From Publishers Weekly
The author's missionary spirit glows even brighter in his fourth book than in its bestselling predecessors All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten et al. In this collection of "second thoughts from a secret life," he uses musings about ironing a shirt, conducting the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth and selling school chocolate to emphasize the give and take, the unpredictability of the well-lived life. What Fulghum says of Einstein could well apply to himself: "Ambiguity remains at the end of the equation of his best thinking." If a chapter on the consumption of urine by certain cultures is distasteful, Fulghum's ruminations nevertheless make zesty entertainment. His many fans will enjoy his latest contribution and accept his invitation to join him for singing and storytelling on the "22 Cities, 22 Causes, One Good Reason Tour" he'll be making from September through November to benefit Literacy Volunteers, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity and other causes. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
YA-Fulghum shares some of his insights with readers. They include episodic, kaleidoscopic mental explorations of events observed or imagined. YAs may be surprised at the commonalities between one adult male's perspectives and their own. Points to ponder abound. Whether read straight through or dipped into for a couple of minutes, beginning on almost any page, this engaging narrative offers a break from the daily grind.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
It's summertime...Let's climb into our hammocks and settle down for a good rock-and-read with America's favorite crackerbarrel philosopher (Uh-Oh, 1991, etc.). This time, Fulghum's typically brief, loosely connected essays kick off, after a note on the word ``maybe,'' with a meditation about the ``secret life'' each of us carries in our heads--not a new idea, certainly, but pondered here in the Seattle sage's usual easygoing manner (``I can fully relate to the occasional stories in the tabloids about multiple personalities. This is not news to me''): an intriguing notion to swing back and forth with. Fulghum moves on to family secrets, then to the secret of ironing a shirt, then to nicknames--and all this is getting just a little less charming, maybe (maybe not). The sun beating down on our hammocks is getting a little warmer, too, but we're still rocking back and forth, reading on....about how, as the butt of a practical joke, Fulghum was contacted by the Liberace Fan Club and other unusual organizations; how, each September, his neighborhood is invaded by ``soccer mania''; how he learned that urine is a wonder liquid (``You can tan leather with it...It will clean your hair'')....My, but that sun's hot and the air's lazy and hazy, as we swing back and forth. Can we keep our eyes open for the rest of this book? Maybe (maybe not). -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERI once began a list of the contradictory notions I hold:Look before you leap.He who hesitates is lost.Two heads are better than one.If you want something done right, do it yourself.Nothing ventured, nothing gained.Better safe than sorry.Out of sight, out of mind.Absence makes the heart grow fonder.You can't tell a book by its cover.Clothes make the man.Many hands make light work.Too many cooks spoil the broth.You can't teach an old dog new tricks.It's never too late to learn.Never sweat the small stuff.God is in the details.And so on. The list goes on forever. Once I got so caught up in this kind of thinking that I wore two buttons on my smock when I was teaching art. One said, "Trust me, I'm a teacher." The other replied, "Question Authority."[signature]Fulghum


From the Inside Flap
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
I once began a list of the contradictory notions I hold:
Look before you leap.
He who hesitates is lost.
Two heads are better than one.
If you want something done right, do it yourself.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Better safe than sorry.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
You can't tell a book by its cover.
Clothes make the man.
Many hands make light work.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
It's never too late to learn.
Never sweat the small stuff.
God is in the details.
And so on. The list goes on forever. Once I got so caught up in this kind of thinking that I wore two buttons on my smock when I was teaching art. One said, "Trust me, I'm a teacher." The other replied, "Question Authority."
[signature]
Fulghum

FROM OUR EDITORS

Radiating a spiritual, yet down-to-earth universality that has made his writing appealing to readers around the world, Fulghum's latest ruminations range over such topics as barbershop mythology, the meaning of nicknames, more.

ANNOTATION

After three phenomenal #1 bestsellers, Fulghum returns with a brand-new collection of essays as wise, witty, and down-to-earth as ever. Whether the subject is barbershop mythology or a meditation on the circumstances of one's own conception, Fulghum makes us a little more aware of the richness, fullness, and joyousness of life.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

If I was absolutely certain about all things, I would spend my life in anxious misery, fearful of losing my way. But since everything and anything is always possible, the miraculous is always nearby and wonders shall never, ever cease. I believe that human freedom may be stated in one term, which serves as a little brick propping open the door of existence: Maybe. Such is the philosophy that has built Robert Fulghum's All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It, and Uh-Oh into international bestsellers. His first book of wit and wisdom, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, occupied the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list for some 96 weeks. It was also number one in Ivy paperback, spent 133 weeks on the New York Times list, and has achieved the status of a contemporary classic. It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It, his second book, also soared to instant success, becoming part of publishing history by seizing the New York Times' top hardcover slot while Kindergarten remained a simultaneous hardcover and paperback bestseller. Uh-Oh, another number one bestseller, also reflects on the wonders of everyday life. Fulghum's books radiate a spiritual, yet down-to-earth universality that has made his writing appealing to readers in twenty-four languages; his books are distributed in ninety-three countries. To those modern classics, he now adds Maybe (Maybe Not), his wisest and most entertaining work to date. Opting for constant surprise, he continues to amuse and inspire with enlightenment encountered in the most unexpected ways and places. Consider Fulghum's thoughts on the secret life (that nonstop epic playing inside our heads, where all our best-laid dreams are hatched), on barbershop mythology, the shifting significance of nicknames over the course of a lifetime, or the circumstances of one's own conception. Contemplate along with him the revelations afforded by ironing a shirt, a rousi

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The author's missionary spirit glows even brighter in his fourth book than in its bestselling predecessors All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten et al. In this collection of ``second thoughts from a secret life,'' he uses musings about ironing a shirt, conducting the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth and selling school chocolate to emphasize the give and take, the unpredictability of the well-lived life. What Fulghum says of Einstein could well apply to himself: ``Ambiguity remains at the end of the equation of his best thinking.'' If a chapter on the consumption of urine by certain cultures is distasteful, Fulghum's ruminations nevertheless make zesty entertainment. His many fans will enjoy his latest contribution and accept his invitation to join him for singing and storytelling on the ``22 Cities, 22 Causes, One Good Reason Tour'' he'll be making from September through November to benefit Literacy Volunteers, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity and other causes. (Sept.)

School Library Journal

YA-Fulghum shares some of his insights with readers. They include episodic, kaleidoscopic mental explorations of events observed or imagined. YAs may be surprised at the commonalities between one adult male's perspectives and their own. Points to ponder abound. Whether read straight through or dipped into for a couple of minutes, beginning on almost any page, this engaging narrative offers a break from the daily grind.

BookList - John Mort