its fun and quick and keeps you entertained while making you think about your life and remeber your own expieriences

The book, Bad Haircut, by Tom Perrotta is an excellent book. Bad Haircut is a book filled with short stories about Tom?s life growing up in the 1970s. The first chapter is called The Wiener Man. This is about when Buddy?s (the main character) mom was the den mother of his Boy Scout troop. The troop went to go visit the Wiener Man, but it ended up that the Wiener Man was an old friend of his mother?s. They sit and talk about their life stories. This is just an example of the types of stories Tom included in Bad Haircut. My favorite chapter is Forgiveness. Forgiveness is about when Buddy is on the football team and meets Wendy, the girl who was suspended for not standing for the Pledge. In this chapter Buddy is faced with moral issues verse what this peers are doing. The controversy in within the football team proves that Buddy knows the difference between right and wrong.
This book is a very quick and easy read. This was the fastest book I have ever read. Bad Haircut is the type of book you don?t ever want to set down. I felt that I could really connect with Buddy because even though I have grown up in the 1990s, I feel I have gone through a lot of the same situations he has. I recommend this book for 15 year olds and older. It does have some inappropriate topics for younger children. Some of the stories would be fine for all ages, just not the whole book. Bad Haircut is a great book and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

If you grew up in the 70's (and graduated high school at the end of the decade), this book is for you. It truly captures the essence of growing up in the post war era and deals perfectly with the mundane realities of the teenage experiance. If you are from North Jersey, the stories are even more meaningful. Read it and read it again.

The genius of Perrotta in The Wishbones is his ability to render in fresh and funny guises universal moments. This is a quick, very enjoyable read, and I can't imagine that a single person of the Baby Boomer down to the mid-30's age range will fail to recognize him- or herself in at least one of the novel's characters or predicaments. My personal favorite is a moment within the "wedding on a tight budget" theme when Dave and Julie are arguing over whether to have a band or a deejay at their reception. Dave, who has made a big part of his life, if not his living, playing with his buddies in The Wishbones at weddings, informs Julie that having a deejay instead of a band is like inviting Hitler to the wedding. Julie looks at him astonished and says, "Hitler?! Are you crazy?" Well, yes, of course he is, who's not as their wedding day approaches, particularly with the complications Dave has mounted for himself in his final single man weeks. In the end, I think he does the right thing (other reviewers here seem to disagree) and Perrotta smartly ends his book on a note of uncertainty which manages at once to suggest that the right thing is not automatically a sure thing and marriage is never the end of all things single. Certainly not overly ambitious in its intentions, The Wishbones thoroughly entertains.

This is an enormously likeable book about love, music, and, especially, the choices required by time, money, and cultural expectations. Despite these "heavy" undertones, this is light reading at its best, full of distinct, interesting characters, humorous unexpected developments, and a brisk pace.

The story involves Dave Raymond, the 31-year old lead guitarist for "The Wishbones," a wedding band in which Dave feels both stuck and exhilarated. He has his own pre-wedding anxieties, as he finally proposes to his high school sweetheart, and then worries that he will settle into a bland suburban life sans music. At a gig, he meets Gretchen (nom de plume: Marlene Fragment!), an aspiring bohemian poet, who seems Dave's last chance at prolonging and preventing some touch choices.

Perrota is great at irony, and he almost overplays this, but the book moves so quickly that one doesn't mind. Although some of the book covers familiar "rites of passage" decisions, there's some outrageous (and I've heard, fairly realistic) wedding scenes, an unexpectedly tense gig with an unusual audience, and the musical aspirations of the singer (think "Springtime for Hitler," but in somewhat better taste. I liked the comparable "High Fidelity" more; it better captures the depth of rock and roll obsession, but this is close--An appealingly light look at marriage, weddings, and some awful 70's music. Highly recommended.

There are some quick reads that enable you to overlook their flaws because you can pretty much fly through them. Then, sometimes, although this is rare, there is that fabulous quick read. The one that is funny, with great characters and an engaging story, that doesn't make you feel empty after you have finished it. The Wishbones falls in the latter category. I loved this book. It's about so many things I love to read about: music, relationships, New Jersey, fear of growing up, friends. Tom Perrotta has given us a highly enjoyable story about Dave, a thiryone year old guitar player in a wedding band (he's got a day job, but it's nothing much). Something happens to him one day which has him proposing to his longterm (15 years, on and off) girlfriend. Then panic sets in. Dave has never really grown up and the fear of marriage makes him do somethings he'll probably regret sooner or later (I have to admit, I was a little annoyed with him at times). But the pieces of his life fall together and by the end of the novel, he realizes what is really important to him. This is a satisfying and enjoyable read. Have fun.

Election was as good, if not a little better, than the movie. There are some things the movie does better than the book, but the book is a little more detailed and offers a little more sympathy towards Tracy Flick. I really enjoy Perotta's style. I thought the various points of view made the book more interesting and compelling. I found it quick and easy to read. The best aspect of the book was how Perrotta captures the attitude and atmosphere of high school. His portrayal of high school life offers realsim, humor and satire that make the book more enjoyable. Some of the characters could have been a little better developed, such as Mr. M and Lisa, but overall this book was very done, especially considering the structure that Perotta uses.

After I read the book, one idea pops out of my mind, ¡§It's a quite straight forwarded book." Election is absolutely not a boring novel, because it talks about the thinking of high school students and some interesting events in the school, for example how the teacher Mr. M and the students discuss about a rape case.
Perrotta wrote the novel based on two events, one is the 1992 presidential election campaign which included Ross Perot as a third party candidate, and an incident where a conservative high school principal in the South invalidated a prom queen election because the winner was pregnant. Well, to be honest, I do not fully understand the purpose for relating the occasions (Or why did he link the 2 events with his book).
Perrotta describes an election over the student government of Winwood high school in New Jersey. I like how the three candidates and some main characters take turn telling their story in small chapters. That way, I can compare their thoughts and action in order. Plus, this helps me to organize the story easily.
My favorite character is Tracy Flick, who is quite self-conscious. Maybe I should say I like how Perrotta portray Tracy's personality as both Jekyll and Hyde, goody in the outside with an evil heart. But I think more development on Tracy will be a good idea since she is a big plot throughout the story. I also like Mr. McAllister, the teacher who is a dedicated teacher and is just simply dislike Tracy Flick. The plot that Mr. M tries to persuade other people to go against Tracy is very fascinating.
Compare with the video, I like the book better. One of the reasons of this, is because the satires and symbols are perhaps too much for me. The book provide a solid plotting that makes me really want to find out who wins when the ballots are finally counted, while the video just plainly tells me the story and the ending.

I have to admit, I saw the movie first. At the suggestion of this page I also read "Bad Haircut" before reading "Election". "Bad Haircut" was good, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was a guy.

Anyway, the book fills in a blank spots that abound in the movie. It incorporates current events that occurred around the time the book was written. The reactions of the characters to this and each other makes them three-dimensional. You feel like they could've gone to your school. While the film focused mostly on the character of Mr. M, the lovable civics teacher, the book offers more monologues from more characters. Tracy Flick is given more of a chance to explain herself and is viewed less as a villain, and more as a normal person.

If I haven't sold you yet, read the book for this one reason: IT HAS A BETTER ENDING!!!!!

(Theres a reason why Tom Perotta teaches writing at Harvard!!!!!)

I finished reading Joe College and let me tell you, this is another winner from Tom Perrotta.

This is the same guy who wrote Election (made into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick), and The Wishbones. To be honest, it wasn't as funny as The Wishbones - a novel that just had me bursting out laughing anywhere I picked it up for a read. It wasn't as intelligent as Election - Election was just a genius piece of satire. But this was still good, fun reading.

It's a snapshot of college life and all guilt that comes with the person you are changing into during these years of your life. I'm not sure I can explain that well enough, and will just hope that some of you will know what I mean. The guilt that you feel over your parents paying, the guilt that comes with drifting away from friends that are less fortunate, the guilt of a messy room, old boyfriends. I'm sad that I've read all I can by this man.

I'm going to keep looking for that short story collection of his and just hope he's got a book coming out sooner than later.

Joe College is thoroughly enjoyable and brilliantly written. Tom Perrotta is one of those natural writers who make everything effortless and convincing. He is thoughtful, funny, moving and so much fun to read that I guarantee you'll change your plans for the evening so you can finish this book. The setting is the early 1980's, and the protaganist is a kid from suburban New Jersey who goes to Yale (just as Perrotta did). Anyone would enjoy this novel, and if you went to college during this time the pleasure is even greater. All of Perrotta's books are fantastic--especially The Wishbones, and also Bad Haircut and Election.

as a 22-year-old recent college grad, i've had trouble finding books i really enjoyed and could tear through. the minor exceptions certainly have included books by tom perrotta. i guess this is the perfect book for me--one of my favorite authors writing about a time very familiar to me--but with that said, i really think joe college was terrific. once again, as he did in the wishbones, perrotta comically challenges the reader time and again to stay loyal to the protagonist as danny digs himself deeper and deeper. the characters were real and entertaining, and countless passages worth highlighting. i did enjoy the movie, but i found election to be not as great as perrotta's earlier works. my confidence was definitely more than restored with joe college, and i look forward to perrotta's next product. feel free to give joe college as a gift to anyone between the ages of 20 and 24--they'll thank you for it, believe me.