Share This Review
It is well written, and easy to read and somewhat entertaining possibly to those who have an interest in golfing. Personally I did not find it that enjoyable maybe because I am not a golfer but unlike the other reviewers I did not find it all that amusing or hilarious. Actually I was quite concerned by what I read and like another review wonder if this happens at other country clubs or is this one unique? Then I thought about the golf clubs around my area and asked my family of golfers and discovered that caddies are not actually used at our golf clubs. I happen to be Canadian so maybe this is a practice used in the US and not other countries.
My first reaction upon completion of the book was "what was the point? Why do we want to know this?" There was no story or plot, just a recording of the points that the author either remembered or found of interest from his experience as a caddy and wished to relate to the public. For a reason? I don't think so. None other than that he has always wanted to be a writer. I do believe that he has a future as a writer because he does write well but I think he needs to chose his topic better. My suggestion would be to write a piece of fiction with a plot and possibly use his knowledge of being a caddie as the background. Possibly the main character could be a caddie and much of the action would take place at a golf course. Maybe a young man's first love. or even a mystery in this setting.
For those wishing to know more about the culture surrounding young males and their coming of age and understanding how they navigate this difficult time in their life you might find this useful. I found most of the incidents reported quite upsetting. I did not enjoy hearing about the bullying that occurred and wondered why no one reported it to management (not the Master Caddy). This kind of behaviour should never be allowed to go on. The Belt Game was particularly sick and disturbing to the reader. And the justification for "trapping" someone did not sit well with me. The idea that someone is despised because of their individual behaviour does not justify such behaviour. This is a world of differences, we are each unique individuals and must learn to live in a society of varying types of people some of whom may irritate us. This type of vigilante behaviour is dangerous ( reeks of Hitler or KKK).
I am officially rating this book 2 out of 4 stars, but believe that it should actually be 2.5 stars. I did not enjoy the content and did not see the purpose. I also found the authors tendency to wander off the subject of golf and describe other things somewhat distracting, but his writing style is good and he has an ability to write and entertain if he finds the right subject matter thus the extra half star.
***
Buy "Memoirs of a Caddie: Life and Times of a Misguided Youth" on Amazon
