Searching for John Hughes

Or Everything I Thought I Needed to Know About Life I Learned from Watching '80s Movies

By: Jason Diamond

Narrated by: Roger Wayne

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

For all fans of John Hughes and his hit films, such as National Lampoon's Vacation, Sixteen Candles, and Home Alone, comes Jason Diamond's hilarious memoir of growing up obsessed with the iconic filmmaker's movies - a preoccupation that eventually convinces Diamond he should write Hughes' biography and travel to New York City on a quest that is as funny as it is hopeless.

For as long as Jason Diamond can remember, he's been infatuated with John Hughes' movies. From the outrageous, raunchy antics in National Lampoon's Vacation to the teenage angst in The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink to the insanely clever and unforgettable Home Alone, Jason could not get enough of Hughes' films. And so the seed was planted in his mind that it should fall to him to write a biography of his favorite filmmaker. It didn't matter to Jason that he had no qualifications, training, background, platform, or direction. Thus went the years-long delusional, earnest, and assiduous quest to reach his goal. But no book came out of these years, and no book will. What he did get was a story that fills the minutes of this unconventional, hilarious memoir.

In Searching for John Hughes, Jason tells how a Jewish kid from a broken home in a Chicago suburb - sometimes homeless, always restless - found comfort and connection in the likewise broken lives in the suburban Chicago of John Hughes' oeuvre. He moved to New York to become a writer. He started to write a book he had no business writing. In the meantime he brewed coffee and guarded cupcake cafes. All the while he watched John Hughes movies religiously.

Though his original biography of Hughes has long since been abandoned, Jason has discovered he is a writer through and through. And the adversity of going for broke has now been transformed into wisdom. Or, at least, a really, really good story.

In other words this is a memoir of growing up. One part big dream, one part big failure, one part John Hughes movies, one part Chicago, and one part New York. It's a story of what comes after the "go for it!" part of the command to young creatives to pursue their dreams - no matter how absurd they might seem at first.

©2016 Jason Diamond (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Not about John Hughes, or the 80's.

If you are looking for anything 80's related, you won't find it here. While it randomly mentions Hughes and his movies, it doesn't have anything to do with him. In fact, the author wasn't even a teen in the 80's.

What it is- a memoir about an abused child who turns into a lost teen who turns into an adult finding his place in the world. It's a coming of age story that is quite good. Though the author does have a habit of being overly descriptive, and some of it is depressing, I found it to be enjoyable.

excellent book for any John Hughes admirer...

i would highly recommend this book. very interesting and heartfelt debut from an author with a lot in common

Story About A Loser Who Fails At Writing A Book

The author loves to quote John Hughes, so I have one for him...

"And by the way, you know, when, when you're telling these little stories, here's a good idea. Have a point."

This story is pointless. It's an auto-biographical account of the author's futile attempt at writing a biography of John Hughes, which he fails at miserably, essentially because he can't muster the wherewithal to interview people that would give his project legitimacy. Numerous people try to help him along the way, but still it is a lost cause. So instead he writes a story about the writing (or non-writing) of this failed project and how tough his life has been, which isn't at all interesting imo. His book fails because it fails to answer the essential question: "why should I care about this story?" I mean I feel a little bad for this guy and all he's gone through, but he doesn't convince me that there is anything redeeming there, so in the end I just don't care.