With summer break fast approaching, the opportunity to read for pleasure may again become a possibility.

Robert Klein’s attempt in the humor genre allows a reader to do just that with “The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue: A Child of the Fifties Looks Back.”

Robert Klein is a very recognizable, if not prominent, Hollywood fixture. You might not know his name, but his face is a different story.

Past film credits include “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” ‘Primary Colors” and “One Fine Day.” Klein has also been active in television and on Broadway. Yet, in his autobiography, he chooses not to discuss much about his later career in the entertainment industry, but instead focus on his youth on the East Coast and his early years in the comedy business.

Klein’s style flows well throughout the book. There are many instances in which the reader feels as if Klein is talking directly to him or her. Occasionally this translates into Klein using a phrase that an author would not normally choose to use, as it sounds slightly awkward. This generally gives the novel a welcome, realistic tone.

Another touch that adds to the realism within the book is how the author begins each chapter — with a photo. Each chapter has a title page and a black and white snapshot from some time during Klein’s life.

Some of the later photos of when Klein gets more involved in the entertainment industry are more fun, as they contain pictures of him and other recognizable celebrities in their early years. Famed comedian Jack Roy, a.k.a. Rodney Dangerfield, is seen in a shot with Klein and his son in a Los Angeles swimming pool, and Fred Willard can be spotted in a picture of the cast of a Second City skit.

These little touches enhance the book’s credibility as a genuine reflection on the part of the author.

Klein combines elements of humor and history well throughout the book. Although his anecdotes about the importance of safety as a child ring true in almost any era, his tale of a neighbor in the dorms prominently displaying a swastika has a different quality when told from the viewpoint of the children of Jewish immigrants.

When Klein frankly discusses his desire to join one of the two fraternities on his campus that admitted Jewish or black students, it serves as a stark reminder of open discrimination against people of various groups in society not long ago.

One thing that hasn’t changed much since the author’s youth is the focus on sex. If you read this book planning to find a bucolic look at life in the 1950s, you will be sorely disappointed and perhaps mildly outraged. Klein recounts losing his virginity to a prostitute in New York at the age of 15, and this is only the first of many sexual experiences that he shares throughout the book. If frank discourses on sexual encounters is going to offend you, this would not be a good book to read.

Although autobiographies and memoirs aren’t normally a first choice when picking a book to read, consider “The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue: A Child of the Fifties Looks Back.” Klein’s honesty is refreshing, and it’s a welcome change from authors who are trying to be the next Dan Brown or Jane Green. Start summer off right, and brush up on a little bit of history.