Book Review: Five Minutes, Mr. Byner!
Authored by John Byner with Douglass Wellman
A lifetime of laughter? Humor is the most significant single item in life that everyone uses for the benefit of others. Byner is no different. He brags about coming from a normal family, being the fifth of six children, and about the blessings he experienced as the son of a rather talented mechanic. I found his description of his family to be refreshingly normal. That word flitted about throughout the book and usually felt reasonably fitting.
Byner’s natural state of existence isn’t really funny. His simple overworking of life’s ups and downs, however, is humorous. He tells the stories of his life in a feel-good way that warms your heart and soul. Even the part where he loses his father at a young age, his mother still had three children at home, reveals a warm love of family and good times. He was loved, cherished, and valued as a child, which allows him to share life from a warm and friendly place.
His mother’s job changes and unfortunate toxic burns brought actual tears to my eyes. The experience of being a working mom and not having the ability to do what she needed to do reminded me of real life. Nothing is fair, but she didn’t look at the unfairness of it, nor did he. They responded to the challenge and “measured up”.
Byner’s big moment arrived on the community stage where he sang the solo response to “Billy Boy” in front of a real audience. Except it didn’t. His family moved before the actual show happened. Sly Byner solved his part of the problem by not telling anyone he wouldn’t be there for the opening night until they moved. That way he got to play the part until he wasn’t there.
I laughed my way through the majority of his childhood stories, reminiscing through my own childhood. Some similarities appeared, which often happens when reading a biography. Age similarities, or location, or even similar experiences sound familiar. I always find I enjoy a biography more if I can identify with the author on some level.
The part of the book that I found most exciting was the messages he shared from his time in the Navy. As a military mom, I can so totally relate to that experience. Stationed in San Diego and finding ways to connect with his chosen career of entertainer were particularly meaningful parts of the book. Jobs and skillsets made him a fitting candidate for many jobs in entertainment. The stories he was building through these experiences would carry him far. If there was a point of no return, I think it came with The Ed Sullivan Show. He had a toe in the door at that point, and the rest — as they say — was history.
This was definitely a page-turner, real book in my hand, it took me about five hours to read it because I kept laughing my way through and going back to read something else. I love the book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves biographies, show business, and laughter.
I’ll still be laughing next month from this one!
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5 Stars