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Humor Essays

A Chip Off the Old Black

by (author) Arthur Black

Publisher
Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd.
Initial publish date
Sep 2010
Category
Essays
Recommended Age
15
Recommended Grade
10
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781550175103
    Publish Date
    Sep 2010
    List Price
    $32.95

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

Arthur Black's voice is unmistakable on the radio and on the page. His is the voice of reason, with a generous helping of funny; the voice that scolds us for our universal human quirks, but who says it with the tone and words that make us laugh out loud at ourselves and our neighbours.

A Chip Off the Old Black, Black's latest collection of stories, will knock a sense of humour into any reader, boasting nearly a hundred tales featuring everything from yarnbombing to Bambi, from Black's love of the Farmer's Almanac to his loathing of snowmobiles and his . . . problem . . . with David Suzuki. With a talent for ranting, minus the malice, Black sticks up for the chocolate-covered marshmallow confection of New Zealand--
the politically-incorrect "Eskimo" candies. Those inclined to kvetching--a Yiddish word describing the tendency to complain persistently about everything--may just reconsider after reading A Chip Off the Old Black. After all, as Black demonstrates, it's far more enjoyable to take the opportunity to laugh.

About the author

Arthur Black's growing collection of award-winning books include Pitch Black, Black Tie and Tales (Stoddart Publishing) and Black in the Saddle Again, all of which won him the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. He hosted CBC Radio One's Basic Black program from 1983 until 2002, while also using his comedic talents to host Life Television Network's Weird Homes and Weird Wheels. His recently released audio CD, Planet Salt Spring, features tales from his adopted home of Salt Spring Island, BC Canada.

Arthur Black's profile page

Librarian Reviews

A Chip Off the Old Block

Arthur Black’s new book collects nearly a hundred of his essays into seven categories. From culture to science to war, Black lends his sense of humour and irony to the human foibles that beset us all. Taking on, among others, parents, heroes, martyrs, snowmobilers, bottled water drinkers, conspiracy theorists, yarnbombers and zombies, Black exposes the foolishness that defies common sense and marks the human condition in the 21st century.

Black is a three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour.

Caution: Some adult topics including chastity belts and the benefits of swearing.

Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. BC Books for BC Schools. 2011-2012.