarize people in their opinions as it appears a lot of people can't stand him and others think he's great. I happen to fall into the latter category and so it will come as no surprise to you that I loved this book. The only problem I had with it was that it only went up to 2003. Of course, it was published in 2003 so it's not as if they could have added the more recent years but I was just saying is all!
There aren't really any chapters in this book but each section of rants is broken down into the year they took place and the year takes the place of the chapter. Maybe that means there are chapters after all just in the guise of years but bear with me as I'm doing my best here. Each chapter year contains several subtitles describing the rants that appeared during that particular tv season. For instance during the 2002 season he grumbled about libraries and here's a few snippets of what he had to say:
"...silence in a library ought to be abandoned...silence can be more obtrusive than noise because you strain to hear the words of every whisper but you're oblivious to a yell or a shout."
"There are too many blank pages at the beginning and end of most books [with] authors taking up a whole page to say something like TO MY WIFE GRETCHEN WITHOUT WHOSE ENCOURAGEMENT THIS BOOK COULD NOT HAVE BEEN WRITTEN. Why should we waste our time while the author tries to get in good with his wife? If you took all the useless pages out of all the books in a library, they'd save miles of shelf space."
"Dust jackets are a pain in the neck and do not prevent books getting dusty."
Those type of comments are exactly the type of reading you get in this book on subjects from catalogues to cold remedies, from ghostwriters ("General Colin Powell...signed a book contract for $6million...[he] is going to have a ghostwriter...for $6million don't you think he ought to write the book himself?") to football uniforms.
For book lovers there are plenty of book related topics such as those already mentioned as well as many others including cookbooks, school books, magazine page numbers and also dictionaries. He even has a diatribe about his eyebrows!
All in all I found this to be a very entertaining read and with over 500 pages worth of Andy's various rants, none of which take up more than a couple of pages, it's a good book for the quick bus journey or to relax with for a few minutes while drinking your favorite beverage.
October 3, 2023
A collection of essays from Andy Rooney's 60 minutes pieces. Some of them are timeless, and some are dated, depending on what was going on at that time in the world. I'm not sure that a reader would be able to identify with this book unless they had seen him on TV.
March 9, 2018
A look at ten to twelve of Andy’s telecasts on 60 minutes from the years 1982-2003. It’s sort of like reading a history book through Andy’s eyes. Events in the world are discussed along with politics and what we else Andy wants to write or ramble about.
The other thing I learned is the Andy is a middle of the road guy with practical solutions for a lot of problems. He also does a great job inadvertently talking about the future.
Well worth the time. Thanks Andy. We miss you.
The other thing I learned is the Andy is a middle of the road guy with practical solutions for a lot of problems. He also does a great job inadvertently talking about the future.
Well worth the time. Thanks Andy. We miss you.
November 13, 2023
The entertaining curmudgeon rises for one more swoop at the ills of this world, particularly in the USA, in this book of essays culled from over 800 he wrote during a 33-year career on the evergreen TV news show 60 Minutes.
Andy Rooney was the quintessential old white guy. I gather he was Republican although he denied a political affiliation. He espoused hard work, decried consumerism, abhorred war, promoted the idea of “Being American” as a necessary solution for other countries, shot his mouth off in politically sensitive areas, got suspended, got re-instated when ratings declined in his absence, and represented the voice of Everyman trying to make sense of a changing post-WWII world.
The prose is utilitarian, and Andy does not use apostrophes, as he claims he is writing for a script that he will later read from, and he understands that “Ive” is the same as “I’ve.” Some topics get revisited, like the consumer price index, because it appears that Andy visits every grocery shop, clothing store, travel agency, and gas station to keep tabs on prices. He also appears to get a copy of every newspaper and magazine in the land to keep abreast of the news and pick topics for exploration under his caustic and witty pen.
While he could be off on some lost tangent by making inane statements such as “50% of students are dumb,” or others against feminists and gays – statements that earned him hate mail or suspensions – he was bang-on about a few things that he was unafraid to call out:
1. Countries get polarized when presidents are impeached (he lived through the Clinton experience).
2. Ballpoint pens were the worst invention. Rubber bands were the best.
3. Elections should have (a) a campaign running no longer than three months, (b) there should be limits on large corporate sponsorships, (c) winning candidates should post their promises in public, and (d) no polls should be published until after the election.
4. Spies are a waste of time and money. Surprisingly, John Le Carre, the writer who profited most from the spy genre, arrived at that same conclusion at the end of his career.
5. Why is the government spending so much on military tanks when they are the most unmaneuverable in warfare?
Some of the topics are pedestrian: telephone directories, cook-books, eating out, gloves, maps, vans, mail, and toothbrushes (renamed teethbrushes). It is almost as if Andy wants to take apart these most mundane of things we encounter in our daily lives, and hold them up for us to view from his off-centre perspective. However, I liked his fictitious rendering of President Bush and Hosni Mubarak attending a baseball game – the clash of cultures was well drawn, humorously.
His ideas for improving the world are equally off the wall:
1. Dump US junk mail in Iraq (during the rule of Saddam Hussein). The avalanche may destabilize the dictatorship.
2. Put advertising on US dollar notes to help reduce the national debt.
3. Make the Japanese spend more on weapons so that they won’t have a surplus to invest in manufacturing and beat the US in consumer products.
4. Women should wear clothes with more pockets if they want to be equal to men – you see why this guy got into hot water!
After awhile there is a sameness to these essays. And I can imagine someone having to do this for 33 years, well into his nineties, finally getting stale on the idea side while desperately stoking his critical fire. He laments the world passing him by in some articles, and the loss of his hold on the conscience of the nation as he becomes more of an anachronism. I read elsewhere that Andy Rooney died within a month of retiring from his last show on 60 Minutes. As much as he was an anchor on that show, the show must have anchored him to life.
Andy Rooney was the quintessential old white guy. I gather he was Republican although he denied a political affiliation. He espoused hard work, decried consumerism, abhorred war, promoted the idea of “Being American” as a necessary solution for other countries, shot his mouth off in politically sensitive areas, got suspended, got re-instated when ratings declined in his absence, and represented the voice of Everyman trying to make sense of a changing post-WWII world.
The prose is utilitarian, and Andy does not use apostrophes, as he claims he is writing for a script that he will later read from, and he understands that “Ive” is the same as “I’ve.” Some topics get revisited, like the consumer price index, because it appears that Andy visits every grocery shop, clothing store, travel agency, and gas station to keep tabs on prices. He also appears to get a copy of every newspaper and magazine in the land to keep abreast of the news and pick topics for exploration under his caustic and witty pen.
While he could be off on some lost tangent by making inane statements such as “50% of students are dumb,” or others against feminists and gays – statements that earned him hate mail or suspensions – he was bang-on about a few things that he was unafraid to call out:
1. Countries get polarized when presidents are impeached (he lived through the Clinton experience).
2. Ballpoint pens were the worst invention. Rubber bands were the best.
3. Elections should have (a) a campaign running no longer than three months, (b) there should be limits on large corporate sponsorships, (c) winning candidates should post their promises in public, and (d) no polls should be published until after the election.
4. Spies are a waste of time and money. Surprisingly, John Le Carre, the writer who profited most from the spy genre, arrived at that same conclusion at the end of his career.
5. Why is the government spending so much on military tanks when they are the most unmaneuverable in warfare?
Some of the topics are pedestrian: telephone directories, cook-books, eating out, gloves, maps, vans, mail, and toothbrushes (renamed teethbrushes). It is almost as if Andy wants to take apart these most mundane of things we encounter in our daily lives, and hold them up for us to view from his off-centre perspective. However, I liked his fictitious rendering of President Bush and Hosni Mubarak attending a baseball game – the clash of cultures was well drawn, humorously.
His ideas for improving the world are equally off the wall:
1. Dump US junk mail in Iraq (during the rule of Saddam Hussein). The avalanche may destabilize the dictatorship.
2. Put advertising on US dollar notes to help reduce the national debt.
3. Make the Japanese spend more on weapons so that they won’t have a surplus to invest in manufacturing and beat the US in consumer products.
4. Women should wear clothes with more pockets if they want to be equal to men – you see why this guy got into hot water!
After awhile there is a sameness to these essays. And I can imagine someone having to do this for 33 years, well into his nineties, finally getting stale on the idea side while desperately stoking his critical fire. He laments the world passing him by in some articles, and the loss of his hold on the conscience of the nation as he becomes more of an anachronism. I read elsewhere that Andy Rooney died within a month of retiring from his last show on 60 Minutes. As much as he was an anchor on that show, the show must have anchored him to life.
December 28, 2024
I like to read books about living and non-living people. I picked this book at a city library sale during the summer of 2024. If you like humor mixed with helpings of honesty and truth (according to Andy Rooney), sarcasm, boldness and sometimes a hint of anarchy, then this book is for you. At the end of most episodes of the acclaimed television news expose show, Andy had a few minutes to express his feelings about almost anything under the sun. It's a book of short compilations of his thoughts, so it's a good book to take up just a few minutes of your time; therefore, a good bathroom book.
August 2, 2019
I enjoyed the memory lane of watching him and 60 minutes growing up. Interesting insight into the times.
March 10, 2021
Change a few dates, alter a few names, jack up a few dollar figures and a lot of the thoughts could be for the present not 25 years ago.
February 8, 2022
The book reads just like he talked.
November 1, 2023
Interesting quotes but ultimately got boring.
February 1, 2024
Sometimes I disagree with Andy, but usually I agree with him.
March 20, 2020
If you love Andy Rooney (and especially if you loved his segment on "60 Minutes") and even if you've never even heard of Andy Rooney, you should give this one a try. All of the entries are fairly short, so it's easy to work your way through. It gives a unique social and political insight into the times he was commentating, and it is just plain enjoyable reading. If you've never heard one of his "60 Minutes" essays- look up a few on YouTube so you can read this book with his cadence and charm in mind- you'll enjoy it all the more!
July 19, 2016
Although Andy Rooney has won many awards for his writing, most of us know this friendly curmudgeon from his days on “60 Minutes”. Originally hired as a stand-in for a show in 1978, he was so popular that he became a regular, with his trademark spot ending each edition of the popular show. Rooney made his final appearance on 60 Minutes on October 2, 2011. He had been with them for thirty three years.
This is a collection of his work over many years including those years he worked as a correspondent for Stars and Stripes during World War II.
Rooney takes time in his introduction to alert the reader to his idiosyncratic punctuation, which initially is irritating but which soon becomes less of an issue when you get used to it.
He is a keen observer and ready to comment or question everything that does not make sense to him, concluding that “for the smartest animals on earth, humans are sure dumb sometimes”.
Rooney loved to question the everyday things that just puzzle him: Why is a toothbrush called a toothbrush and not a teethbrush? It cleans more than one tooth. Why do we go to health clubs when there is so much work to do in the world? And why do we pay to get on walking machines that go nowhere and then drive home?
Although it appears he is questioning something that just popped into his head, his writing is thoughtful and his arguments logical and well laid out. You may not agree with him, but you must admit he does have a point. And Rooney is never held back by the need to be “politically correct”. He will lambast and criticize a president as well as a popular singer, movie star or sports hero.
Rooney comes across as a man simply bewildered by what he sees everyday and poses questions we may have never thought to ask: Why do things always come in packages of three or four when all you need is one? Why do we keep holding disarmament conferences where nobody gets disarmed? Why do we pay $1.99 for toothpaste that only costs twelve pennies to make?
He is keen to warn us about some of the dangers in everyday life -- “watch out for the fine print……….it is never good news”. He offers advice on getting through the mundane activities of living providing us with a short primer on the etiquette of elevator riding. And he reminds us of the old days when he observes that a dime today is worth more as a screwdriver than it is as a coin representing ten cents.
There are serious pieces and humorous pieces, including a comical account of President George Bush explaining the game of baseball to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Like other books with similar collections that have appeared in another media I am disappointed. The short essays originally written for television are best delivered in that same media. They need to be accompanied by the entire Rooney personae, with Rooney’s sad eyes, his bushy eyebrows, his gruff voice and his absolutely dead pan delivery. I am not saying his written word does not contain truths or ask important questions. But what I enjoyed was the whole package, Rooney the personality and what he had to say.
This is a book you can pick up and put down at leisure. Actually it is probably the best way to get through it (it is a hefty volume!) and get the most out of it.
This is a collection of his work over many years including those years he worked as a correspondent for Stars and Stripes during World War II.
Rooney takes time in his introduction to alert the reader to his idiosyncratic punctuation, which initially is irritating but which soon becomes less of an issue when you get used to it.
He is a keen observer and ready to comment or question everything that does not make sense to him, concluding that “for the smartest animals on earth, humans are sure dumb sometimes”.
Rooney loved to question the everyday things that just puzzle him: Why is a toothbrush called a toothbrush and not a teethbrush? It cleans more than one tooth. Why do we go to health clubs when there is so much work to do in the world? And why do we pay to get on walking machines that go nowhere and then drive home?
Although it appears he is questioning something that just popped into his head, his writing is thoughtful and his arguments logical and well laid out. You may not agree with him, but you must admit he does have a point. And Rooney is never held back by the need to be “politically correct”. He will lambast and criticize a president as well as a popular singer, movie star or sports hero.
Rooney comes across as a man simply bewildered by what he sees everyday and poses questions we may have never thought to ask: Why do things always come in packages of three or four when all you need is one? Why do we keep holding disarmament conferences where nobody gets disarmed? Why do we pay $1.99 for toothpaste that only costs twelve pennies to make?
He is keen to warn us about some of the dangers in everyday life -- “watch out for the fine print……….it is never good news”. He offers advice on getting through the mundane activities of living providing us with a short primer on the etiquette of elevator riding. And he reminds us of the old days when he observes that a dime today is worth more as a screwdriver than it is as a coin representing ten cents.
There are serious pieces and humorous pieces, including a comical account of President George Bush explaining the game of baseball to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Like other books with similar collections that have appeared in another media I am disappointed. The short essays originally written for television are best delivered in that same media. They need to be accompanied by the entire Rooney personae, with Rooney’s sad eyes, his bushy eyebrows, his gruff voice and his absolutely dead pan delivery. I am not saying his written word does not contain truths or ask important questions. But what I enjoyed was the whole package, Rooney the personality and what he had to say.
This is a book you can pick up and put down at leisure. Actually it is probably the best way to get through it (it is a hefty volume!) and get the most out of it.
November 7, 2014
Years of Minutes takes the reader through a selection of "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" essays beginning in 1982 and working its way through 2003, the 35th anniversary of 60 Minutes. Rooney's televised essays actually began in 1978; his last appearance was October 2011, just one month before his death at age 92.
Whatever else I may have been doing, usually I would wander into the living room to watch the last few minutes of 60 Minutes, just to enjoy the cumudgeony guy giving the viewers his opinions about everything from the trivial to the affairs of the world.
I enjoyed Years of Minutes - columnists and essayists are a personal favorite - they usually hit the nail on the head, and Andy Rooney was one of the best. His personal habit of not including apostrophes except when necessary (I'll instead of Ill for example) was somewhat disconcerting but still readable. Just so he didn't mix up your and you're, which of course he didn't.
Whatever else I may have been doing, usually I would wander into the living room to watch the last few minutes of 60 Minutes, just to enjoy the cumudgeony guy giving the viewers his opinions about everything from the trivial to the affairs of the world.
I enjoyed Years of Minutes - columnists and essayists are a personal favorite - they usually hit the nail on the head, and Andy Rooney was one of the best. His personal habit of not including apostrophes except when necessary (I'll instead of Ill for example) was somewhat disconcerting but still readable. Just so he didn't mix up your and you're, which of course he didn't.
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January 4, 2012This is a fascinating reminiscence by a 92 year old man over a lifetime of history as he saw it. It was a wonderful experience to cull the experience of Rooney's lifetime as he filled in gaps of my memory as I had had a stroke and it also covered history my parents lived through and did not speak of. I had read one dry tale by Andy Rooney about his service in the war and this was a delightful book. I rrcommend it to all who want to fill in past history. Rooney had a quick wit and was a unique person. The man who wanted to write made his commentaries liv. He has yet to be replaced on 60 Minutes although I suspect someone imfluenced by him is yet on the horizon. Yeard of Minutes by Andy Rooney was to the purpose for me.
June 17, 2009
If you like him on t.v. you will love the book; he tells his reaction to our world from 1982 to 2003. Plus there are many little photos all thru the book. For example, he shows himself in Arab dress and explains the djellaba and how it cools the body in 120 degrees temperature. I think he is very funny.
I have gained a lot from the book because he has a way of bringing subjects up, and makes me think.
I have gained a lot from the book because he has a way of bringing subjects up, and makes me think.
June 12, 2008
Andy Rooney has compiled a collection of essays from his time on 60 Minutes on just about everything.
Good - enjoyed the earlier decades more than the 2000s which was steeped in the War and such without as many on lighter topics like gloves.
Good - enjoyed the earlier decades more than the 2000s which was steeped in the War and such without as many on lighter topics like gloves.
January 20, 2012
I love Andy Rooney, and I really miss him on 60 Minutes. This is a good compilation of some of his commentaries, from the 1980's through the early 2000's. Included are some of the controversial ones that got him into trouble!
May 5, 2009
Andy's little remarks from 60 Minutes.
February 7, 2013
I enjoyed it.
August 24, 2013
I did not finish. I was bored.
July 28, 2013
Too much wry observation, too few moments of epiphany
August 12, 2013
I am looking to chuckle at the absurdity of modern, suburban, American life. Thanks Andy! (But boy, you do seem like a cranky guy in your writings!).
September 16, 2013
Hilarious! This book makes you want to purchase recordings of Andy Rooney's TV show!
August 4, 2014
This is pretty cut and dry. It's a collection of Andy Rooney's essays from "60 Minutes." So if you liked them, you'll like this book. Simple as that. I liked his essays, so I liked the book.
August 13, 2014
It's a collection of essays from his years on "60 minutes". It's not a book you sit and read in a few sittings - but may possibly be the best bathroom reader ever.
November 13, 2009
Classic Andy Rooney
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews