Book Description
For nearly thirty years, America's favorite humorist, Erma Bombeck, has given us her take on the behavioral patterns of her favorite animal species --us. Much in the same way that Jane Goodall devoted her life to living with and recording the behavioral patterns of the wild mountain chimps of Gombi, so Bombeck has recorded our mating habits, maternal instincts, reproductive cycles, how we handle trends and technology, what makes us laugh, and what makes us cry. In her inimitably warm and witty style, Bombeck has discovered that the odd habits of the animal kingdom are strikingly similar to our own, and she reports her downright hilarious findings in All I Know About Animal Behavior I Learned in Loehmann's Dressing Room.

Bombeck shows how close animals in the wild and humans really are, and how much we can learn from one another. The hippopotamus is a vegetarian and looks like a wall. Lions who eat only red meat are sleek and slim. Are nutritionists on the wrong track? From the garter snake transvestite, to the barn swallow who can't make a commitment, to the lion who mates eighty-six times a day, Bombeck reveals that we're not all that far removed from the animal world. An African monkey who picked the lock on every cage he'd ever been in got twenty minutes on a National Geographic special. Bombeck had a cousin with the same skill; he got two years.

Bombeck proves that a behaviorist need not wear a safari jacket and live in a tent in order to be an expert on every facet of a species' behavior. From the aerobics classroom -- where humans defend their territory to the death by spraying their mates with their own personal perfume -- to our migratory patterns -- where, like a certain species of butterfly, we fly to Miami in hordes the minute the temperature dips below sixty, Bombeck demonstrates in her quintessential style that while animals may have more fun, longer tails, and better sex lives, the gap that separates us from the animal kingdom is closing...fast.

Customer Reviews (3)

Some funny pieces, though not all hit the mark
Heard the taped version of Erma Bombeck's ALL I KNOW ABOUT
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR I LEARNED IN LOEHMANNMN'S DRESSING
ROOM . . . this is a collection of 38 pieces where she compares and
contrasts animal behavior with that of the human species.

Not everything hit the mark, but those that did had me laughing quite
a bit . . . for example, when she compares the show-off behavior
of gorillas to the attention-getting ploys of Madonna, Howard Stern,
Roseanne, and other "professional exhibitionists, I kept thinking to myself
that there are indeed amazing parallels.

I also liked her observation about the fact that the female elephant
calf carries here calf for 660 days before giving birth and continues
breeding until she is 90 days old . . . however, Bombeck says not
to feel too sorry for the elephant; after all, her height enables her
to carry the extra weight quite well.

And then she tells the story of four dolphins who got lost and
were trapped in a New Jersey river. Of course, she contends, they
had to be men . . . which leads to the author's advice on ending
all wars: "Let men give directions on how to get there."

Bombeck, who died in 1996, was always one of my favorite
humorists . . . this book will help remind you just how funny she
was . . . narration by Barbara Rosenblatt was fine; however, I would
have preferred hearing the author herself.

Maybe the animals have us beat?
Of all the animals, man is only one that blushes -- or who needs
to. He is also the only one that laughs, or at least that's what
the naturalists claim. Perhaps it is because we humans are the
funniest of the animals, and who better to point that out than
the late Erma Bombeck?

In "All I Know About Human Behavior I Learned in Loehman's
Dressing Room", Bombeck shares some of the observations made by
the naturalists and then shows how humans are alike. The female
elephant, for example, carries her calf for 660 days before
giving birth and continues breeding until she is ninety years
old. But Bombeck doesn't feel too sorry for the elephant; after
all with her height she carries the extra weight quite well!

In the old days pregnancy was a real event in a woman's life; she
was told to give up exercise and could eat whatever she wanted.
Today, however, she has to exercise more than ever and everyone
is watching what she eats. Birth is so ordinary that a female

jockey delivered only a few hours after her third race. Surrogate
mothers made the old joke "Are you pregnant? No, I'm carrying it
for a friend" reality, and frozen embryos are part of the divorce
settlement!

Another notice tells of four dolphins who got lost and were
trapped in a New Jersey river. Of course we all know they had to
be men. Bombeck knows how to end all wars: "Let men give
directions on how to get there." Why don't men ask for
directions? It would compromise their masculinity.

Of course animals are involved in many laboratory experiments.
After wondering who got their permission, Bombeck continues: "I
have never been in a laboratory where mice are involved in
research. So when someone tells me they are being used to test
the effects of cigarette smoke and alcohol and the consequences
of too much sun, I have to believe there's a group of mice
sitting around the pool, smoking and drinking Mai Tais and
working on a tan."

When she thinks of animal speed, she thinks of the IRS cashing
your check (the fastest animal on earth) and giving a refund (the
snail is faster). When she reads about the devices that are used
to track animals in the wild, she remembers the various
electronic devices we have to stay in touch. What should you
record on that answering machine? "We're not home right now?"
That's obvious. "We'll return your call?" What if it is a
aluminum siding salesman?

This is not a connected narrative, but a series of sketches, each

based on a different piece of information about the animal
kingdom. As a result, you can read this in a hurry or stretch it
out. There are a few dry places, but this is a good book to bring
with you while you are waiting for your appointment with the IRS.

Way to go Erma
I love Erma Bombeck.She is the best author I've read.This bookcontinues that tradition.Every chapter is a laugh.The best part is, youcan reread and reread the book and still laugh.Only Erma could do such athing. ... Read more

Product Description
Hair-raising tales of a semi-liberated housewife--by the most seethingly funny columnist in America today. 143 pages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The kid's review
In the 1950's there were a lot of women breaking free of the "housewife" reputation. Erma Bombeck was one of them. When Erma was a kid, she wanted to be a writer. She worked hard all through school to accomplish her goals. During this time she was a copygirl for a local newspaper. When she got to the point of college, she struggled to get in because she didn't have enough money. When she got in, she struggled to stay in. During her college experience, she advanced her writing. Erma strongly disagreed to `housewife' name give to women. She fought this title in the later years of her life. Erma was a writer and a humorist. This is a great book that gets inside the head of a woman for equal rights.
Erma Bombeck fulfilled her goals and dreams. She preserved all through high school and worked at a local newspaper as a copygirl. She did a great job balancing them. She struggled to get into college but when she did, she worked her butt off to stay in. She faced the challenges of college and surpassed them. Erma fought the image which men gave the world, that said all a woman was supposed to do was clean, garden, and take care of kids.
The author didn't make her actions seem good or bad. When she fought for women's rights, the author kept a clear head and didn't state whether she agreed or opposed the issue. Lynn Colwell didn't set the mood or environment to seem like Erma was a saint or demon. Lynn told the truth about every event in Erma's life.
It talks about a woman who accomplished a lot but wouldn't be recognized. She wrote many books including If Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries, Why am I in the Pits? Erma had a show series out called Maggie on ABC. She guest starred on many shows like The Cosby Show and Good Morning America.
In conclusion, Erma lived a good, full life. Lynn Hutner Colwell portrayed Erma Bombeck in a way which you can make your own opinions about her. Erma Bombeck is a great person to do a biography on because no one else would have noticed her even though she had and impact on how women are treated. A.Elliott
... Read more

Product Description
Set includes:Just Wait Till You Have Children of Your OwnAt Wit's EndThe Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic TankIf Life is a Bowl of Cheries - What am I Doing in the Pits? ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Medical Update, published by Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc. on September 1, 1996. The length of the article is 1200 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Remembering Erma. (Erma Bombeck)(Obituary)
Author: Wendy R. Braun
Publication: Medical Update (Newsletter)
Date: September 1, 1996
Publisher: Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc.
Volume: v20Issue: n3Page: p4(1)

Article Type: Obituary

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