I have a great passion for reading books that depict children's bitter experiences. Maybe I subscribe to the belief of American psychologist Erik Fromm that "to understand children, we, adults, need to try to think like a child again." Sadly, not all adults are cognizant of this truth. That's precisely why the main objective of literature is to educate people about life, primarily about the life of children. I have perused several books about children. I can never forget Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt (5 stars), The Butcher's Boy by Patrick McCabe (3 stars), Torey Hayden's books such as The Innocent Child and its sequel The Tiger's Child (I was so lenient then that I gave both 5 stars on Good Reads). I also wept over the classic books like Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and David Copperfield. Even Beloved by Toni Morrison, one of my favorite fictional writers, although the character is a young teenager who gives an eerie feeling, it still punched my chest.

For local books, one is Connecting the Dots by Gojo Cruz (5 stars) which completely charmed me. (laughs) Such books are all centered around the same theme: human cruelty towards children, perhaps out of ignorance.

This book by Roald Dahl is one of the above-mentioned books. It may be designed to make readers laugh. And indeed, I did. However, the real essence of this book, as Dahl himself admitted at the end of the story, is his miserable experiences as a student at the hands of his school headmasters, teachers, and matrons. (Or to put it more bluntly, under the rotten educational system in Britain at that time) Dahl recounted how he was such a poor and innocent child. He was a prototype of the educational upbringing of that era. He had been beaten numerous times. So had his classmates. He had been humiliated and treated unjustly. So had his classmates. Admittedly, I was completely engrossed in his stories. If I had been his classmate at that time, I would have been so rebellious that I might have been expelled. (laughs) So, the title of this book, Boys: Tales of Childhood, is very fitting for all the stories.

I have always desired to be an active advocate for children's rights, especially for their education. Like Dahl, I was also a victim of incorrect education from teachers who might have been ignorant of child psychology. As a teacher now, I firmly believe in teaching students based on their individuality.

The wonderful thing about this book is that Roald Dahl was still able to make us laugh despite those underlying ill feelings. He was like a friend I had just made, sharing his Thomas-Sawyer-like stories. The atmosphere he created was so amicable that I felt sympathy for him. Moreover, reading it was very easy compared to other autobiographies or novels about children that require a higher level of thinking. He narrated his stories age by age, and every sentence is well-written. Since it is a children's book, I hope young readers can draw precious lessons from it. And I don't think it should be banned from the hands of young readers, just like what happened to his Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which received negative criticism. Shame on their distorted realities! ^^

Roald Dahl said in his preface that an autobiography for him is full of all kinds of boring details. If I take his words seriously, what he meant to say, I believe, is similar to what the famous American writer William Arthur Ward said:

"The adventure of life is to learn. The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome. The essence of life is to care. The opportunity of life is to serve. The secret of life is to dare. The spice of life is to befriend. The beauty of life is to give."

Yippee! ^^

After reading a particularly substandard piece of fiction, I was left yearning for something truly remarkable. That's when I turned to this book.

Roald Dahl was a man who had truly lived a full and eventful life. And I can say this even without having read "Going Solo," which delves into his adult years. The talent that Roald Dahl had in just his index finger far exceeded what most people possess in their entire bodies.

It was truly astonishing how a book that was so much fun, so charming, so quaint, so beautiful, so whimsical, and so picturesque could be classified as a non-fiction autobiography. Typically, autobiographies tend to be pretentious, boring, and sanctimonious. But not this one.

Having read 95% of Roald Dahl's fictional stories, it was a delight to recognize the parts of his own life that served as inspiration for various tales.

The vivid and idyllic descriptions of Norway that he provided in this book transported me into a state of reverie. I truly adored every single page of this wonderful book. Each book of his that I read further solidifies his position as one of my all-time favorite authors.

His unique writing style and ability to bring his stories to life never fail to captivate me. I can't wait to explore more of his works and discover the hidden gems within.

Roald Dahl's books are like a magical portal that takes you on an unforgettable journey. And I'm more than happy to keep stepping through that portal and experiencing the wonder and joy that his words have to offer.

This is a remarkable little book that has now become a historical artefact. Dahl, writing in the mid-80's, vividly describes events that took place approximately 100 years ago. His writing style is clear and incisive, with a plain yet highly original touch. This is mainly because he adheres to writing about what he finds interesting. For instance, he repeatedly describes caning in great detail. As he states, he is revolted by it, especially when he luxuriates in depicting the ritual his Repton headmaster would perform when caning a child, making them bend over his sofa while he alternated between caning their bare buttocks and smoking his pipe. This man, as Dahl explains, later became a Bishop and then Archbishop of Canterbury. Elsewhere, he describes his Norwegian heritage, the removal of his adenoids (at home, without anaesthetic), and a filthy-nailed sweetshop harridan.

My favorite passage appears towards the end of the book. Here, he compares the life of the businessman he was then, working for Shell, with the writer he would later become.
He writes, "The life of a writer is absolute hell compared with the life of a businessman. The writer has to force himself to work. He has to make his own hours and if he doesn't go to his desk at all, there is nobody to scold him. If he is a writer of fiction, he lives in a world of fear. Each new day demands new ideas and he can never be sure whether he is going to come up with them or not. Two hours of writing fiction leaves this particular writer completely drained. For those two hours, he has been miles away, in a different place with totally different people, and the effort of swimming back into normal surroundings is very great. It is almost a shock. The writer walks out of his workroom in a daze. He wants a drink. He needs it. It happens to be a fact that nearly every writer of fiction in the world drinks more whisky than is good for him. He does it to give himself faith, hope, and courage. A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul, and that, I am sure, is why he does it."
Amen.

Roald Dahl is my idol.

He has been so ever since I first discovered him at around seven years old, and probably will be forever.

He has a distinct voice, an enviable view of the world, and a splendidly exciting life. There is something in his writing style that makes every anecdote, every chapter, and every character absolutely memorable and easy to visualize. It is funny, at times hilarious, comforting, and scary, and sometimes serious. Perhaps this is what gave this book the boost it needed to reach the maximum rating: the ability to handle slightly more important, less anecdotal topics with a light but instructive touch, an instructive touch that doesn't indoctrinate but makes one think.

The illustrations by Quentin Blake, which accompany this book like every other children's novel by Dahl, are the cherry on the cake that instead of making me feel nostalgic puts an almost childish joy on me. It is wonderful to see how the same story can make me happy today exactly as it did seven years ago, despite a more mature and analytical current perspective. For me, Dahl is above any judgment - and not because I have prejudices that make me love every one of his books in the same way regardless of their individual qualities, but because he, as an author, is invariably, constantly fantastic.

There's nothing to be done - I adore him.

However, I do have something to criticize, because otherwise I wouldn't be myself.

No matter how well the translator has captured the tone of the story and selected the vocabulary in such a way as to make it accessible to younger but still mature and perhaps even a bit nostalgic children, no matter how she has remained overall faithful to the original writing, and no matter how the grammatical quality is significantly above the current average in terms of Italian translations, I found a handful of errors that bothered me quite a bit - mainly misplaced commas and a couple of misused conjunctions.

But I have no intention of evaluating the translation here.

Just one of my favorite books.

What child is not completely enamored by the stories written by Roald Dahl? His tales are truly magical. And for that matter, what adult does not have a special place in their heart for his audacious, fantastical, magical, whimsical tales? Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, James & The Giant Peach, Fantastic Mister Fox, Matilda - just to name a few. Not to mention his equally magnificent fiction and nonfiction for adults.

Here is a chance for a behind-the-scenes look into this storyteller's world. What was his childhood like to have such a vivid imagination? What were his formative years like? His family? Friends? In his teenage years, did he know he wanted to be a writer?

Boy: Tales of Childhood answers these tantalizing inquiries and more. Readers learn of seven-year-old Roald's adventures with the local candy shoppe, which inspired Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. They also discover a woman who owns the shoppe and shares similarities with characters in The Magic Finger and Matilda. Besides, it offers a historically accurate look at life in early twentieth-century England/Wales, from automobiles to medical practices, boarding schools to the economy.

Roald was raised by loving parents in Norway until the tragic death of his sister Astri, followed by his father. He attended Llandaff Cathedral School for two years before his mother, determined to follow her late husband's wishes, sent him to St. Peter's in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. His mother and siblings remained in Wales.

At nine, boarding school was a lonely and intimidating experience. The Headmaster and Floor Matron provided inspiration for Matilda. The role of the headmaster continued to be important when Roald started Public School at thirteen. More anecdotes of his early years are shared, often endearing and always hilarious. As a photographer myself, I was thrilled to learn of his affinity for it. He was also an unexpected captain for Fives and Squash.

At Repton, Roald and his classmates received boxes of chocolates from The Cadbury Corporation. This experience contributed to Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. At eighteen, Roald began a prosperous career at The Shell Company. Later, he was reassigned to East Africa. But World War II changed everything, and he served as a Royal Air Force pilot.

The book includes personal portraits of Roald at various ages, family photographs, and places he lived and visited. Quentin Blake's iconic sketches and doodles add to the charm. For twenty years, Roald's mother saved his letters, which are interlaced between the text, showing his evolving penmanship. This was a pleasure to read, as Roald Dahl is one of my favorite authors. May he rest in peace.

An autobiography is a book in which a person writes about his own life, and it is often filled with all kinds of dull details. However, this is not a biography. I would never pen a history of myself.

So, this is rather a compilation of stories from Roald's life. Since he is such an astonishing writer, you have the feeling that you come to know more about him than you would through a typical autobiography. Some truly fascinating facts that I gleaned from this book are as follows:

1. In the 1930's, they removed your tonsils and adenoids without any anesthesia. It must have been an excruciating experience!

2. No one needed a driver's license back then. When they delivered your car, they rapidly demonstrated how it functioned. It's hard to imagine such a lax approach to driving today.

These are just a few of the interesting tidbits that make this collection of stories so engaging and unique.

The surprise was that it wasn't a story from the tales of Rowland at all. No, it was his life story or his childhood story in the truest sense, and there was a second part, the story of his youth.

The truth is that the book was very enjoyable, light on the heart, and easy to understand. Oh, and it had a simple language, funny and strange situations from his life in school from childhood until the age of twenty.

“When writing about oneself, one must strive to be truthful. Truth is more important than modesty.”

It was a very pleasant experience, and I loved all of it. I'm really looking forward to reading the second part and seeing what other hardships his youth held.

“It is almost worth going away because it's so lovely coming back.”

I highly recommend this book to those who want to read English but with a simple language that is easy to understand and will bring them back to the language itself.

When I was seven years old, I got to know the role of Dahl through this book, and from that time on, I turned into someone who spent all my childhood with his books, and the only person I wished to be like, to live like, and to write like that book...

The story of Roald Dahl's life from childhood to early youth is told, full of fascinating stories and inspirations...

Roald Dahl's works have always been a source of great joy and imagination for me. His unique writing style and vivid characters have left a deep impression on my heart.

As I grew older, my love for his books only increased. I would often lose myself in the magical worlds he created, imagining myself as one of the characters, experiencing their adventures and emotions.

His stories taught me many valuable lessons about life, friendship, courage, and kindness. They made me believe that anything is possible if you have the courage to dream and the determination to pursue them.

Today, I still look back on those childhood memories with great fondness. Roald Dahl's books will always hold a special place in my heart and will continue to inspire me throughout my life.

I am not a fan of children's literature. Regarding Dahl, what I like most are his stories exclusively for adults, as well as his novel My Uncle Oswald. However, these are the childhood memories of an adult Dahl who has already been recognized as a writer, and they are filled with his funny genius and sarcasm.

Dahl's works for adults often explore darker themes and use more complex language and narrative structures. His unique writing style, with its vivid descriptions and unexpected twists, has attracted a large number of adult readers.

Although I may not be interested in his children's literature, I can still appreciate the creativity and talent that Dahl展现 in all of his works. His ability to create engaging stories that appeal to readers of all ages is truly remarkable.

In conclusion, while my personal preference lies with Dahl's adult-oriented works, I recognize the importance and value of his entire body of work.

This is truly an easy and entertaining read.

From the very beginning, it grabs your attention and keeps you engaged throughout.

The story is filled with interesting characters and exciting plot twists that make it impossible to put down.

Whether you're looking for a light-hearted escape or something to pass the time, this book is perfect.

I found myself completely immersed in the world created by the author and couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

Loved it! It's definitely a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good story.

I highly recommend it to all my friends and family.

You won't be disappointed!

I haven't read a large number of autobiographies. However, even with this limited experience, I firmly believe that this particular one offers a completely distinct perspective on what an autobiography should entail. Roald Dahl's work is filled with fun and wit. He truly manages to take the reader on an exciting journey through his childhood and early adult years.

He presents a realistic portrayal of what it was like to grow up in England during the early 20th century. I was particularly charmed by the way the book is interspersed with his personal photographs. These pictures capture moments with his family, in his various schools, and add a tangible touch to his story.

Moreover, the inclusion of the letters he writes home to his mother and the witty nicknames he gives to his step sister and brother (such as "ancient half-sister" and "not so ancient half brother

Roald Dahl, one of the great authors of children's stories, presents a captivating piece that takes readers through his life up to the age of twenty.

Although he clarifies that this isn't a traditional autobiography filled with dull tales, it's a wonderful compilation of his early memories.

As the eldest son of two Norwegians, Dahl's childhood was a mix of pain, like losing his sister and father within a week, and the lightheartedness of playing with school friends.

He vividly recalls his love for sweets and a shopkeeper who disliked him, leading to a revenge plan that went horribly wrong.

Another memory involves riding with his elder half-sister and a serious car accident that nearly cost him part of his face, which he recounts with humor.

Dahl also remembers the annual summer vacations outside Oslo, where his grandparents doted on him, and the excitement of waiting for school to end each summer.

However, these glorious thoughts are contrasted with memories of the strap and mean matrons at boarding school.

By the end, he bridges his memories to entering the workforce and the hope of writing another short volume to continue the journey for readers.

His easy writing style and fascinating ideas draw readers in, much like his other books.

One can't read Dahl without feeling a connection to the characters in the narrative.

Although he admits not remembering much before the age of eight, his memories flood back after that.

Despite being seventy, he chooses to tell his early life succinctly rather than fill pages with dreary recollections.

The vignettes he presents contain interesting themes that became major children's stories.

His use of these memories to create timeless classics like The BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory adds to the greatness of this short book.

Told in a highly animated way, readers can easily picture young Roald's experiences.

This piece is so interesting that I'm eager to get my hands on the second volume to hear about his wartime memories.

It's a must-read for anyone who has some time to relax and loves Dahl's famous style.

Kudos to Mr. Dahl for his remarkable life and this wonderful piece.

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