City Boy: The Adventures of Herbie Bookbinder
Encyclopedia
City Boy: The Adventures of Herbie Bookbinder is a 1948 novel
by Herman Wouk
first published by Simon and Schuster. The second novel written by Wouk, City Boy was largely ignored by the reading public until the success of The Caine Mutiny
resurrected interest in Wouk's writing. Like The Caine Mutiny, the novel is semi-autobiographical in setting and situations, if not protagonist
. In 1969 the novel was re-issued, with paperback
editions in 1980 and 1992, and according to Wouk was translated into eleven languages. John P. Marquand
, in a preface to the 1969 twentieth anniversary release, likened Herbie Bookbinder to a city-dwelling Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer
.
In many of his novels Wouk evinces through his characters a love of Dickens, particularly in use of language to set mood
. In City Boy he devises humorous twists of language to set a less-than-serious tone throughout this coming-of-age story. Also like Dickens, Wouk expertly manages a large cast of characters, including more than a dozen adults (and a one-of-a-kind horse named Clever Sam) woven in-and-out of a narrative about children, with depictions that ring true both in description and actions.
in the Berkshire Mountains operated by his school's principal. Herbie's city world is one of endless daydreams and small urban pleasures: playing in empty lots, going to the movies on Saturday, arguing with friends around a forbidden campfire
, eating "fraps" (sundae
s) in Mr. Borowsky's candy store
, and going out to dinner at Golden's Restaurant.
Herbie is an exceptionally bright but fat little boy, a seventh grade
r and a star pupil. Although a poor athlete, Herbie yearns to be a "regular guy" among his schoolboy peers and constantly struggles against the consequences of his own quick wit and natural clumsiness with his rival, Lennie Krieger, the son of the business partner of Herbie's father, Jacob Bookbinder. Both blessed and cursed with a highly-active imagination, Herbie is also on the verge of adolescence
, and the story revolves around his continuing quest to win the heart of the fickle, red-haired
Lucille Glass.
Herbie, his parents, and his thirteen-year-old sister, Felicia, dwell in an aging Homer
Avenue apartment house. Jacob Bookbinder is founder and part owner of an industrial ice-making plant, known to Herbie and his cousin Cliff Block as "The Place," a location that plays both a significant role in Herbie's fate and an adult sub-plot that frames the climax of the
story.
Herbie contrives to have himself (and his sister, his cousin Cliff Block, and his rival Lennie) sent to Camp Manitou (run by the principal of P.S. 50, Mr. Gauss, as a source of summer income) when he learns that Lucille Glass will be there. The second half of the novel skewers the summer camp scene of the 1920s even as it sets up a succession of abject failures and spectacular successes for Herbie.
Herbie and Cliff contrive to burglarize
"The Place" to finance a well-intended camp project, and that crime is the device by which all the sub-plots come together in Dickensian fashion, at a cost to Herbie's bottom if not his psyche
. Wouk fashions a moral to the tale without preaching, but the boy's victory in the quest for Lucille proves tenuous at best.
beard, 'General Garbage,' and the recent threat to render his face concave."
"It has gone down among the teachers of P.S.50 as one of the great unsolved crimes of pupil cunning. Strange! Teachers set themselves up to be wondrous wise—yet to this day it has not occurred to one of them that 'outfielder
' is a dactyl
."
"Like a sailor embarked in a hell ship, like a policeman assigned to a tunnel, like a priest sent to a squalid settlement in the fever belt of India, Herbie Bookbinder was committed beyond hope of release to a summer in Bunk Thirteen."
"After a short silence, conversation was resumed on other topics. Herbie was noticeably shouldered out of the talk. He had committed that breach of manners
, unforgiveable among adults as well as among boys: he had known more than the leader."
"Nobody, least of all Herbie, overlooked the significance of his given name repeated twice by the captain. It fell sweetly on the fat boy's ears. The speaking of a name can be the conferring of an award above gold medal
s. Herbie missed the fireworks
, but he never regretted them. From that day he was 'Herbie' to all the boys in his bunk except Lennie. Outside the bunk, however, Herbie's designation was fixed. First impressions are hard to change. He had been publicly pilloried
on the train as General Garbage, and General Garbage he remained all summer. And if at the age of seventy he should run into a seventy-one year old gaffer formerly of Bunk Thirteen, he should be remembered, if at all, as General Garbage."
"A lonesome, quiet situation, you might say, yet he had plenty of company. Misery sat at the fat boy's right hand, and Shame at the left; and they made the morning mighty lively for Herbie between them."
"for a small payment" under the working title The Romantic Age. It became the 1951 film Her First Romance
, with the character of Herbie Bookbinder changed into a non-Jewish teenaged girl played by Margaret O'Brien
(with a brother named "Herbie"), but the plot elements largely remained the same.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Herman Wouk
Herman Wouk
Herman Wouk is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author of novels including The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance.-Biography:...
first published by Simon and Schuster. The second novel written by Wouk, City Boy was largely ignored by the reading public until the success of The Caine Mutiny
The Caine Mutiny
The Caine Mutiny is a 1952 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Herman Wouk. The novel grew out of Wouk's personal experiences aboard a destroyer-minesweeper in the Pacific in World War II and deals with, among other things, the moral and ethical decisions made at sea by the captains of ships...
resurrected interest in Wouk's writing. Like The Caine Mutiny, the novel is semi-autobiographical in setting and situations, if not protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
. In 1969 the novel was re-issued, with paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
editions in 1980 and 1992, and according to Wouk was translated into eleven languages. John P. Marquand
John P. Marquand
John Phillips Marquand was a American writer. Originally best known for his Mr. Moto spy stories, he achieved popular success and critical respect for his satirical novels, winning a Pulitzer Prize for The Late George Apley in 1938...
, in a preface to the 1969 twentieth anniversary release, likened Herbie Bookbinder to a city-dwelling Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer
Tom Sawyer
Thomas "Tom" Sawyer is the title character of the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer . He appears in three other novels by Twain: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Tom Sawyer Abroad , and Tom Sawyer, Detective .Sawyer also appears in at least three unfinished Twain works, Huck and Tom...
.
In many of his novels Wouk evinces through his characters a love of Dickens, particularly in use of language to set mood
Mood (psychology)
A mood is a relatively long lasting emotional state. Moods differ from emotions in that they are less specific, less intense, and less likely to be triggered by a particular stimulus or event....
. In City Boy he devises humorous twists of language to set a less-than-serious tone throughout this coming-of-age story. Also like Dickens, Wouk expertly manages a large cast of characters, including more than a dozen adults (and a one-of-a-kind horse named Clever Sam) woven in-and-out of a narrative about children, with depictions that ring true both in description and actions.
Plot
Set in the spring and summer of 1928, City Boy spins the tale of an 11-year-old Jewish boy in the Bronx, New York. The novel first follows Herbert Bookbinder through the final days of school at New York Public School 50, and then through a summer spent at Camp Manitou, a summer campSummer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
in the Berkshire Mountains operated by his school's principal. Herbie's city world is one of endless daydreams and small urban pleasures: playing in empty lots, going to the movies on Saturday, arguing with friends around a forbidden campfire
Campfire
A campfire is a fire lit at a campsite, to serve the following functions: light, warmth, a beacon, a bug and/or apex predator deterrent, to cook, and for a psychological sense of security. In established campgrounds they are usually in a fire ring for safety. Campfires are a popular feature of...
, eating "fraps" (sundae
Sundae
The sundae is an ice cream dessert. It typically consists of a scoop of ice cream topped with sauce or syrup, and in some cases other toppings including chopped nuts, sprinkles, whipped cream, or maraschino cherries.-History:...
s) in Mr. Borowsky's candy store
Soda shop
A Soda shop, also often known as a Malt shop, is a business akin to an ice cream parlor and a drugstore soda fountain. Interiors were often furnished with a large mirror behind a marble counter with gooseneck spouts, plus spinning stools, round marble-topped tables and wireframe sweetheart...
, and going out to dinner at Golden's Restaurant.
Herbie is an exceptionally bright but fat little boy, a seventh grade
Seventh grade
Seventh grade is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. The seventh grade is the seventh school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 12–13 years old. Traditionally, seventh grade was the next-to-last year of elementary school...
r and a star pupil. Although a poor athlete, Herbie yearns to be a "regular guy" among his schoolboy peers and constantly struggles against the consequences of his own quick wit and natural clumsiness with his rival, Lennie Krieger, the son of the business partner of Herbie's father, Jacob Bookbinder. Both blessed and cursed with a highly-active imagination, Herbie is also on the verge of adolescence
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
, and the story revolves around his continuing quest to win the heart of the fickle, red-haired
Red hair
Red hair occurs on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations...
Lucille Glass.
Herbie, his parents, and his thirteen-year-old sister, Felicia, dwell in an aging Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
Avenue apartment house. Jacob Bookbinder is founder and part owner of an industrial ice-making plant, known to Herbie and his cousin Cliff Block as "The Place," a location that plays both a significant role in Herbie's fate and an adult sub-plot that frames the climax of the
story.
Herbie contrives to have himself (and his sister, his cousin Cliff Block, and his rival Lennie) sent to Camp Manitou (run by the principal of P.S. 50, Mr. Gauss, as a source of summer income) when he learns that Lucille Glass will be there. The second half of the novel skewers the summer camp scene of the 1920s even as it sets up a succession of abject failures and spectacular successes for Herbie.
Herbie and Cliff contrive to burglarize
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
"The Place" to finance a well-intended camp project, and that crime is the device by which all the sub-plots come together in Dickensian fashion, at a cost to Herbie's bottom if not his psyche
Psyche (psychology)
The word psyche has a long history of use in psychology and philosophy, dating back to ancient times, and has been one of the fundamental concepts for understanding human nature from a scientific point of view. The English word soul is sometimes used synonymously, especially in older...
. Wouk fashions a moral to the tale without preaching, but the boy's victory in the quest for Lucille proves tenuous at best.
Students and teachers at P.S.50
- Herbert Bookbinder (Herbie) - Herbie is a "stout little dark-haired" eleven-year-old boy living in the Bronx, the star pupil of class 7B-1 at P.S. 50., and head monitor of school's Social Service Squad (aka the "garbageWasteWaste is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea, sweat or feces. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly...
gang"). A bright and clever boy but poor at all sports, Herbie is forever trying to become a "regular guy," but usually failing. Even his occasional victories are tainted, as when one success results in his forever being dubbed "General Garbage." While having a general scorn for all girls, he nevertheless often becomes a victim of a spell for one particular "sublime creature." It is in pursuit of impressing one such girl that Herbie's adventures and downfall ensue. - Leonard Krieger (Lennie) - Lennie is the son of Mr. Bookbinder's partner in the ice business, and Herbie's natural rival. Self-centered, he is everything Herbie is not: big, good-looking, a natural leader, and a good athlete. He hates school and his natural antipathy to Herbie reaches a peak when Herbie, although almost two years younger, is in the same class.
- Mrs. Mortimer Gorkin - Newlywed teacher of class 7B-1, Mrs. Gorkin (formerly Diana Vernon) is a pretty redhead in her late twenties, strict, high-strung, and with theatrical aspirations. Herbie is first on the honor role in her class and until her change of marital status, her pet. She was the first adult female to inspire Herbie's devotion, which her new marriage abruptly ended, leaving the "position" vacant.
- Lucille Glass - 11-year-old daughter of the attorney representing the ice plant run by Herbie's father, Lucille is small, pretty, but very fickle, with red curly hair and large hazel eyes, a grade lower and on the more prestigious Police Squad. While still melancholy from the "loss" of Mrs. Gorkin, Herbie meets Lucille in the hallway while in his role as a head monitor and is immediately dazzled. When Herbie learns that she is attending Camp Manitou, the summer camp operated by the school's principal, he contrives to attend the same camp.
- Julius Gauss (Uncle Gussie) - Mr. Gauss is the principal of P.S. 50, and during the summer, supplements his income by operating Camp Manitou in the Berkshire Mountains. Corpulently roly-poly with a red shiny face, Herbie schemes to go to his camp, but in making his sales pitch to the boy's parents, his esteem plummets in Herbie's eyes from fearsome giant of authority to that of a "needy relative." Mr. Gauss speaks in platitudes, is ever protective of his dignity, and is parsimonious to a fault.
- Felicia Bookbinder (Fleece) - Herbie's pretty, 13-year-old sister. She resents Lucille Glass for being "a baby" but having the same social privileges, and has long had a crush on Lennie Krieger, who rarely notices her except when it humors him to do so.
- Clifford Block (Cliff) - Herbie's cousin, Cliff is large, stolid but good-natured, slow-witted but with common sense. He is protective of his smaller cousin and tolerant of Herbie's air of intellectual superiority. Cliff has an affinity for animals and is totally without the cruelty that often shows itself in other children. He makes himself a willing companion for Herbie's schemes.
Adults
- Jacob Bookbinder - Herbie's father is a thin, stern former immigrant who operates the Bronx River Ice Company, known to the family as "The Place". Jacob Bookbinder is the disciplinarian in the Bookbinder household and Herbie is frequently the target of his corrections. His father is absorbed by his business's financial problems, but his devotion to his family is apparent. Mr. Bookbinder tries to teach his children honesty and thrift, and although Herbie is unaware of it much of the time, is the key influence on his son's growth.
- Louis Glass - a lawyer involved in the pending takeover of Bronx River Ice Company by Bob Powers, and Lucille Glass' father.
- Mrs. Bookbinder -- the loving but perhaps overprotective mother of Herbie and Felicia.
- Mr. Krieger - Jacob Bookbinder's business partner and Lennie's father, Mr. Krieger is a tall, timid, and overly insecure man. Following the last and loudest voice he hears, Mr. Krieger tries to protect himself by a strange manner of speaking in which he habitually omits words and never utters a complete sentence.
- Robert Powers - Powers is a "burly, sandy-haired young man" and the ostensible majority owner of the Bronx River Ice Company, having inherited it from his father, the original mortgagee of the company. Powers, unlike his father, is uninterested in the business except as a constant and diminishing source of revenue for his gamblingGamblingGambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
and drinking habits. Needing a substantial amount of cash, he now wants to sell off the plant from under Bookbinder and Krieger to a larger company. - Henry Junius Drabkind - Mr. Drabkind is an emaciated old man, with a small pink face, long pointed nose, and spectacles. Initially appearing to Herbie and Cliff as an apparent savior, in Dickensian fashion Mr. Drabkind in his role as representative of the Berkshire Free Camp Fund becomes the vessel of Herbie's doom.
Campers at Camp Manitou
- Uncle Sid - Uncle Sid is a "dumpy, middle-aged" high school teacher with severe five o'clock shadowFive O'Clock ShadowFive O'Clock Shadow is an a cappella group from Boston, Massachusetts, that has been in existence since 1991. The band has performed on FOX News, A&E Network, ABC, ESPN and VH-1's "breakthrough" series. They have released 4 cassettes and 5 CDs, winning many Contemporary A cappella Recording...
who reluctantly earns extra money supervising campers. He is counselor for Herbie's Bunk Thirteen. - Uncle Sandy - Harried head counselor of the boy's camp at Manitou, Uncle Sandy is a medical student, a big man with thick glasses. He has a well-developed sense of fair play but is also protective of his authority among the other counselors.
- Ted Kahn - Ted is a sullen, hawk-faced, blond 15-year-old. Made captain of Bunk Thirteen, Ted has been consigned to Manitou by his vacationing parents every summer for five years. He pushes his defiance and disdain for Manitou's rules to the limits, but takes a liking to Herbie and does not kowtow to Lennie.
- Yishy Gabelson - an exceptionally tall senior camper at Manitou who, due to his predeliction for blueberries, comes down with a case of poison ivyPoison ivyToxicodendron radicans, better known as poison ivy , is a poisonous North American plant that is well known for its production of urushiol, a clear liquid compound found within the sap of the plant that causes an itching rash in most people who touch it...
severe enough to prevent him from participating in the annual rivalry with Camp Penobscot, to the chagrin of the entire camp, thus paving the way for Lennie to shine once more as an athlete. At the end of the camping season he strikes up a romantic relationship with Felicia. - Raymond "Daisy" Gloster - Unpopular rich kid. He refuses to let anyone read his Tarzan book so Herbie borrows it without permission while everyone is at a dance. Daisy is momentarily popular when he gives away the sausages he receives in a package from home.
- Aunt Tillie - Head counselor for the girls' camp, reviled for her romantic leaning toward one of the rival Camp Penobscot counselors.
- Elmer Bean - Camp Manitou's handyman and an ex-sailor, who becomes a mentor of sorts for Herbie and Cliff. He helps Herbie build his ride.
- Clever Sam - An ancient, intractable, uncooperative horse that Mr. Gauss acquires for five dollars, the symbol of Mr. Gauss' cheapness. Sam at first refuses to be ridden by anyone but Cliff, who persuades the horse to give him his trust. Clever Sam reluctantly provides the transportation of Herbie and Cliff out to the highway on their nighttime journey to The Place.
Quotes
"The small stout boy reviewed several incidents of the day in his mind: concrete against his nose, jeers at his black feltFelt
Felt is a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing woollen fibres. While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials. Felt can be of any colour, and made into any shape or size....
beard, 'General Garbage,' and the recent threat to render his face concave."
"It has gone down among the teachers of P.S.50 as one of the great unsolved crimes of pupil cunning. Strange! Teachers set themselves up to be wondrous wise—yet to this day it has not occurred to one of them that 'outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
' is a dactyl
Dactyl
Dactyl may refer to:* Dactyl , a creature in Greek mythology* Dactyl , a metrical foot consisting of one long syllable and two short* Dactyl , the small natural satellite orbiting the asteroid Ida...
."
"Like a sailor embarked in a hell ship, like a policeman assigned to a tunnel, like a priest sent to a squalid settlement in the fever belt of India, Herbie Bookbinder was committed beyond hope of release to a summer in Bunk Thirteen."
"After a short silence, conversation was resumed on other topics. Herbie was noticeably shouldered out of the talk. He had committed that breach of manners
Manners
In sociology, manners are the unenforced standards of conduct which demonstrate that a person is proper, polite, and refined. They are like laws in that they codify or set a standard for human behavior, but they are unlike laws in that there is no formal system for punishing transgressions, the...
, unforgiveable among adults as well as among boys: he had known more than the leader."
"Nobody, least of all Herbie, overlooked the significance of his given name repeated twice by the captain. It fell sweetly on the fat boy's ears. The speaking of a name can be the conferring of an award above gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s. Herbie missed the fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
, but he never regretted them. From that day he was 'Herbie' to all the boys in his bunk except Lennie. Outside the bunk, however, Herbie's designation was fixed. First impressions are hard to change. He had been publicly pilloried
Pillory
The pillory was a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse, sometimes lethal...
on the train as General Garbage, and General Garbage he remained all summer. And if at the age of seventy he should run into a seventy-one year old gaffer formerly of Bunk Thirteen, he should be remembered, if at all, as General Garbage."
"A lonesome, quiet situation, you might say, yet he had plenty of company. Misery sat at the fat boy's right hand, and Shame at the left; and they made the morning mighty lively for Herbie between them."
Adaptations
The film rights to City Boy were purchased by Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
"for a small payment" under the working title The Romantic Age. It became the 1951 film Her First Romance
Her First Romance
Her First Romance is a 1940 American musical comedy film directed by Edward Dmytryk.-Cast:* Edith Fellows as Linda Strong* Wilbur Evans as Philip Niles* Julie Bishop as Eileen Strong * Alan Ladd as John Gilman...
, with the character of Herbie Bookbinder changed into a non-Jewish teenaged girl played by Margaret O'Brien
Margaret O'Brien
Margaret O'Brien is an American film and stage actress. Although her film career as a leading character was brief, she was one of the most popular child actors in cinema history...
(with a brother named "Herbie"), but the plot elements largely remained the same.