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The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread: A Novel | 
| Author: Don Robertson
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy Used: $3.63
You Save: $9.32 (72%)
New (37) Used (13) Collectible (2) from $3.63
Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 30843
Media: Paperback
Pages: 224
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 0061452963
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780061452963
ASIN: 0061452963
Publication Date: April 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
On a quiet autumn afternoon in 1944, nine-year-old Morris Bird III decides to visit a friend who lives on the other side of town. So he grabs the handle of his red wagon and, with his little sister in tow, begins an incredible pilgrimage across Cleveland . . . and out of childhood forever. Set against the backdrop of one of the worst industrial disasters in American history, Don Robertson's enduring, beloved masterwork is a remarkable story of destiny, bravery, and responsibility, as fresh and relevant as when it first appeared in print.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
 Still a Wonderful Book September 25, 2008
Sparky (San Francisco, CA USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I first read this book when it was published in the 60s. I'd always remembered it, and was thrilled to see it again. I was afraid that it would not hold up, but it certainly did.
It is still a joy to read.
 Too Bad Harper's Hasn't Republished The Two Sequels September 10, 2008
Franklin the Mouse (Gorham, ME USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The late Mr. Robertson did an excellent job of conveying the thoughts of a nine-year-old boy, Morris Bird III, as well as covering a horrific disaster which occurred in Cleveland during October of 1944. Critics comparing this book to legendary stories such as "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Catcher in the Rye" are very apt. A wonderfully written, mostly male-driven adventure. The one problem I had with the book was the incorporation of some breathtakingly long paragraphs. One of these suckers goes on for 12 pages! It was quite taxing on my eyes. Despite this one drawback, I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Robertson's book. Hopefully, HarperCollins will make the effort of republishing the two sequels. Without hesitation, I'll read them.
Disasters make heroes, don't they? August 19, 2008
J. L. Rubenking (Cleveland, OH USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
A re-issue of this 1965 book centers around Morris Bird III, a nine year old in Cleveland who lives through the horrible East Ohio Gas explosion of 1944. As a Clevelander myself, I was enchanted by the immediacy of Robertson's writing. Robertson does a wonderful job of recreating the era, and Morris' voice is consistently funny and childish - we the adults can easily see what Morris misses in the sometimes confusing adult world around him. From his crush on Veronica Lake to Morris' school problems with "that Pill," the class suck-up, to his friendship with Stanley Chaloupka, Morris Bird III is as real as a character gets.
When the fateful day of disaster arrives and Morris cuts school, we know he's heading for danger, but also that Morris will end up OK and a bit of hero too. Robertson weaves in several new characters and their fates as Morris' long journey of that day moves along - I really liked that aspect of the storytelling and found it suspenseful and a bit heartbreaking as well. What a horrible day in Cleveland, and yet how brave people can be, even in extremis.
A Forgotton Gem Is New Again August 4, 2008
JOEKC (Kansas City)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
"The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread" (GTSSB) was published in 1965 at the beginning of a chaotic time in my life (college, war) and I missed it completely. I'm ashamed to say I had never even heard of it until recently. It has long been out of print and was only recently re-published by the estate of Don Robertson, who died in 1999. GTSSB jumps into the mundane life of nine year old Morris Byrd III in 1944 as America is beginning to look toward the end of World War II. Although the war touches young Morris only slightly, it wraps itself around his world in ways young children would notice. (Having a "C" gas ration sticker for your automobile conferred special status.)
The author tells us at the start the story will climax with the greatest industrial disaster in Cleveland history, the October 20, 1944 East Ohio Gas Co. explosion and fire. The actual fire takes up very little of the end of the story, which seems to have disappointed some of the reviewers here. GTSSB is not a story about a fire any more than "Huckleberry Finn" is a story about a river. It's a story about a nine-year old boy who commits an act of minor cowardice and decides, after hearing stories of historical courage from his teacher, to challenge himself to a personal journey of discovery. As Morris makes his way through unfamiliar streets to find his best friend whose family has moved, we meet other characters, some noble, some not, whose lives will touch one another on this grim Friday afternoon.
I got so caught up in the story that I pulled up a map of Cleveland on my computer and followed Morris' journey. The streets are still there exactly as described and the story is so plausible I felt it might have been a work of history rather than fiction. The characters are fictional but the rest of the story and tragedy, unfortunately, is not. GTSSB reminds me a lot of another favorite, "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving. Robertson's writing is not as fluid as Irving, but Robertson was a newspaper writer and tends toward more spare writing, not always a bad thing.
If you are inclined to episodic fiction this may not be the book for you. If you like character studies set against the backdrop of history, you owe it to yourself to discover this forgotton gem.
 Books for smart people July 25, 2008
L. Becker (North Carolina)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I feel as though I must not be intellectual enough to appreciate this one. I got stuck around page 40 in the midst of some train of thought paragraph when I realized that this same paragraph had started several pages back and would continue on for 11 pages. The book rambles, and goes no where. I thought I might find this midly intriguing since I grew up near Cleveland and at least know the areas the novel is refering to, but that is not the case either. I guess I just can't appreciate the author's genius. I'm not losing sleep over it.
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