upworthy
Add Upworthy to your Google News feed.
Google News Button
Most Shared

Hilarious summaries of classic novels? There's a comic for that.

Who needs SparkNotes?

There are few things in life as relaxing as cuddling up with a good book.

And it's even better with a classic novel, right? But classics can sometimes be ... kind of funny.

In a hilarious series of comics, illustrator John Atkinson gives us some less-than-classic descriptions of the classic books you probably had to read in high school.

In 1926, The New York Times described Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises" as "a truly gripping story, told in a lean, hard, athletic narrative prose that puts more literary English to shame."


Atkinson's description? "Lost generation gets drunk. They're still lost."

Yeah, he gets it.

Here are some of his favorite versions of the abridged classics:

Of course, classics are classics for a reason.

Many of these books are timeless favorites. We love them and many of us will read them repeatedly. But having a laugh about the things we enjoy can totally be good for the soul.

NAPA is launching a free merch collection, changing how we celebrate automotive careers
Enter the Toolbelt Generation
Enter the Toolbelt Generation
True

These days, cars can do a lot more than get you from point A to point B. With features like emergency braking, electric powertrains, and self-parking systems, getting behind the wheel of a modern vehicle means being surrounded by cutting-edge technology. While innovation races ahead, one important element is being left in the dust: trained professionals who know how to fix these increasingly complex systems.

By 2027, the industry is anticipating a nationwide shortage of nearly 800,000 technicians – everything from avionics experts to diesel and collision repair specialists. And while the industry is expected to grow by 3% in the next decade, not enough young people are entering the field quickly enough, and the skills needed to do the job are changing fast.


Enter the "Toolbelt Generation"

Gen Z has increasingly been shifting away from traditional four-year colleges, exploring trade school alternatives as a smarter path forward. This cultural shift has dubbed them the "Toolbelt Generation," and they're onto something big. With a 16% increase in vocation-focused community colleges last year, young people are choosing flexible, hands-on careers without the heavy cost of traditional college education.

But here's the thing: while university students get all the fanfare – the branded hoodies, the campus pride, the cultural celebration – trade school students have been missing out on that same sense of belonging and recognition. Despite outdated stereotypes that paint trade work as "lesser than," these students are actually mastering some of the most sophisticated technology on the planet. Until now, society just hasn't caught up to celebrating what they do.

A creative solution rooted in culture

The NAPA TradeWear Collection is the latest initiative they have using a brilliant solution to change this narrative entirely. In partnership with Dickies and prolific video game artist Stephen Bliss, NAPA launched TradeWear – their first-ever, free merch collection celebrating young trade school students and the automotive technician career path.

The inspiration came from a fascinating cultural insight: automotive and racing games were cited as one of the biggest influences of the current generation of trade school students. That's where Stephen Bliss comes in – he's been behind some of this generation's most iconic video game artwork, making him the perfect partner to bridge the digital-to-physical journey that's inspiring real careers.

"Being an automotive technician is such a badass career," said Stephen Bliss, designer of the new NAPA TradeWear line. "It's both an art and a science, and I designed this line with that artful side in mind – celebrating what drives people to create something tangible with their own hands."

The collection does more than just look cool – it's making a statement that these career paths deserve the same pride and recognition as any traditional college experience.

"NAPA is working to break down barriers for the next generation of technicians by eliminating financial barriers, debunk outdated stereotypes, and create cutting edge training methods to fill this automotive technician gap,” said Danny Huffaker, SVP, Product & Marketing at NAPA, “TradeWear is the latest initiative in champion young technicians, celebrating technical careers with the same pride we give to traditional college paths."

An innovative approach

TradeWear represents just one way NAPA is rising to meet this moment of industry transformation. As America's largest network of automotive parts and care, they're taking a comprehensive approach to supporting the next generation of technicians.

NAPA is set to debut the Autotech XcceleratoR in early 2026—a breakthrough that fuses XR (extended reality) and AI to transform how technicians learn. Think of it as a flight simulator for cars: immersive, hands-on practice with smart guidance that adapts to each learner, building real-world skills faster and safer. As a first-of-its-kind program at national scale, XcceleratoR is designed to train more students in less time, elevate quality across the industry, and set the standard for the next 100 years of automotive training.

NAPA is also championing educational investment through expanded scholarship programs. This year, NAPA launched the Carlyle Tools MAX Impact Scholarship, providing monthly $2,500 awards plus professional-grade Carlyle toolboxes to empower emerging skilled technicians. This initiative joins a comprehensive scholarship portfolio that delivered educational support this year through partnerships with WD40, the University of the Aftermarket, TechForce and SkillsUSA.

Looking toward the future

In a world full of desk jobs and digital burnout, technician jobs in the automotive industry allow people to create an entirely different way of living – a flexible, hands-on career without the heavy cost of a traditional college education.

By investing in innovative training, providing financial support, and most importantly, instilling pride in a new generation of workers through initiatives like TradeWear, NAPA is helping ensure these exciting career paths continue to thrive for generations to come.

Check out the new NAPA TradeWear collection and snag a free item from the collection.

casserole, casseroles, 1970s food, 1970s recipes, 1970s diet
Image courtesy of Reddit/Slow-moving-sloth

Foods like casseroles were popular during the 1970s.

All things old are new again—and the same goes for classic recipes.

For those who grew up during the 1970s (that's Baby Boomers and Generation Jones), staple dishes that were served at the dinner table are being rediscovered on Reddit by newer generations looking for filling, comforting, and affordable meals.


According to JSTOR, actress Liza Minelli first coined "comfort food" back in 1970. Minelli told food columnist Johna Blinn, "Comfort food is anything you just yum, yum, yum."

Meals from the 1970s are nostalgic and also budget friendly. Try making one of these comforting recipes from Redditors that will fill you up and not break the bank.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Tuna casserole

"I LITERALLY made a tuna casserole last night & had the leftovers for lunch today." - Disastrous-Soup-5413, RogerClyneIsAGod2

Turkey (or chicken) tetrazzini

"Tetrazzini is a creamy pasta dish with turkey (or chicken) chicken, mushrooms, and cheese." - Disastrous-Soup-5413

Liver and onions

"Liver and onions, mashed potatoes and a green salad made with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes cut in wedges, cucumber slices .. peeled and miracle whip salad dressing." - Kaktusblute

Quiche Lorraine

"A family favorite quiche recipe from the 1970’s. The secret? Half a cup of mayonnaise and an unreasonable quantity of cheese. My mom uses sweet onion instead of green onion, but otherwise made as written:

1/2 c. real mayonnaise
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. corn starch
1 1/2 c. cubed cooked ham
1 1/2 c. (about 1/2 pound) chopped Swiss cheese
1/3 c. sliced green onion
Dash pepper
1 unbaked 9" pastry shell

Mix together real mayonnaise, milk, eggs and corn starch until smooth. Stir in ham, cheese, onion and pepper. Turn into pastry shell. Bake in 350 degree Fahrenheit oven 35-40 minutes until golden brown on top and knife inserted comes out clean." - banoctopus

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Cheese fondue

"For fondue, you can go in a few different directions. Cubed crusty bread is one of the classic ways to dip into cheese fondue, but you could use fruits, vegetables, chunks of cooked or cured sausages, so long as they will keep their structural integrity." - Bluecat72

Meatloaf and baked potatoes

"A basic meatloaf is ground beef, minced onions, bread crumbs, an egg and a squirt of ketchup for moisture, salt, pepper, garlic powder.. whatever you like. Get your hands in there and squish it all together until thoroughly mixed. Form into a vague loaf shape on a pan and bake at 350 for an hour. Poke a couple potatoes with a fork and cook them in the microwave for 5-7 minutes. Enjoy a meatloaf sandwich with mustard for lunch the next day 😋." - yblame

Pork chops with rice and cream of mushroom soup

"Brown the chops, take them out of the pan, pour in rice, soup and water, stir to combine. Put the pork chops on top. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Tossed green salad: iceberg lettuce, chopped scallions, tomatoes, cucumbers, Wishbone Italian Dressing." - hicjacket

Salmon croquettes

"Salmon croquettes were a staple of my childhood. Canned salmon, saltine crackers, and an egg. We called them croquettes but naw, they were shaped into salmon patties." - DazzlingBullfrog9, throwawaytodaycat

Mexican casserole

"Brown ground beef, stir in a can of tomato sauce and 1 sliced green onion. Mix together a cup of sour cream, a cup of cottage cheese and a can of chopped green chilies. In a 9x13 pan, layer crushed tortilla chips, meat, cream mixture and grated Colby-jack or Colby cheese. Repeat layers. Bake until hot and bubbly." - Open-Gazelle1767

Hamburger Stroganoff

"One pound ground beef, 1 package Lipton onion soup mix, 1 can cream of mushroom or chicken soup, sour cream. Brown the ground beef, stir in the can of soup and soup mix. Stir in the sour cream until it looks right...I think it's a half pint, but maybe a whole pint. Serve over rice for the 2 kids who eat rice and egg noodles for the one kid who doesn't." - Open-Gazelle1767

Shake 'N Bake Chicken

"Shake’n Bake chicken or pork chops. 'And I helped!' Preheat oven to 400F. Moisten chicken with water. Place breasts in Shake-n-Bake shaker bag. Shake the bag vigorously to coat the chicken. Bake for 20 minutes if boneless, 45 minutes if it does have bones." - Karin58

@allrecipes

Where are all the Shake n Bake girlies? 🍗 Today @nicolesperfectbite is showing you how to make this classic bread coating at home—and dare we say better than the original? 👀 #instafood #food #foodie #shakenbake #bake #chicken #breadcrumbs #paprika #garlic #onion #powder #meat #breading #bread #easy #easyrecipe #recipe #quickandeasy #weeknightdinner

Grilled cheese and tomato soup

"Still my favorite thing to eat, but now I make my own tomato bisque, my own bread, and use Gouda or cheddar. Back then Mom made this for Friday lunch: Campbell's tomato soup (made with milk) and the grilled cheese was two slices of five-loaves-for-a-dollar white bread with Velveeta, grilled with Miami Maid margarine in the Revere Ware skillet." - Mindless_Pop_632, mulberryred

Pork sausage and rice

"I grew up in the 70s and my mother made this sausage and rice dish at least once a month. The recipe is from Peg Bracken's I Hate To Cook Book. Crumble 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of pork sausage (hamburger will do, but pork is better) into a skillet and brown it. Pour off the fat. Add:

1 green pepper, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 or 3 celery stalks, chopped
2 c. chicken consommé or bouillon
1 c. raw rice
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt

Put on the lid and let it simmer at lowest possible heat for 1 hour." - officerbirb

Sloppy Joes

"Classic Sloppy Joes. My family had these regularly in the ‘70s." - ThatPtarmiganAgain

italy, italy apartment, expat, expat in italy, italy travel, italy culture, travel, culture, living abroad, american abroad
@probablyhangry/TikTok, used with permission

This is one of the many wonderful things about traveling.

When 25-year-old traveler Sarah Margaret opened the windows of her Italian apartment, she didn’t expect them to open both sideways and inward.

“I thought I broke the window at first,” she quipped in a TikTok video that’s now racked up over a million views. That small moment of confusion kicked off what became a charming tour through all the little details of Italian daily life her "American mind couldn't comprehend."


In an interview with Newsweek, she said that she had spent a month in northern Italy, splitting her time between vacation and work. Her final stop was an apartment in Turin, a picturesque city near Milan. From there, she decided to document the things that made her stop and say, “Wait, what?”

The first mystery: those ingenious tilting windows. Turn the handle one way, they crack open from the top; another way, they swing open like a door. “Wild to me,” she said, equal parts baffled and impressed.

@probablyhangry Would these also blow your mind?? Or are these things normal to you? I’d love to hear from others too!! #italy🇮🇹 #travelitaly #travelvlog #americanmind #walkablecities ♬ original sound - Sarah 🌈🌞 | Living Abroad


Then came the washer-dryer combo that didn’t exactly…dry.

“It spins the clothes and gets a lot of water out, but it’s not like a dryer I’ve ever seen before," she explained. Instead, she found herself air-drying her laundry for an entire month, something she quickly learned is just part of Italian life.

Down in the comments, folks confirmed that yes, while there might be machine settings to remove some water from freshly washed clothes, air-drying was still a way of life.

“These options on the washing machines are ‘centrifuga.’ It takes a lot of water off so that they’re gonna air dry faster,” one viewer explained.

She also noticed the air conditioning felt, shall we say, gentler than in the United States, something she did come to appreciate after a few weeks of acclimating.

Continuing into the kitchen, she showed off a sleek induction stove. “I struggled at first, but once I figured it out, it felt very fancy," she admitted.

Other surprises included tiny trash bins—barely big enough for a few scraps—implying how serious Italians are about recycling and composting, along with equally tiny elevators. She even filmed herself in one, which was barely wide enough to fit her outstretched arms. “It blows my mind every single time,” she said.

And let’s not forget the bidet next to the toilet. “I’m not elaborating on this one, but it’s definitely been an experience," she teased.

But her favorite “quirk” really sums up what’s so magical about Italy to Americans in the first place.

“I can smell pizza cooking from my window,” she said, grinning. “There are hundreds of restaurants within walking distance and a grocery store right next door. I’ve never lived anywhere this walkable. It’s one of the most eye-opening experiences I’ve ever had.”

Between that and being able to look out a window—albeit a confusing one—and see gorgeous city architecture…seems like Italy’s got life figured out.

italy, italy apartment, expat, expat in italy, italy travel, italy culture, travel, culture, living abroad, american abroad A view of gorgeous Italy. Photo credit: Canva

After her month abroad, she told Newsweek that she left Italy with a deeper appreciation for the slower, friendlier, and more intentional rhythm of everyday life there. Shopkeepers remembered her. Neighbors said hello. “Traveling alone can be peaceful but also very lonely, so I was extra thankful for those little interactions," she shared.

Having grown up in the Midwest and now working remotely while traveling, she has made it her goal to see as many corners of the world as possible—25 countries so far. As far as Italy’s concerned, Turin has stayed with her most.

“It’s not crowded with tourists the same way other Italian cities are in the summer," she said. "It was peaceful."

Whether you are in a touristy area or in a lesser-known hidden gem, staying in a new place and learning about different ways of life also feels like a mini-adventure.

angela duckworth, grit, ted talk, success, psychologist, therapist
via TED / YouTube

Angela Duckworth speaking at a TED event.

Why is it that some people are high achievers who have a track record of success and some people never come close to accomplishing their dreams? Is it talent, luck, or how you were raised? Is it that some people are just gifted and have exceptional talents that others don't?

The good news is, according to psychologist Angela Duckworth, the most critical factor in being a high achiever has nothing to do with talent or intelligence. It’s how long you can keep getting back up after getting hit. She calls it “grit” and, according to Duckworth’s research, it’s the common denominator in high achievers across the board, whether it’s cadets at West Point or kids in a spelling bee. Duckworth goes into depth on the topic in her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.


What personal traits make someone successful?

“The common denominator of high achievers, no matter what they’re achieving, is this special combination of passion and perseverance for really long-term goals,” Duckworth revealed on The Mel Robbins Podcast. “And in a word, it’s grit.”


“Partly, it’s hard work, right? Partly it’s practicing what you can’t yet do, and partly it’s resilience,” she continued. “So part of perseverance is, on the really bad days, do you get up again? So, if you marry passion for long-term goals with perseverance for long-term goals well then you have this quality that I find to be the common denominator of elite achievers in every field that I've studied."

When pressed to define the specific meaning of grit, Duckworth responded: “It’s these two parts, right? Passion for long-term goals, like loving something and staying in love with it. Not kind of wandering off and doing something else, and then something else again, and then something else again, but having a kind of North Star."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

For anyone who wants to achieve great things in life, grit is an attitude that one can develop for themselves that isn’t based on natural abilities or how well one was educated. Those things matter, of course, but having a gritty attitude is something someone can learn.

"I am not saying that there aren't genes at play because every psychologist will tell you that's also part of the story for everything and grit included,” Duckworth said. “But absolutely, how gritty we are is a function of what we know, who were around, and the places we go."

Why grit is so important

Grit is critical for people to become highly successful because it means that you stick with the task even when confronted with barriers. In every journey of taking an idea that you love and turning it into reality there is going to be what’s known as the dark swamp of despair—a place that you must wade through to get to the other side. It takes grit and determination to make it through the times when you fear that you might fail. If it were easy, then everyone could be high achievers.


Grit is what keeps people practicing in their room every night as teenagers and makes them an accomplished guitar player. Grit is what makes a basketball player the first one in the gym and the last to leave so that they make the starting lineup. Grit is knocking on the next door after 12 people have just slammed their doors in your face.

The wonderful thing about Duckworth’s work is that it presents an opportunity for everyone willing to do the work. You can no longer use the fact that you may not have specialized intelligence or a God-given talent as an excuse. All you need is perseverance and passion and you have as good a shot as anyone at achieving your dreams.

brady bunch, brady bunch intro, brady bunch nostalgia, brady bunch season, making of brady bunch

The introduction to "The Brady Bunch."

The Brady Bunch ran for five seasons from 1969 to 1974 and is one of the most beloved television shows in TV history. For many Gen X kids, the reruns were a staple on TV in the ‘70s and ‘80s, so kids saw the classic episodes countless times, burning iconic scenes in their memories—from Jan stomping and yelling “Marsha! Marsha! Marsha!” to Cindy being bullied for her lisp to the crackling sound of Peter’s voice changing.

Kids who grew up with The Brady Bunch also have the song and imagery from the show’s iconic blue-box intro etched in their minds forever. The intro is like comfort food for people who grew up with the show, but for the cast members who had to shoot a new intro before every season, it was torture.


On a recent episode of TV We Love, Barry Williams, who played the oldest son, Greg, and Christopher Knight, who played middle son Peter, explained why doing the intro was so difficult.


“Filming those credits was probably one of the most uncomfortable things of all that we had to do,” remembers Williams. “There’s really nothing to do but be on a chair and look around. So, someone would say, ‘And down,’ and you’d look down, ‘Bottom right,’ and you’d look and pretend to be making contact with Cindy. And then I’d look over here and they’d go, ‘No, no, Alice is not in here yet!’”

“Insidiously difficult,” Knight adds. “You don’t know what you’re doing. Nobody’s really describing to you, clearly, what you’re doing — ‘Look up! OK, not that far up!’ They weren't really sure where we were going to be in those boxes." Knight said that in the first season introduction, he looks in the wrong direction.

The idea for the blue-box intro came from the show’s creator, Sherwood Schwartz, who believed that television was all about close-ups. But how was he supposed to have close-ups of the six kids, two parents, and Alice the housekeeper? Schwartz solved his dilemma by drawing a checkerboard with nine boxes for nine smiling faces.


"One day, I came into the living room and dad was at the bridge table, drawing a diagram of how he could get nine people into boxes, at the beginning, and could see their faces,” Sherwood's son, Lloyd Schwartz, told TV We Love.

Why does Alice show up last in the introduction? It’s because actress Anne B. Davis had it written into her contract that she would receive a unique intro that would stand out from the other cast members, according to Flavorwire.

The show’s theme song was a follow-up, of sorts, to Schwartz’s previous hit Gilligan’s Island. The theme of Gilligan’s Island was a way for him to placate the network, which thought that new viewers would be confused about why the castaways were stuck on an island. So he wrote a theme song that told their story.

The Brady Bunch theme song does the same by explaining how the parents met and created a blended family. However, it doesn’t explain why Carol and Mike weren’t with their first spouses. It was described in the pilot episode that Mike’s wife had died. As for Carol, Schwartz later said that he wanted her to be divorced, but given the taboo surrounding divorced women in the ‘60s, the circumstances surrounding her daughters’ father were left vague.


For many generations of viewers, The Brady Bunch is more than a TV show; it’s a window into a simpler time when all our troubles got wrapped up in 30 minutes, and how, after two parents with three kids each had to move on from their first spouses, they could still create a harmonious and loving family.

Those blue boxes may have been tough for Williams and Knight to sit in, but for millions of people, they represent how nine people could somehow form a family.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Music

The Jonas Brothers tour is bringing joy to unlikely fans, and people are here for it

The Jonas Brothers are crossing generational lines with their tour.

The Jonas Brothers; Jonas Brothers concert; Jonas Brothers Tour; men and Jonas Brothers; joy; happiness

The Jonas Brothers tour is bringing joy to unlikely fans.

The Jonas Brothers had all the tween girls "Burnin' Up" for them when they first entered the pop scene, seemingly reigniting the dying boyband era of the early 2000s. It didn't take long before parents of tween and teen girls knew Joe, Nick, and Kevin Jonas by their first names and signature vocals. If you were a parent of a tween who originally escaped the initial Jonas Brothers craze like I was, Camp Rock solidified the brothers' place in your car speakers...or any speaker within proximity.

While girls did go absolutely feral over the curly-haired brothers, boys were not outside of their lyrical reach. Now that they've reunited for a tour, one man on TikTok is showcasing his nostalgic joy for the former teen heartthrobs' music. The tour marks their 20th anniversary, and Official Tmac posted his uninhibited excitement while attending their concert recently.


The Jonas Brothers; Jonas Brothers concert; Jonas Brothers Tour; men and Jonas Brothers; joy; happiness Vibrant concert night with a lively crowd and colorful lights.Photo credit: Canva

The man shared several joy-filled videos of himself having a blast at the concert. It serves as a reminder that boys were also fans of The Jonas Brothers, though they may have been more discreet about their enjoyment of the music. Seeing him embrace the nostalgia and joy without shame or worry proves that men experiencing this level of excitement over a boy band doesn't diminish their masculinity.

In fact, there have been several men who begrudgingly accompanied their girlfriends or wives on the anniversary tour, only to reveal that they were shocked at the level of fun they had.

One man made a sign specifically asking Joe Jonas to sing directly to his wife for his own personal gain. Apparently, Joe understood the assignment. The man made a video thanking Joe for being the best "wing man" he's ever had, telling the singer that he plans to attend another concert with a sign to benefit himself this time.

People have been enjoying watching the videos of men having a blast at Jonas Brothers concerts. Many have been celebrating the unadulterated joy some of the men have been showing. One person writes, "I’m so happy you had the best time! They are magical live!"

@sophlaskaris also he bought the tix 💅🏼 i married the right man @Cameron Guzzo #jonasbrothers #jonasbrothersconcert #husband ♬ original sound - soph

Someone else says, "No cuz i really be listening to them too and everybody be making fun of me for it."

"This has to be one of the best videos I’ve seen a grown man enjoying the Jonas Brothers this much and not caring what anyone thinks is incredible! I had to go see them in Nashville by myself," another fan shares.

@wolfboyforest This is the definition of black boy joy man!! Probably one of the best nights of my whole ass lifeee man wtaf!!! I can die happy! Shoutout Naps for helping me get a ticket!! #jonasbrothers #jonasbrotherslondon #jonasbrothersconcert #wafflehouse ♬ Waffle House - Jonas Brothers

"Such a joy to just see people enjoying music and letting their worries go away," someone else comments.

One person gushes, "A man confidently going to see the Jonas Brothers? My dream hope you had loads of fun!"

Another writes, "You win the internet. This brought me joy. I usually feel like the only one when I go to a concert. so so so happy for you that you got to experience!"

The Jonas Brothers helped shape the adolescence of so many kids in America, and clearly the adults that those kids grew to be still appreciate their music. Maybe more men who secretly bobbed their heads to their sister's Jonas Brothers CDs will brave the screaming women reliving their youth to join them in belting out the lyrics they've had memorized since they were 12 years old.