No one's saying we can't disagree, Pizza, or that you can't dislike the book. I'm just saying we needn't burn him at the stake over it, is all. I do try to be a gentlemen, and I suppose I expect others to do the same. As for calling him a bum, I'm not thinking Ralphie-boy so much as I'm thinking Henry Hill's father whacking Henry with the belt. "You're a bum!" WHACK! You wanna grow up to be a bum?!" WHACK! "You wanna write bad novels?!" WHACK!