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When All the World Was Young: A Memoir
Acclaimed writer Barbara Holland, whom the Philadelphia Inquirer has called "a national treasure," finally tells her own story with this atmospheric account of a postwar American childhood. When All the World Was Young is Holland's account of growing up in Washington, D.C., during the 1940s and '50s, and is a deliciously subversive, sensitive journey into her past.
Mixing tales of an autocratic stepfather, a brilliant, reclusive mother, and a houseful of siblings with jump-rope rhymes and dangerous sled runs, teachers both wise and weird, and a child's-eye view of war, Holland gives readers a unique and sharp-eyed look at history and the world of childhood as it used to be.
Mixing tales of an autocratic stepfather, a brilliant, reclusive mother, and a houseful of siblings with jump-rope rhymes and dangerous sled runs, teachers both wise and weird, and a child's-eye view of war, Holland gives readers a unique and sharp-eyed look at history and the world of childhood as it used to be.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2005
12 people are currently reading
2402 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Holland
56 books60 followersBarbara Murray Holland was an American author who wrote in defense of such modern-day vices as cursing, drinking, eating fatty food and smoking cigarettes, as well as a memoir of her time spent growing up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, near Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
August 6, 2009
This intelligent, literary memoir is about childhood during simpler times (the 1940s, though it could easily have taken place any time pre-80s, before urban sprawl and recent child-rearing fashions took hold. Indeed, I identified very strongly with the childhood Holland describes).
Unlike so many other memoirs, this one is absolutely engrossing without ever once relying on harrowing or shocking events. (Although serious family dysfunction and tragic events are present, they seem entirely incidental to the main thrust of the story. She is simply telling about her life in the forties, and my impression is that she wouldn’t change one minute of it.) Somehow, despite being a personal account of her life, this book feels different from other memoirs; occasionally it reads not so much as a memoir but as regular nonfiction (American Childhood in the Forties, perhaps) despite the fact that she is always at the front of the story. Clearly, she has done a better job than most of putting her life in the perspective of the larger social framework.
Throughout, it is clear that the author has disdain for so much of today’s culture (the over scheduled child, our separation from nature) yet she never explicitly says so. Never once does she proselytize on any of these topics; she lets her impeccable memory speak for itself.
This book vividly reminded me of my own childhood in a way that few other books have. The way the yard gets torn up when you’ve been playing in the sprinklers: “the grass collapsed into muddy squish.” The complete peacefulness of being in a tree with a book, knowing that nobody will wonder where you are for hours. Why in the world were the windows in cafeterias never opened? “The school’s compulsory lunch always smelled awful, perhaps because the basement cafeteria wasn’t ventilated and smells accumulated and layered in the air as the days and lunches went by…” Lawns: “Up close they were a miniature ecosystem, and children could lie on their stomachs and watch the very smallest of nameless bugs laboriously climbing to the top of a grass blade, swaying for a moment, and then climbing back down, having accomplished nothing discernable.”
The highest praise I can give this book is that I actually enjoyed the World War Two parts!
EXCERPT:
“One day somebody got the signals crossed and announced a genuine air raid headed our way. We were to go home in an orderly fashion, not to dawdle nor to panic and rush out into traffic, and head straight for our basements and sit with our knees over our ears as previously instructed. (Why we were sent to the cafeteria for a pretend air raid but sent home for a real one is another mystery.)
I went home in an orderly fashion and found Mother reading on the couch. ‘The Germans are coming,’ I told her. ‘We have to go down to the basement. It’s an air raid, real one.’
She looked up and struggled to focus on me. ‘Oh, I don’t think so,’ she said.
‘But it’s true! They closed the school and sent us home!’
‘I expect it’s a mistake,’ she said.
I stood their awkwardly in the middle of the room, the bearer of momentous news like a torch that had sputtered out in my hand. I could hear Viola singing to herself and the thump of her iron, and smell the steaming shirts. Mother turned a page. All was peace and order. Germany was clear across the ocean, and even the ocean now was far away.
I went out to play.”
Unlike so many other memoirs, this one is absolutely engrossing without ever once relying on harrowing or shocking events. (Although serious family dysfunction and tragic events are present, they seem entirely incidental to the main thrust of the story. She is simply telling about her life in the forties, and my impression is that she wouldn’t change one minute of it.) Somehow, despite being a personal account of her life, this book feels different from other memoirs; occasionally it reads not so much as a memoir but as regular nonfiction (American Childhood in the Forties, perhaps) despite the fact that she is always at the front of the story. Clearly, she has done a better job than most of putting her life in the perspective of the larger social framework.
Throughout, it is clear that the author has disdain for so much of today’s culture (the over scheduled child, our separation from nature) yet she never explicitly says so. Never once does she proselytize on any of these topics; she lets her impeccable memory speak for itself.
This book vividly reminded me of my own childhood in a way that few other books have. The way the yard gets torn up when you’ve been playing in the sprinklers: “the grass collapsed into muddy squish.” The complete peacefulness of being in a tree with a book, knowing that nobody will wonder where you are for hours. Why in the world were the windows in cafeterias never opened? “The school’s compulsory lunch always smelled awful, perhaps because the basement cafeteria wasn’t ventilated and smells accumulated and layered in the air as the days and lunches went by…” Lawns: “Up close they were a miniature ecosystem, and children could lie on their stomachs and watch the very smallest of nameless bugs laboriously climbing to the top of a grass blade, swaying for a moment, and then climbing back down, having accomplished nothing discernable.”
The highest praise I can give this book is that I actually enjoyed the World War Two parts!
EXCERPT:
“One day somebody got the signals crossed and announced a genuine air raid headed our way. We were to go home in an orderly fashion, not to dawdle nor to panic and rush out into traffic, and head straight for our basements and sit with our knees over our ears as previously instructed. (Why we were sent to the cafeteria for a pretend air raid but sent home for a real one is another mystery.)
I went home in an orderly fashion and found Mother reading on the couch. ‘The Germans are coming,’ I told her. ‘We have to go down to the basement. It’s an air raid, real one.’
She looked up and struggled to focus on me. ‘Oh, I don’t think so,’ she said.
‘But it’s true! They closed the school and sent us home!’
‘I expect it’s a mistake,’ she said.
I stood their awkwardly in the middle of the room, the bearer of momentous news like a torch that had sputtered out in my hand. I could hear Viola singing to herself and the thump of her iron, and smell the steaming shirts. Mother turned a page. All was peace and order. Germany was clear across the ocean, and even the ocean now was far away.
I went out to play.”
March 26, 2015
3.75 stars. Caustic, with a blindness to privilege that disturbed me (likely because my foremothers would have been the "help" that everyone took for granted). From the first chapter, the memoir read itself in Rosalind Russell's "Auntie Mame" drawl in my mind, which definitely colored my reception of it. The early part of her adulthood that was recounted was so murky and painfully abrupt that I wonder if it would have been better to end before she got that far.
October 12, 2010
"What happened to eccentrics? I suppose for a while we locked up the impecunious ones, and then we just medicated them all, and after that it was no fun anymore and they faded away." This is the kind of observation that fills "When All the World Was Young," Barbara Holland's clear-eyed look back on growing up in the 1940s and '50s. This is a memoir, yes, but it is also a testament to what it meant to be a child, teenager, mother, father, wife, and husband in a time before TV, the Internet, hugging politicians, etc. She is nostalgic in the best of ways, writing as the best non-fiction writers do, with just the right degree of detachment. No Liars-Club-Glass-Castle-Running-with-Scissors microscopic self-examination here. Rather, she smartly reveals how a person is shaped by her era and environment.
April 17, 2011
The best memoirs leave one wanting more. This is one of those. A lovely, incisively observed life. Holland is amusing without being silly, nostalgic without being treacly.
A telling excerpt:
"Several years ago a well-heeled friend said to me, 'I was brought up to believe you must never, ever dip into capital. Weren't you?' 'No,' I said, 'I was brought up to believe you must never, ever cross a picket line.' and we gazed at each other across the chasm."
I adored this book. Holland struck all the right notes.
A telling excerpt:
"Several years ago a well-heeled friend said to me, 'I was brought up to believe you must never, ever dip into capital. Weren't you?' 'No,' I said, 'I was brought up to believe you must never, ever cross a picket line.' and we gazed at each other across the chasm."
I adored this book. Holland struck all the right notes.
September 12, 2011
This story is so much more than a brilliantly observant girl growing up in WWII-era Washington, D.C., more than the story of growing up in a home with an emotionally detached mother and wicked stepfather- it's also an authentic history of that time and a terrific look of how children were seen, how wives lived and how fathers (some) ruled the world.
Holland never victimizes herself and is anything but sentimental, yet it certainly seems her family alienation extended to her entire academic career, where she has cast herself as the permanent quintessential misfit.
The writing is stellar and the chapters are brilliantly named; furthermore, I love the picture the author chose of herself for the back cover. Although nothing earth shaking occurs in the book, I was never the less swept away.
Holland never victimizes herself and is anything but sentimental, yet it certainly seems her family alienation extended to her entire academic career, where she has cast herself as the permanent quintessential misfit.
The writing is stellar and the chapters are brilliantly named; furthermore, I love the picture the author chose of herself for the back cover. Although nothing earth shaking occurs in the book, I was never the less swept away.
May 20, 2023
I love a good memoir. Barbara Holland is witty as she accounts growing up in the 40s and 50s and what that meant for society and family roles being a girl and woman. We've made a lot of progress; but also, not enough progress.
August 13, 2016
It took me way longer than required to finish this memoir because I didn't want it to end. You know there are books you simply couldn't put down and had to devour the whole thing as quickly as you could? Well, with this one, it's a dilemma. As much as I enjoyed her writing and wanted to find out what happened next, I was reluctant to read fast. It was like a decadent slice of cake I wanted to savour. This book made me cry, made me laugh, and made me cry some more in the end. It definitely tugged at my heartstrings.
Here's a quote that stood out for me:
"Our work would be brilliant. We didn't consider the rewards of fame and success-- we rather scorned them, and expected to go unrecognized until long after our deaths: dying undiscovered and penniless in a Tunisian desert or Tibetan monastery was far more romantic than money and fame."
She certainly wrote brilliantly. There is a lightness to her writing. Her voice is youthful. I enjoyed her style so much. And she was unrecognized by me until 3 years and 4 months after her death. (Even though we bought her book in 2011, it was left untouched on our bookshelf for 2+ years.) I will definitely be reading her other books. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is that I think she would scorn a perfect score as well. The truth is I absolutely LOVED this book. Thank you, Barbara.
Here's a quote that stood out for me:
"Our work would be brilliant. We didn't consider the rewards of fame and success-- we rather scorned them, and expected to go unrecognized until long after our deaths: dying undiscovered and penniless in a Tunisian desert or Tibetan monastery was far more romantic than money and fame."
She certainly wrote brilliantly. There is a lightness to her writing. Her voice is youthful. I enjoyed her style so much. And she was unrecognized by me until 3 years and 4 months after her death. (Even though we bought her book in 2011, it was left untouched on our bookshelf for 2+ years.) I will definitely be reading her other books. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is that I think she would scorn a perfect score as well. The truth is I absolutely LOVED this book. Thank you, Barbara.
March 21, 2016
2016 Reading Challenge: An autobiography/a non-fiction book dealing with feminist themes.
Wow...I'm not sure I could explain why this memoir was so good, but I inhaled in in less than two days. Non-fiction books rarely pull me in unless they're humorous and/or fascinatingly scientific (Bill Bryson, Mary Roach), but this one was a breeze.
The author has an easy way of writing that is lush and vivid without feeling flowery or overwrought. There were certain descriptions that felt immediately familiar even though no one had ever pointed them out before. For me, good writing is writing that you don't even notice, effortlessly graceful.
Gah, I'd continue this review, but I know it would just be more rambling nonsense without actually conveying anything useful. Other reviewers have left better summaries, so go read those. I'll just say that I'd recommend this memoir to just about anyone without hesitation.
Wow...I'm not sure I could explain why this memoir was so good, but I inhaled in in less than two days. Non-fiction books rarely pull me in unless they're humorous and/or fascinatingly scientific (Bill Bryson, Mary Roach), but this one was a breeze.
The author has an easy way of writing that is lush and vivid without feeling flowery or overwrought. There were certain descriptions that felt immediately familiar even though no one had ever pointed them out before. For me, good writing is writing that you don't even notice, effortlessly graceful.
Gah, I'd continue this review, but I know it would just be more rambling nonsense without actually conveying anything useful. Other reviewers have left better summaries, so go read those. I'll just say that I'd recommend this memoir to just about anyone without hesitation.
June 17, 2015
A year or two ago I'm at the South Pasadena library looking over their 50 cent books on the sale table. I spotted this book, thought "sounds interesting," bought it, put it on my shelf, and forgot about it.
I recently picked it up and started reading. Wow, who is this woman? Never heard of her. This is one of the best memoirs I've ever read. I haven't read that many, but this is right at the top nonetheless. I will be reading more Barbara Holland in the future. I am sad to learn that she is already gone from this world and will write no more.
I recently picked it up and started reading. Wow, who is this woman? Never heard of her. This is one of the best memoirs I've ever read. I haven't read that many, but this is right at the top nonetheless. I will be reading more Barbara Holland in the future. I am sad to learn that she is already gone from this world and will write no more.
January 1, 2014
Great memoir from an interesting time in American history. The innocence/naivete that was prevalent in that period is sorely missed these days. Descriptive, yet fast-moving, the author's prose takes you through some important life issues as a young person finding their way in a nuclear world with funny anecdotes and relate-able social/family situations.
March 2, 2009
Delightful memoir. Such a way with words; sad little girl but an incredible insight and way to express it. It's terriffic!
February 15, 2013
Good writing again. The book made me really sad. Made me ponder life a bit.
January 20, 2021
dry, witty...funny, a little caustic and always kind...her voice does it for me, and this is as honest (even in the gaps) as I have read in a while-she does not hide from herself but she is kind to herself and this story of base line awareness or woke as the kids say, white woman coming of age in 40-50's America is true and thought provoking-plus raised in Washington DC and Maryland...home
April 2, 2019
Read my review here:
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/7467232
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/7467232
June 21, 2022
One of the best memoirs I have read. I so related to her growing up in 40s & 50s. So many similar memories. I love her rebellion which was so rare for a woman in those times. Great read!
July 13, 2022
Loved this book. The writing is careless and breezy, while still being humorous and scathing. She manages to capture the carefree experience of childhood, with the solemnity adulthood. Her description of depression, of time passing and that happiness comes from being able to take care of yourself... I feel like I met a kindred spirit. It does a good job of describing the horrors of racism and elitism and sexism, but she does it lightly, without argument. The matter of fact manner that she describes it is wonderful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2016
This was an enjoyable memoir of a girl growing up during and after the second world war. Very well-written and I really liked the author's voice. She was serious, but witty, in an understated way. I totally agreed with her attitude toward public school, especially physical education! I want to check out more of her writing.
Favorite quotes:
"Boredom possessed me like a rage. The world out there was bursting with things to be learned and books to be read, and the hours of school where deliberately, purposefully, spitefully, keeping me from learning anything at all."
"Boredom was a punishment inflicted by other people on their captives. And how could she imagine that anyone would go to school who wasn't forced to"
"Perhaps we were unusual - I suppose we were - but most children were unusual then. Different, one from the other, Various in flavor. It was before the invention of teenagers."
"Growing up is the process of learning how many things you can't do and how many people you can't be. When you've winnowed them out, what's left is you."
Favorite quotes:
"Boredom possessed me like a rage. The world out there was bursting with things to be learned and books to be read, and the hours of school where deliberately, purposefully, spitefully, keeping me from learning anything at all."
"Boredom was a punishment inflicted by other people on their captives. And how could she imagine that anyone would go to school who wasn't forced to"
"Perhaps we were unusual - I suppose we were - but most children were unusual then. Different, one from the other, Various in flavor. It was before the invention of teenagers."
"Growing up is the process of learning how many things you can't do and how many people you can't be. When you've winnowed them out, what's left is you."
September 25, 2014
This was a book club read for me. I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of memoirs. I did read the entire thing (didn't abandon it). I think I was waiting to find out about her time where she was forcibly committed to a mental hospital, but alas that never happened. I also wondered through the first quarter of the book whether she was forced to write this book during her therapy sessions as she never seemed like a very happy or satisfied person.
I do admit that some of this was probably on track for the times. My grandfather didn't show affection to my mother or her sister although in time he doted all his affection on his grandchildren. Some serious issues she just glossed over and it made me wonder why she even bothered to include them in the book, but then I guess it was supposed to be more a reflection of the time period's impacts on her life versus just a story about her life.
I do admit that some of this was probably on track for the times. My grandfather didn't show affection to my mother or her sister although in time he doted all his affection on his grandchildren. Some serious issues she just glossed over and it made me wonder why she even bothered to include them in the book, but then I guess it was supposed to be more a reflection of the time period's impacts on her life versus just a story about her life.
October 24, 2010
Holland's high school Shakespeare schedule (late 40's):
Freshman year: Romeo and Juliet
Sophomore year: Julius Ceasar
Junior year: Macbeth (oddly jammed among a year of American Lit)
Senior year: Hamlet
My high school Shakespeare schedule (mid 90's):
Freshman year: Romeo and Juliet
Sophomore year: King Lear (though I know other classes did Julius Ceasar)
Junior year: Macbeth (oddly jammed among a year of American Lit)
Senior year: Hamlet
This is not a profound point, but it made me laugh.
Freshman year: Romeo and Juliet
Sophomore year: Julius Ceasar
Junior year: Macbeth (oddly jammed among a year of American Lit)
Senior year: Hamlet
My high school Shakespeare schedule (mid 90's):
Freshman year: Romeo and Juliet
Sophomore year: King Lear (though I know other classes did Julius Ceasar)
Junior year: Macbeth (oddly jammed among a year of American Lit)
Senior year: Hamlet
This is not a profound point, but it made me laugh.
June 4, 2007
This is one of my favorite memoirs. Funny, and familiar too. She grew up during the 1940's and 50's and much of what she talks about is what I remember from the 50's and 60's. Hilarious! She looks at childhood the way it used to be,Jump roping, sledding, playing outdoors with a gang of kids, brothers and sisters in a large family and so much more. All before the women's movement.
Barbara Holland is a very witty writer and I found myself laughting out loud all the way through! Loved it.
Barbara Holland is a very witty writer and I found myself laughting out loud all the way through! Loved it.
August 17, 2010
I loved learning about what it was like growing up in the 40s and 50s, what family life was like, the roles of men and women during the War, and social expectations. It makes history so much more relatable when it comes from a woman's perspective. I'd be interested in reading one of Barbara Holland's other titles.
May 31, 2014
I always enjoy reading Barbara Holland's books. Her imagery is unique and real. She writes so that you feel what happened. She also documented a time gone by (with the observation that, of course, all time has gone by). Despite the observation, she preserved a view of the 1950s that isn't a rehash of what is usually presented concerning the 1950s.
January 17, 2008
Barbara Holland is truly fantastic - her observations, wit and style make her writing come to life so vivdly. This is a great account of her life, and also a light examination of how the "role" of the woman is defined in society.
January 28, 2008
Found this left on a bench in a mall. Never should have picked it up. The first chapter seems interesting but I struggled to get through a couple more chapters before deciding it was terrible and that I wasn't going to waste my time reading it.
April 15, 2009
The best book I've read thus far this year. Totally absorbing and extremely well-written. Even though this is a memoir, Holland tells her story in the larger context of the era in which she grew up (1940s and 1950s), which I found fascinating. A truly wonderful book.
July 7, 2010
grew up on meadow in chevy chase... wanted to have words w/ her stp father ... experience affected her life it seems... very interestingly written and fun to recall growing up in 40's and 50's... she may have been born about 1940...
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March 21, 2011I am going to quit pretending to read this now. Poor book, I've been supposedly reading it for like two weeks and have gotten through about five pages. It's not the book's fault, it has fallen victim to my annual March college basektball- and Spring fever-induced reading lull.
April 9, 2012
This book struck a cord especially for a baby boomer.... Ms Holland's strong imagery evokes a time and place in our/my history. Her description of THE chair that livingrooms had- the one with the comfortable chair with a reading lamp... the chair no one sat in except the Dad.
August 26, 2012
Having grown up in DC, within walking distance of where she grew up, reading this was like a trip down memory lane for me. But biases aside, she her tale in a way that keeps you you reading. Anyone who grew up in the 40s or 50s should be able to relate.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews