Less an autobiography and more a series of reflections, philosophies, and anecdotes, I'd Hate Myself In The Morning is a slender but superb work by one of the most underrated writers America has ever produced. I say underrated because he was not only competing with the legacy of his famous father, but also because of his experiences with the blacklist and his subsequent emergence from that period, all of which Lardner discusses with a candor that is very engaging, honest, and thought-provoking. In noting that he passed away shortly after the book was published, it casts a very eerie, but not creepy, shadow over the last chapter in which he discusses his views on mortality and death. A very quick read and well worth it.

Like most people I first came to know the work of Ring Lardner, Jr. through his Oscar writing screenplays for 1942's "Woman of the Year," the film that introduced Spenser Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, and for 1970's "M*A*S*H." It was only later that I learned Lardner was much more than a writer, since his greatest moment of personal triumph and tragedy was his refusal to name names to the House Un-American Activities Committee during the Red Scare. Larder served a one-year sentence for his act and this memoir details his entire career in Hollywood. These are the tales of someone who lived in and outside of the studio system and given what happened to him with the blacklist it is rather surprising to find Lardner telling his story without rancor or self-justification, let alone all the other emotions to which he was certainly entitled. Even without taking into account his personal Golgotha, "I'd Hate Myself in the Morning" is one of the best looks at the machinations of Hollywood during the decline and fall of the studio system you are going to find. This work is essentially a posthumous effort, which only underscores the ultimate irony that once again, circumstances have prevented the world from recognizing the worth of the man.

Ring Lardner, Jr. died shortly after the publication of _I'd Hate Myself in the Morning_ (Thunder's Mouth Press), at the age of eighty-five. He was the last of the famous Hollywood Ten, those who were jailed by the House Un-American Activities Committee for being Communists. He also landed on the blacklist, unable to get the studio work he had previously and lucratively enjoyed with Twentieth Century Fox. He was a hero to many, but his humorous, delightfully self-effacing memoir shows he didn't think he fit that role. He writes, "I try to suggest that we weren't as heroic as people make us out to be. It would be more analytically precise, it seems to me, to say that we did the only thing we could do under the circumstances."

Lardner's time in our nation's history, his membership in the Communist Party, and his work in the movies make this a unique memoir. Those who read his touching recollections will learn about screenwriting in a type of studio system that no longer exists, and about a type of Americanism (and American Communism) that also no longer exists. He writes with grace and amusement about his own mistakes and those of others. The wit that won him Oscars for _Woman of the Year_ in 1942 and _M*A*S*H_ in 1970 is clearly on display, as is a lack of rancor for how his nation and his fellow movie makers treated him. This book is a warm farewell.

This highly quotable and humorous--but accurately researched--book fills an important gap. It provides a unique window on history by demonstrating the uncertainty principle of so-called factualness. Using laughably fatheaded predictions from the ages as well as from just a few weeks ago, the authors show how profoundly wrong the "experts" are during any given moment. During the present bombardment of expert opinion from every direction, this book is especially valuable. You will never again be able to listen to the talking heads or read the newspaper in quite the same way after consulting even a single page of Cerf and Navasky! An excellent reference book, cautionary guide for any authority in any field, and a fine teaching text as well.

I predict this book will be the biggest seller in the universe from now until the end of time. Buy it for your great-great-great grandchildren at the present low price.

Awesome list of some of the most ignorant statements made by some of the most "important" people in recent history.I found it rather satisfying to know that even the "SMART" people in this world are just as "DUMB" as the rest of us from time to time.Read this book and you will probably think a little harder before you make any quick comments about things you aren't educated about.You will find some of the most outrageous comments ever made by people who are supposed to "know what they are talking about"Not only is it good to know everyone speaks too soon once in awhile, this book is so good it will also have you laughing and perhaps wondering how these "people" got into the high social position they did.Who knows perhaps anyone can be a big wheel if we're in the right place at the right time!!

This wonderful book, taught me many historical facts that I didn't know. It's great to see people who are "experts" and therefore smarter than me, wrong so often!!!