Cabin Pressure: One Man's Desperate Attempt to Recapture His Youth as a Camp Counselor

by Josh Wolk

What happens when a grown man returns to the site of his fondest childhood memories? A wry, clear-eyed, and laugh-out-loud look at the transition to adulthood

Three months before getting married at age thirty-four, Josh Wolk decides to treat himself to a "farewell to childhood" extravaganza: one last summer working at the beloved Maine boys' camp where he spent most of the eighties. And there he finds out that there's no better way to see how much you've changed than to revisit a place that hasn't changed at all.

In these eight hilarious, uncomfortable, enlightening weeks, Josh readjusts to life teaching swimming and balancing on a thin metal cot in a cabin of shouting, wrestling, wet-willie-dispensing fourteen-year-olds who, contrary to the warnings of doomsaying sociologists, he finds indistinguishable from the rowdy fourteen-year-olds of his day in any way other than their haircuts. With his old camp friends gone, he finds himself working alongside guys who used to be his campers. Moments of feeling cripplingly old are offset by the corrosive insecurities of his youth when he's paired in the cabin with Mitch, the forty-two-year-old jack-of-all- extreme-sports whose machismo intimidated Josh so much fifteen years earlier, and whom their current campers idolize. And throughout all this disorienting regression, Josh's telephone conversations with his fianc�e, Christine, grow increasingly intense as their often comical discussions over the wedding become a flimsy cover for her worries that he's not ready to relinquish his death-grip on the comforts of the past./PPA hilarious and insightful look at the tenacious power of nostalgia, the glory of childhood, and thenervous excitement of taking a leap to the next unknown stage in life, iCabin Pressure/i will appeal to anyone who's ever been young, wishes he was young again, but knows deep down it probably isn't a good idea./PPbJosh Wolk/b is a senior writer at iEntertainment Weekly/i. His work has appeared in the iNew York Times/i, the iBoston Globe, Time Out New York, Sports Illustrated/i, and iGolf/i. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and their daughter./P

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, Humor, Biography Memoir, Adult

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Maitreyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story time! Thirty years ago, Josh Wolk worked the same student-run hotline at Tufts that I'm now a part of. Our room has a little journal that people write in when on shift and Josh's entries from thirty years ago were some of the funniest pieces I've ever read in my life. Then I found out that he'd written a book about camp, and I was about to work at a summer camp for the first time in my life, and so I bought his book.
And I loved it! It was genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious and refreshing and I'm such a fan of his writing style. It was also really nice reading about things that I was experiencing too my first month at camp as a counselor.
Highly recommend!

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who has not been to summer camp, even if only for a day? And as an adult, who has not sat in his or her industrial beige/grey cubicle on a clear, beautiful summer day and wished they were once again that carefree youngster jumping into a frigid lake or pounding initials into a piece of leather?

Josh Wolk, a senior writer for Entertainment Weekly, decided to spend part of the summer before his wedding doing just that. He returned to his boyhood haunt as a counselor, hoping to find his boyhood before stepping solidly into adulthood. His lighthearted look at the goings on at camp will keep you laughing. But, just as in life, all is not high-jinks and pratfalls. He is looking back at this from the perspective of twenty years beyond most of the people there. But he gives even the serious stuff a humorous edge.

If you’ve ever been to summer camp, or even if you haven’t, you’ll enjoy this book. It’s both funny and nostalgic, a perfect blend of entertainment. So grab your gorp and bug juice and come along for the ride. You’ll be glad you did.

[Carlynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, summer camp...

"Since it was dark all around me, I didn't see any of them coming; I'd be in the middle of a chapter when a moth suddenly landed right on my sentence, and with a jolt I'd shake the book to make it flit off. I made it through about six pages and four regulation-sized moths when the most enormous mother moth appeared on my pages. In the 0.0003 seconds before I suppressed a scream and tossed the book on the floor, I think I saw it drag one of its legs across its own throat and then point at me. I snapped off the light and lay in the dark, breathing heavily. Finally I calmed down, convincing myself that the moth had only wanted my book and had likely already flown away with it and was discussing it in its Giant Fucking Mutant Bug Club." (p. 70)

[Julie Ehlers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this memoir because I used to read Josh Wolk's writing on EW.com and always found it hilarious. I figured the book would be just as hilarious, but unfortunately there were not nearly as many laughs as I was expecting. Still, it was entertaining enough and some of the depictions of the campers were truly touching, even if the whole thing felt like an extended visit to the boys' locker room.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This definitely had some laugh out loud moments, as I expected. I am a huge Josh Wolk fan from www.ew.com and his recaps there of AMAZING RACE are often better than the show itself. That being said, I think a) boys or b) people who went to camp might like it better than I did, since I am not a boy, nor a former camper.

[Jason Blythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book it makes me want to sing...

Hello Muddah,
Hello Fadduh.
Here I am at
Camp Granada.
Camp is very
entertaining.
And they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining.

Very enjoyable book. Never have gone to a camp for the summer it allowed me to live vicariously through the author.

Anybody that has been to a summer camp would sure enjoy this book.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just could not get into this book. I don't know if it because I could not relate since I have never been to any type of summer camp, or I just did not get the humor. I also found him to be annoying so that did not help get into his stories. I would not recommend the book but many others who have read it liked it.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

what a disappointment. His article on entertainment weekly are so funny but this book was a bummer.

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, this book was a very LONG attempt to recapture his youth.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one will probably appeal only to those who have a special relationship with camp...fortunately, that's a lot of us.
There's not a ton of plot here...Josh predictably answers the question he starts his summer with. But there's plenty of nostalgia and anecdotes and a likable cast of kids and adults to spend the summer with. It will definitely feel like camp.
It's pretty testosterone heavy...my camp counselor days were spent primarily at Girl Scout camps and the all-boy experience is a bit much at times, but also strikes me as very real and the portrayal of the kids as not being overly jaded but still getting to be...well, kids...is refreshing.
The thing I found most jarring is that the camp staff at his camp is....old. Josh coming back at thirty-four should be the oldest guy there but somehow he isn't and yet somehow there are also seventeen-year-old camp counselors. My last time at my childhood camp for more than a day or two I was twenty-four and I assure you I was ancient by camp standards. Apparently, Josh isn't the only guy who tries to use this place as a fountain of youth, he's just the one who wrote about it. It must be an interesting place.
The other thing that bugged me...I feel a little bad for the fiancee, Christine, although she is portrayed as a sympathetic character...no bride would be able to take off for eight weeks before her wedding to go live in the woods. Life just doesn't work that way.
Maybe I'm just jealous of him...maybe I'm supposed to be...

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, couldn't get into it. Twice over. Just couldn't, I wanted to the second time so bad, but decided I could read a book that caught me better with all the books I have lined up to read. Will pass along to another camp friend.
Gave up Oct 9, 2023

[Lorlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read a good bit of it.

Wanting to recapture his summer youth adventures -- as an adult -- before he gets married.

[Scott Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a true story of a soon to be married man who returns for one summer to the camp he went to as a boy. Both very real and hilarious at the same time. Very enjoyable read.

[AC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captured the magic of summer camp. Very funny as well. Made me want to return to summer camp myself.

[Yolanda Roche · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a former camper and counselor, very relatable. The author reflects on sentiments that echo my own experiences.

[J.J. Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Para mí, hay pocas cosas tan estilísticamente perfectas como la de un campamento de verano. La sola idea del mismo conjuga imágenes de días soleados (o de danzas bajo la lluvia también), de los exteriores, de una camaradería supina y estólida (y a la vez perdurable), de la construcción del carácter y de habilidades impensables en el ambiente escolar, de olvidarse por un momento de los estereotipos ganados a pulso entre habituales compañeros de escuela, o de visiones de una formación de caballero chapado a la antigua. En suma, de memorias inolvidables.

Al igual que el autor de esta divertida memoria, fui lo suficientemente afortunado como para pasar algunas de las horas más hermosas de mi vida en un campamento de verano. Desafortunadamente, no me correspondió pasar las míticas ocho semanas, sino tres días en la primera ocasión y una semana en la segunda. Sin embargo, al igual que Josh Wolk y que, en una obra similar el ex CEO de Disney Michael Eisner, creo que no hay nada que se le compare a un campamento. Nada.

El autor, viéndose aprisionado por la idea del matrimonio que está en puerta, decide pasar un último verano como consejero del campamento al que siempre fue de niño. A su mente acuden imágenes románticas y una desesperada búsqueda de la juventud perdida en el mundo real, sólo para encontrarse con una mezcolanza entre las actitudes de la generación actual y sus propios traumas en medio de la maduración de un hombre de 34. Como miembro de la industria del entretenimiento, Wolk sabe contar su historia y darle un giro gracioso, incluso en los momentos tensos en los que pelea con su novia al teléfono. Como personajes de soporte están su consejero eterno rival, los amigos extranjeros que también la hacen de consejeros, y más que nada los púberes a los que le corresponde aconsejar. Hay una feria de caracteres y formas en estos niños, que el autor es muy claro al final en no llamar representativos, pues todos son neoingleses de clase media alta. Quizá al final la idea romanticona de Wolk de verdaderamente tocar la vida de alguno de sus pupilos no se cumpla, pero en su conclusión sí llega a envolver el presente, por lo menos a aquellos que vivimos experiencias similares. No importa que uno no recuerde a sus consejeros (los míos, que sí recuerdo a rajatabla, fueron bastante equis), sino que se cumpla aquella frase de Brian Adams: Those were the best days of my life.

[SamAnnElizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Full Review]

This book was a much-needed breath of fresh air for me. I read a lot of heavy and blah books around this one and I needed to remember that books can be funny. My break from writing reviews and summaries was to put my headphones on, turn on Cabin Pressure, and take a walk to the park. I split it up over a long time and the relaxed feeling I got from picturing this Maine camp filled with hyper campers and sarcastic counselors kept me smiling throughout.

Josh’s fiancée, Christine, was my favorite character. Having gotten married less than a year ago, I know how stressful planning a wedding can be. As my husband graduated from college two weeks before our wedding, I had to do a lot of detail planning by myself as well. I think she faced the whole endeavor with a lot more grace and strength than I mustered. I loved her wit and the loving way Josh portrayed her let me know she is an amazing person. I loved the detail he gave about her gift-giving habits. I have a similar quirk about making things personal.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books where a 30-something, realizing he is now a "grown-up", has a panic attack and tries to relive his childhood. In this case, writer Josh Wolk, is getting married and entering the grown-up world at last. He decides that he wants to go back and be a camp counselor at his beloved childhood summer camp once before embarking on the adventure of being a grown-up. Being a writer, he has the flexiblity to take the summer and sign on as a camp counselor and so he goes back and does just that.

Josh is one of those kids who never quite fit in as a child. He was exceptionally tall, a little too smart and gawky in a way that did not make him shine in sports. This camp, a non-competitive, boys only camp, lived in his memory as a place where he came into his own and even shone. Going back, he relives both the good and bad parts of his camp days. This was funny book (I particularly enjoyed his phone conversations with his wedding-stressed fiance) and made a nice change from exploring 9/11 angst.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subtitle of this testosterone-fueled novel really sums it up well - "One Man's Desperate Attempt to Recapture His Youth as a Camp Counselor." Growing up, I longed to go to sleepaway camp, but had to settle for the second-best day camp option. To fill that void retroactively and vicariously, I am often drawn to books set at summer camps. Josh Wolk's book is alternately nostalgic, introspective, funny and sweet. The narrative recollections are ok, but what really stand out are the cabin dialogues that take place between Wolk and his campers. Given that the book was set at an all-boys camp, the maleness of this book dominates; and so I appreciated the female infusion of scenes featuring Wolk's then-fiancee/now wife. I also finished the book with the sense that Wolk would be a good guy to know in real life. While this book won't make any of my personal "best of" lists, it was a decent enough way to while away a couple hot summer days.

[Kathleen Kurlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a "used books" table. I'm a sucker for cheap books! After quickly scanning the book jacket I was looking forward to this being a novel about a man in his 30s returning to his old summer camp to try and recapture his youth the summer before he was to get married. Once I started reading -- I had to go back and read the book jacket from start to finish because I realized the book was not a fiction novel but an actual account of the authors return to summer camp to recapture his youth before he embarked into the state of matrimony. I don't usually read memoirs, which is what I believe this book was. I enjoyed the book but was disappointed in that it was really just more of a diary. The writer is very gifted with his writing gift but honestly, I probably would have enjoyed it more had it been a fictional story as I'd been expecting.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've given this book the rare and elusive five-star rating because not only was it good, but I encountered it at the perfect time of my life.

A couple of weeks ago, while unemployed, broke, and nostalgic about my own camp days, I came across a job ad seeking resident camp counselors. I, too, am 34 years old and, after considering it for a couple of days, I decided not to spend my summer at camp. My last camp days were over a decade ago, and at least 30 pounds ago - and I think I crave privacy more now than I did at 18.

Shortly after my decision to not go to camp, this popped up as "available" on my BookMooch wishlist. When it arrived, I devoured it in less than 24 hours. It was a nice mix of laugh-out-loud hilarious and touching. I'm not sure that someone who hadn't spent time at camp - or didn't look back on it fondly - would enjoy it as much as I did.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved summer camp as a kid: swimming in the lake, hiking through the woods, sleeping out under the stars. Now, I prefer my exposure to nature to be at a safe distance. But I did enjoy reading Cabin Pressure. It brought back so many happy memories and the old envy of kids (mainly East Coast kids) who were able to spend 4, 8 or even 10 weeks away at camp, while my CYO camp never offered more than 10 days (reduced to 7 days after my second summer). Like the author, I too dreamed of returning to camp as a counselor (though when I applied to to be a CIT, I was denied on the grounds that counselor jobs usually went to college students planning a career in education or child development). Anyone who attended and has fond memories of summer camp will get a nostalgic kick out of this book.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josh completely encapsulated the feelings of camp - the uneasiness of showing up (though I've never been a returner), the exasperation of dealing with the kids, the giddy joy of making a difference, the complete contentment of revelling in the atmosphere, and the total, devastating exhaustion and frustration you feel by the end of the summer.

This book was a great read. It's definitely suited more towards someone who's walked the walk, but even if you haven't, it goes by quickly and has you laughing hysterically along the way. Quite fitting, actually, since the same could be said about camp itself.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 With such a very clever title, I thought this would be good to listen to on the way to the mountains, but there's a little too much swearing and stories of drinking so I just listened to it while I cleaned house and pictured myself jumping into a lake from a rope swing. I'm also reading Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal and it's funny how two stories that are so dissimilar can have enough things in common to make me ask myself, "Okay, which book am I in? Two 30 something men in search of adventure: one finds an all boys camp, the other an almost all boys orphanage.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Josh Wolk decides to spend the summer before he gets married back at his childhood summer camp. He’s older than most of the counselors at thirty-four, and has a hard time fitting in with them, but his rapport with his cabin – a bunch of fourteen-year-old boys – is strong, and their experience of camp is much as he remembers. Although some of the activities have changed, and the faces are slightly different (older or completely new), camp is largely the same. For anyone who shares Josh’s summer camp nostalgia, his descriptions will ring true and will likely inspire fond memories and laughter (if not a similar desire to return to those carefree days of summer).

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think my favorite line in this book is, "Adolescents were able to come up with an endless supply of nonsensical dirty euphemisms because their creativity wasn't hindered by actual familiarity with breasts or vaginas." I'm not sure how well it works as the coming-of-middle-age story it's marketed as, but it's a fun trip to camp, which is what I was hoping for. As a bonus for somebody surrounded by girls most of her life, I also got a summer's worth of unfiltered for girl ears boy banter. Wouldn't want to actually spend more than a day living it, but it made for fun reading.

[Emma]

It's not necessarily Great Literature, and, though the tone is similar at times to some of Bryson's work, one doesn't learn as much as one does from Bryson. I did, however, laugh so hard I thought milk was going to come out of my nose. It may be just that I share the author's strange and seemingly irrelevant obsession with nostalgia and the things that cause it. It may be that I like reading a book that lets me eavesdrop on someone's life. In any case, I enjoyed it immensely.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir tells the tale of a 40-year old man trying to reclaim his childhood, by becoming a counselor at his former childhood camp. I was hoping it would be a bit funnier, as this author is a former Entertainment Weekly writer. Instead, I found that he tried a little too hard in his attempts to bond with campers and other counselors. It was a good summer read, though. I've never been to camp but always wondered what it would be like, and this paints a great portrait of a carefree summer.

[Megalion · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's better than a memoir about a guy who's about to get married and is facing a kind of mid-life crisis and decides that returning to his childhood summer cap as a counselor is a good way to process that?

One who is a writer by trade and does so with the intent of also writing about it. His narrative style and metaphors & similes make for a very enjoyable read.

Highly recommended all around.

[Kristen Sturtevant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my head...if you've ever been to camp, this book will resonate and have you laughing out loud! Josh Wolk goes back to the camp of his youth for one last summer before he becomes an adult and gets married. Some of the humor is crude (it is an all boys camp, after all) but for any of us who have worked with adolescents, his descriptions of this summer ring true. Almost made me want to go back to my summer camp!