false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171308057m/95964.jpg 95964 4 "Handing out advice on family matters is not my game," begins Calvin Trillin in <I>Family Man</I>, and indeed, those in search of practical child-rearing tips would be advised to look elsewhere. What Trillin does have to offer is a series of witty meditations on the art--<I>not</I> the science--of parenthood. Nobody else has written quite so accurately about the debunking genius of small children. And while Trillin conveys the joys and sorrows of family life with his customary drollness, what really gets him going is the high anxiety of being in loco parentis. When, for example, a study reveals that most of our synapses are formed during infancy, the author is nonplused by the scientific breakthrough. He's quick, though, to latch on to this new opportunity for self-flagellation: <blockquote> This business about the synapses struck me as the sort of finding that could have been designed to add to the concerns of those older parents who already spend some uncomfortable time, while trying to fall asleep at night, thinking of ways that they may have shortchanged their children. Here is an entirely new subject, pushing aside old chestnuts like whether that really was the right summer camp or whether the purchase of the guitar might have been to blame for everything that followed. Now, as they toss and turn, they can envision their children trying to compete in a global economy with reduced brainpower. </blockquote> This beleaguered dad does, it should be said, touch upon a handful of more general topics, including the wacky world of contemporary wedding ceremonies. At the heart of his book, though, is the alternately exasperating and endearing pageant of family life, chez Trillin, which features not only the author's smart-aleck daughters but also his wife and perennial straight (wo)man, Alice. 848765 1998 Family Man total:116|5:30|4:53|3:30|2:2|1:1| 116 457 160 24 4 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 19:07:22 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 19:07:22 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 29 16:31:05 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 29 16:34:32 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun May 03 21:05:29 -0700 2009 Sun May 03 21:07:02 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Sep 21 13:18:55 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 21 13:24:38 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 03 08:27:57 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 15:47:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Jun 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 19:44:36 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 19:47:58 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Sat Jul 18 06:38:48 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 06:38:48 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Dec 30 12:30:19 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 12:30:19 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Tue Jan 15 06:57:18 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 31 08:22:41 -0800 2008 This book is about his role as a father and husband within New York, balancing his daughter's trips to Chinatown with his wife'...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Aug 16 16:58:22 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 16 16:58:34 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 26 16:44:21 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 26 17:16:07 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Sun Sep 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 07:40:31 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 18:46:29 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jul 01 07:01:17 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 01 07:02:37 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Wed Dec 12 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Feb 10 23:03:52 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 10 23:09:31 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 02 11:15:01 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 06 11:54:35 -0700 2007 Bill Bryson, but with more of a focus on his family (and his stomach; if anyone can beat Bryson in stomach talk, it's Trillin). A quick read, funny and sweet.]]> 3 0 false false Mon Sep 22 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 13 15:00:33 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 23 09:43:01 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 15 11:03:54 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 15 11:03:54 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Mar 28 21:01:50 -0700 2007 Wed Mar 28 21:04:35 -0700 2007 0 0 false false Thu Jul 19 11:02:13 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 19 11:02:13 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Feb 19 10:55:30 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 20 11:10:06 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=95964