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Stalin Ate My Homework [Paperback]

Alexei Sayle (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 7 July 2011
The Sayles might not have been the only Jewish atheist communist family in Liverpool, but Alexei knew from an early age that they were one of the more eccentric.

Born on the day egg rationing came to an end, Alexei was the only child of Joe, an affable trade unionist who led the family on railway expeditions across eastern Europe, and Molly, a hot-tempered red-head who terrified teachers and insisted Alexei see the Red Army Choir instead of the Beatles.

Perceptive and hilarious, this is a portrait of a family, a city, a country and a continent going through enormous changes.

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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Sceptre (7 July 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0340919590
  • ISBN-13: 978-0340919590
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.5 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 112,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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› Visit Amazon's Alexei Sayle Page
Alexei Sayle
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Product Description

Review

It's not like other comedians' memoirs. It's funny. (Guardian)

As strange and fascinating as any fiction . . . This would be excellent even if it weren't by someone famous (The Times)

'Fascinating and hugely entertaining' (Telegraph)

Sayle's book has charm and substance, both as memoir and history. (Times Literary Supplement)

'A great memoir of a strange childhood. "Just let me read you this bit" funny.' (Frank Cottrell Boyce)

'The brilliant satires on modern life of Alexei Sayle (the only comedian worth his salt as a novelist) are contemporary gems.' (Tim Lott, Independent)

'This touching, elegantly written memoir stands out... He looks back on his unconventional youth with comic bewilderment' (Independent on Sunday)

'A fascinating and entertaining memoir about growing up with parents who were staunch communists' (Daily Telegraph)

About the Author

Born in Liverpool, the only child of Communist parents, Alexei moved to London in 1971 to attend Chelsea Art School. He became the first MC of the Comedy Store and later the Comic Strip. After years of stand-up, television, sitcoms, films and even a hit single, he published his first highly acclaimed collection of short stories. BARCELONA PLATES was followed by THE DOG CATCHER, two novels: OVERTAKEN and THE WEEPING WOMEN HOTEL and a novella, MISTER ROBERTS. This is his first work of non-fiction.
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, insightful, clever and strange. 11 Oct 2010
By Malcolm
Format:Hardcover
This is not a showbiz bio. It is a memoir of a unique childhood presenting a first-hand close-up child's-eye view of the cold war and as such constitutes an important historical document. It's also (almost incidentally) very, very funny. It's also written in a transparently elegant prose style that every writer since Evelyn Waugh would do well to study. It also tells you more about the crucial flaws in Sten gun design, and the useless beauty of 1950s East European limousines than you could ever have believed you wanted to know. It's also a page turner. I read it in two lengthy sessions while the world around continued to fall into hideous disrepair. Philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it. Here's how.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A great entertaining read. Very Nice! 29 Sep 2010
By Tenby's No. 1 fan!!!
Format:Hardcover
Another great read from Alexi. Very enjoyable and entertaining learning about his unconventional childhood. The way he describes his summer holiday to Czechoslovakia had me laughing out loud. A very honest account of his younger years which shaped the man he was to become. Lets hope its not too long until he gives us the next installment. More stories please.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Funny but... 29 Sep 2010
By Custard Fancier
Format:Hardcover
Alexei's memoir of his childhood and teenage days in Liverpool doesn't have the vitriol he was most known for in the 80s, but retains his surrealist-outsider stance - a collection of stories and anecdotes more than an autobiography, but still with laugh-aloud moments.

The only criticism I have of this book is its ending - the last anecdote finishes, then the book ends, with no epilogue, postscript or sense of what happens next. It's as if a second volume will follow soon and nobody wanted to spoil the surprises that'll be in that book.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Manic Memoirs 16 Jun 2013
By Scaroth, Last of the Jagaroth
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Alexei Sayle's first volume of memoirs, starting with his birth on Merseyside to Jewish Socialists Mollie and Joe, is like no other `celebrity' autobiography you will ever encounter. Sayle's trademark bolshy in-your-face stand-up comedy is better understood when you've read about his bizarre upbringing and melancholic teenage persona; at the same time he writes with an honesty and a passion that demands respect for the man, and never seeks to paint himself as anything other than an `odd looking and very scary individual', spiky and awkward and consequently not the best at making friends or maintaining any kind of constructive relationship.
At the same time, the book is a fascinating insight into a period of massive upheaval and change in Liverpool and its surrounding townships, and Sayle's own development is mirrored in the rise and fall of the shipyards and football teams that have always lain at the beating heart of this proud city.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable and engaging 31 May 2013
By Mrs. K. A. Wheatley TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I rate Alexei as a performer and as a writer, and was curious to learn about what made him into the unusual creative force that he undoubtedly is. Other reviewers have criticised his book as being spiteful, but I really do not see that. I sense an affection for the people he writes about, and if there is any criticism, it is generally of himself and his failures, as he perceives them. I liked the fact that he talks about his political understanding as a child, and then how it began to change as he himself began to change and question things, and also move towards a reasonably turbulent adolescent. I thought the book was engaging and warm, and funny. It wasn't laugh out loud funny for me, but then I think I would have been disappointed in the book had it been solely written for laughs. Nobody's life is really 'hilarious', growing up is a bumpy ride, and Alexei illustrates that beautifully.
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4.0 out of 5 stars A very funny book 15 May 2013
By agnes macgregor
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I loved it. Laughed out loud! Wonderful similes. Ending was a just a tad abrupt. Nevertheless I'd recommend it without hesitation.
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5.0 out of 5 stars LIVERPOOL CHILDHOOD IN THE 60'S &70'S. 21 April 2013
By bibliophile
Format:Paperback
I really enjoyed this book,it did not really matter or was important that this book was written by Alexei Sayle.It was not really about him as such,it was about a boy growing up in Liverpool in an unconventional and politically different environment in the middle of the tewntieth century , and how this person developed. This was certainly not a stand up comedian insight into how he became a star,but a witty and laugh out loud expose of his life with Molly and Joe,and his and their view of the world as they perceived it in the 1960's and 70's. Alexei Sayle does not come across as someone who goes into comedy because he makes his school friends laugh,it did not appear to have many,people seem to be laughing about him rather than with him.
A thoroughly recommended book for an insight into Alexei Sayle and his childhood, but also an insight into the social and architectual planning that was taking place after the end of the second world war, and how it was going to create a utopia for all to live in.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out loud funny 6 April 2013
By KateRG31
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have read 'funny' books before and been very disappointed. So often humour depends on verbal delivery and really does not work when written down. This book is an exception and actually made me laugh out loud. Only read in public with extreme care!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars loved it
i seemed to have had a similar up bringing and laughed all the way through this story. it helps to know what the character looks like and sounds. Great
Published 4 months ago by Junia Cleary
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
A very interesting book which has given me the information I needed. It arrived on time and was well packaged.
Published 4 months ago by Kate
4.0 out of 5 stars A jump to the left... a step to the right... and let's do the timewarp...
Lloyd Cole once sang "Must you tell me all your secrets/When it's hard enough to love you knowing nothing? Read more
Published 5 months ago by Ivan Zehdra-Maychayne
5.0 out of 5 stars stalin ate my homework
have always found mr sayle an interesting and funny character, i therefore bought his book after hearing him being interviewed about it. a very good read and very funny
Published 5 months ago by rachel o'gorman
5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny!
I could not put this book down. Alexei Sayle writes with real warmth about his upbringing in Liverpool. Many laugh out loud moments. Highly recommend.
Published 5 months ago by alison mottram
5.0 out of 5 stars Not what you might expect but a good read all the same
If, like me, you came at this expecting manic Alexei Sayle humour you might be disappointed but this is a really great autobiography of Mr Sayle's early life in a bizarre communist... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Geoff
2.0 out of 5 stars Monotonous
Initially I found this book interesting as I knew very little about Alexei Sayle. I had bought the book due to the humorous title. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Ben
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
Alexei Sayle is a great writer, I have always found his books to be so easy to read - the type of book you stay up late to read more than you should. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Bluesboy
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