Mad's Cradle To Grave Primer

My parents gave me a copy of this book when it first came out when I was 16. It was a wonderful and funny read. I’ve always enjoyed Mad Magazine and to have this book given to me by my parents, made it even more enjoyable. However , throughout the 60 something years it was lost somewhere amongst all the moves in my lifetime. It was great to be able to find this book on this website and be reunited with a first edition copy .

The beauty of this book is that it rings true decades after it was written. To some, this book is a valuable expose on reality vs. expectation. To others, it serves as a cautionary tale (i.e. "Dont' let this happen to you"). The chapters delineate what it means to be a "Born Loser" in all phases of life. The horror is: no matter how cool you are in the early pahses of your life, sooner or later you will find a chapter that catches up to you. Whether you were (or will be) a weak and/or unattractive child, a clueless and/or unattractive teen, a misdirected and/or unattactive young adult, an overburdened and/or unattactive older adult, or a feeble and/or unattractive senior, this book has a chapter you will find relevant. Read it. Know it. Fear it. P.S. I made my kids read it.