Hooligan: A Mormon Boyhood

by Douglas Thayer

In the days before sunscreen, soccer practice, MTV, and Amber Alerts, boys roamed freely in the American West--fishing, hunting, hiking, pausing to skinny-dip in river or pond. Douglas Thayer was such a boy. In this poignant, often humorous memoir, he depicts his Utah Valley boyhood during the Great Depression and World War II. Known in some circles as a Mormon Hemingway, Thayer has created a richly detailed work that shares cultural DNA with Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and William Golding's Lord of the Flies. His narrative at once prosaic and poetic, Thayer captures nostalgia for a simpler time, along with boyhood's universal yearnings, pleasures, and mysteries.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Lds, Humor, Mormonism, Memoir

196 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I first heard of this book, I wanted to read it. I always take great delight in hearing about what my dad and his brothers did in their neighborhood growing up (THAT was an interesting place) so when I had the opportunity to get a copy of this myself from my grandma's home when she was moving, I gladly seized it. I expected it to be very similar. In a way, it was. The boys in this story roam around outside unsupervised for hours on end, just like they did a generation later in my dad's time. But the tone is very different here than in my dad's tales, which emphasize the funny and ridiculous, while Mr. Thayer adopts a very matter-of-fact, unsentimental voice. This is how it was, and that's that, he seems to say. Sometimes I liked that tone. In many ways it seems well-suited to a young boy with his rather limited, self-absorbed view of his world. At other times though, I wish we could have gotten a little something more from him. You feel this book is more like a journalist's overview of the events, rather than a personal diary. Anything not pertaining to hunting or fishing is not dwelt on long enough to get great detail, just the basic facts. I found this tone especially strange when he explains parts of his religion briefly to his readers so they can better understand the culture of Great Depression-era Provo. He does a decent job of summarizing church things in a way non-Mormons can understand easily and quickly, but again his tone is so unsentimental here that it makes you wonder why he tells you that his young boy self was so committed to the church at all. The only reasons he gives, which I suspect he means to be ironic, are when he says things like he knew the church was true when the welfare program helped his family have enough food to eat. I think there must be more to it than that for him, but he never shows us that side of himself. Again, this is the journalist viewpoint, not the diary.

It was certainly interesting to hear the descriptions of what my own hometown was like 80 years ago. I was surprised actually at how many things that are still in Provo already existed then. There have been some notable changes too, of course. Luckily I don't think Provo is nearly as polluted now as it was then. I also read some things about Utah lake I enjoyed, because they corroborated things I taught my students about the state of the lake. It isn't often one gets to learn so much about the history of her own small hometown, at least not unless something really big in American history occurred there. As one who has always been interested in history, and especially about what daily life was like at any given point in the past, this book was a real treat. It was even more so when I thought about how my own grandmother grew up around this same era in this same place. How I wish I had read this with her when she was still alive to add to the information in this book. It would have enriched the reading experience for me tenfold. As it was I found a couple bookmarks of hers between some pages. Between pages 18 and 19 I spied a note, in her handwriting, referring the reader to page 90. Did she identify with something particular on these specific pages? I eagerly skipped ahead to that page in search of the connection. Though she had left a bookmark in that page as well, I admit I don't know how the contents of page 90 might have particularly related to her. I don't envision her being the type that killed small critters and broke greenhouse windows with flippers, had BB-gun wars with her naked friends, or made her own grenades out the contents of a vacuum cleaner bag, which is what the author is recollecting on page 90, so I'll admit that one has me feeling a bit mystified. The fact that any of these boys survived childhood is a mystery, when it comes down to it. They really were little hooligans.

[Bryan Murdock · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife stumbled upon this book at the local library here in Salt Lake City, UT. It's written by Douglas Thayer, who gew up in Provo, UT during the great depression and World War II, about his boyhood. It's written in a sort of free association, stream of consciousness style (the back cover compares it to Hemingway, and yes, I can see the resemblance). It couldn't hold my wife's interest, but I finished it pretty quickly and I kind of can't stop thinking about it. It was very interesting to read about life during that time in a familiar town, with the streets all still the same and some of the landmarks still there. The amazing amount of freedom and unstructured time the boys had during that period is almost the complete opposite of what kids these days experience. I feel like my childhood was pretty wild and free at times, but it was nothing compared to these kids skinny dipping in the Provo river, exploring the mountains with their .22s over their shoulders, and dreaming about the day they would join the army and become paratroopers. Some of it made me want to move to a small town and let my kids roam free, and some of it made me very glad my kids aren't running around starting fires, shooting anything that moves, and throwing rocks at each other. I don't know if I'm explaining this well, but if you want a meandering glimpse into the history of Provo, UT (or any small town during this time period, really, I'd guess) told through the eyes of an older man remembering his glorious boyhood, read this book.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look into depression era Provo and Utah/mormon culture. It isn't a story as much as it is a series of memories and recollections. Fun book club discussion with people who grew up in that same era, and couple who grew up in utah during similar times.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but five stars for a fascinating history of Depression-era Provo that made this Provoan happy, and a writing style that reminded me of my dad.

[Shauna Ludlow Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book for my husband since I thought he would enjoy this memoir of a boy growing up in Utah who loved to fish, explore and write (like my husband).

I ended up reading it first and enjoyed the author’s descriptions of Provo as it is also my birthplace although four decades later. BYU, the mountains, movies, and my home ward were huge parts of my childhood too.

[Phoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think all of the Terrill kids that went to BYU had interactions with Dr. Thayer. I loved him as a professor and I enjoyed reading his childhood memoir. I could just imagine his voice telling a few of the stories while I was reading. It was easy to pick up and read in bits when I had a few minutes. After reading it I kept comparing Thayer's childhood with my childhood and then with the childhood that my own kids are experiencing. It is pretty amazing to see how drastically society has changed in the last 60+ years.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was particularly interested in this book because I am slightly acquainted with the author and live in his town. I loved his detailed descriptions of the period, the location, and the cultural. They all rang true to me. I also believe he has made a honest attempt to describe his thoughts and feelings during those formative years with no hidden personal agenda.

[David Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable book for anyone who grew up in Utah during the 1930s. My parents, who are from Ogden and Logan, both found much that was familiar to them in the book, including memories of jumping up into the ice man's wagon for ice chips on hot summer days.

I grew up in Provo in the 1970s right at the tail end of the era Thayer covers in this book, and I remember the downtown movie theaters, early morning paper routes, and hiking and camping out up Rock Canyon with our pellet guns and .22s. Things changed a lot in the 1980s when the effects of the University Mall on downtown Provo became more evident and again in the 1990s with the advent of the internet.

[Cleo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun to read. If you want a good memory jogger of what it was like in the old days this will be a treat. It reads pretty much like a diary - a boys adventures growing up in a rural town. Since the town is a Mormon town some of the memories need a little understanding of the Mormon community and the church unique activities and administration. Not a big point - in our book club the ladies of other faiths enjoyed it also. Rural history in the 1930's was not so different across the US. It appeals to the age group who remembers the 30's and 40's. The young kids would probably not relate (unless they had listed raptly to their elders)

[Alan Marchant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry to say, there's nothing here to review. Hooligan covers exhaustively the Utah boyhood, in depression-era Provo, of writer Douglas Thayer and is the flattest memoir that I have ever read. Thayer grew up poor in a broken home, but the powerful informal safety net in that Mormon community protected him from any significant tragedy, distress, or even unhappiness. Thankfully the rest of the autobiography will never be written.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very unique writing and fascinating picture of Provo in the 1940s.

[Julie Balkman · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're from Provo, Utah this might be interesting.

[James Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir is truly a boy's story. The narrator tells the story from a boy's point of view with vivid details and wonderful vignettes. From the first page, where he comments "We were to be seen and not heard.", the narrative is filled with moments that resonated for me even though my own boyhood was much different than the author's. I found the episodic style another aspect that made this like a boy's story for it seemed more natural that he would tell it in this, somewhat unorganized, manner. Nevertheless I looked forward to each chapter and the new events and information that it would bring. The characters and events seemed real even when we learn few details about them.

The memoir provided sufficient detail to bring a different place and time alive. The accumulation of episodes and events led to a rich picture of another era when things were truly simpler. Again this rang true to me based on my own boyhood. The narrator includes changes in his life like the separation of his parents and his school experiences that provide an additional layer of meaning for the memoir. While there was a certain detachment of the narrator from all of this, the result for this reader was that the memoir took on a dreamlike quality that enhanced the feeling of difference in this particular place.

Through its presentation as an episodic boy's story the overall effect was one that made me feel that I was a participant in this story. I was satisfied as the narrative ended that I had shared some part of this interesting boyhood.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thayer is about ten years older than my older brother, but I can relate to much of what he describes about growing up in rural Utah. We grew up in the Millcreek area that was changing from orchards to houses after World War II, and there were many fields of alfafa, vacant lots, and open country clear to Mt. Olympus, where my brother and I used to ride his horse, Whirley. The book was recommended at Education Week to read to find descriptions that would be useful in my personal history, and I found it amazing in the detail that he recalls. I enjoyed his wit and humor as well as the nostalgia.
I found his attitude toward hunting and cruelty to animals upset me to read. I liked his style of remembering with no particular story line unique and found it a good way to begin to write my own memories. However, the fact that he wrote from the point of view of "all the boys" not just himself, made it more a snapshot of a time and place than his individual life story. It was a clever device to make it more universal.
I chuckled at the phrases of Utah language at which he poked fun , and enjoyed how he kept a child's point of view, with vast regions of things he did not understand and did not particularly worry about, leaving them to the adults.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Douglas Thayer remembers the wonder of boyhood and has captured it in this brief memoir of growing up in Provo's 6th ward back during the 30s and 40s. The simple pleasures of past decades depicted here are a sharp contrast to the sports regimen and/or videogaming activities of boys today.

This charming and nostalgic story features a bit of everything: Franklin Elementary school, Dixon Jr. High, and B.Y. High, the Provo 6th ward of the LDS Church, family life, holidays, summer activities, and myriad Provo businesses most of which have long since left the scene.

Each chapter is preceded by a short list of words suggesting the content of that chapter. Chapter 1 has "square blocks, pie lady, Babylon, sin, Heber Creeper" and chapter 2 has "Zion, WPA, harlot, police station, Sears, BB guns". This is great stuff. Read it on a porch swing in the cool of the evening, the sound of a train whistle off in the distance.

[Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thayer grew up in a neighboring community (Provo) several miles from where I grew up (Springville) and several years ahead of my time, but I well remember many of the places and practices he writes about. Life has changed very much since the '30s and the '40s, and it was fascinating to take a trip down specific memory lane. There is no overall story to this book but many mini-stories in every chapter. That these stories represent truth puts the frosting on the fascination. Evident in some of these stories are influences that shaped the adult man. Occasionally one recognizes Thayer's personal choices which determined the direction of his life, and one might wonder what became of some of his pals. The book does not hold interest to the point of non-stop reading, but it was truly a pleasant, refreshing experience, perhaps every couple days, to read a chapter and visit boyhood as it was.

[Julene · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this one is a memoir. I've never really read a memoir before so I don't know if they generally have a format similar to this book. At first I kept waiting for the rather random collection of memories to end and for the story to start. Then I just started to enjoy the memories and kept reading "just one more chapter." His boyhood sounds pretty sweet and reading about all the fun he had growing up made me think that the guys in my life should have read this book to come up with ideas of fun (and usually pointless) ways to spend their time. :) It seems a bit tragic to me that the type of boyhood he had is probably not reproducible at this time, unless perhaps you live in a very tiny town.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not like this book when I started it. Thayer's style took a lot of adjusting and if the star-thing were supposed to be objective, he'd probably only get 3. But, since I really liked the book, I gave him 4 and I'll tell you why. Initially, I started reading the book when I was in Washington; it was somewhat tortuous and fun at the same time, since I was familiar with many of the places he was talking about (he grew up in Provo). But then I came home to Provo and I enjoyed the book immensely: it suddenly became very funny, very nostalgic, and very engaging. Now, this might sound crazy, but I think it's because I was in Provo. So, this book might be best read if you are actually living in Provo, Utah. Might be.

[Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. We read it for RS Enrichment. I had heard the author being interviewed on BYU Radio and liked what I heard. A little warning - at first there are parts that seem a little irreverent about some church stuff, but you just realize that this is a kid's impression as you read on it doesn't bother you. The book is a reflection of how life used to be for kids when we didn't have so much organized activity for them and life was a lot simpler. It was fun! You are welcome to borrow it from me.

[David Kenison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author grew up in Provo, Utah in the 1930's and 40's. In this memoir, he records and analyzes the memories of his childhood and youth. You learn about his early Church experiences, the environment in Provo, various adventures with his friends, and his maturing experiences of youth.

Though he predates me by three decades, there was enough in his folksy narrative that "rang true" to my own youth in nearby Payson to make it very enjoyable for me. With the exception of his guns and shooting, much of the rest brought warm remembrances. It made me eager to document more of my own memories!

[Julianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad grew up in Provo, just a few years after the author. He recommended this book to me, I guess to give me a glimps of how good he had it growing up.

Technically speaking, this book is beautifully written. After having just finished a very poorly written book, this was a great treat. I read a little slower to savor the images he produces, rather than racing to the end, just to get through it!

I came away from this book thinking about my own memories from childhood, and what memories my children will have when they grow up.

[Meggen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful and humorous read about author Douglas Thayer, as he vividly and frankly recounts his growing up years in old-town Provo, Utah. Written from the perspective of his childhood eyes, this book will capture your heart and tickle your funny bone. My one regret is that it was not longer. Bravo, Doug! Bravo!

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another gift from Dick and Jan. I loved Douglas Thayer's In The Attic and enjoyed this but not as much as some of his earlier books---probably because this memoir of his growing up in Provo, Utah is a been there done that of my growing up in Salt Lake City.

[Laurel Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent some of my teen years babysitting Doug Thayer's kids. This is a literary picture of his boyhood that I don't think I could have imagined from what I knew of him. A VERY good read. I can hear his voice in my head as I read the stories.

[Terry Earley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really did enjoy this memoir. Thayer certainly has a better memory than I. The detail told in such spare and simple language helped me feel these experiences through the eyes of a boy growing up in the depression.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris and I read this together. It's clever, hilarious, and moving. I highly recommend it.

[Melinda Boulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was a lot slower than i thought it would be, considering i know the author and he is a very spunky, entertaining man. i was a bit disapointed, but was still relatively entertained.

[Margot · Rating 4 out of 5]

A former writing teacher of mine. Charming and uniquely written.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you didn't get a wild and free childhood, you can live through this book!

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming and fun book full of tales of being a boy in utah valley during the depression and WWII. Just a lot of fun back when boys could rome and moms didn't worry.