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Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces
“Magical prose stylist” Michael Chabon (Michiko Kakutani, New York Times) delivers a collection of essays—heartfelt, humorous, insightful, wise—on the meaning of fatherhood.
For the September 2016 issue of GQ, Michael Chabon wrote a piece about accompanying his son Abraham Chabon, then thirteen, to Paris Men’s Fashion Week. Possessed with a precocious sense of style, Abe was in his element chatting with designers he idolized and turning a critical eye to the freshest runway looks of the season; Chabon Sr., whose interest in clothing stops at “thrift-shopping for vintage western shirts or Hermès neckties,” sat idly by, staving off yawns and fighting the impulse that the whole thing was a massive waste of time. Despite his own indifference, however, what gradually emerged as Chabon ferried his son to and from fashion shows was a deep respect for his son’s passion. The piece quickly became a viral sensation.
With the GQ story as its centerpiece, and featuring six additional essays plus an introduction, Pops illuminates the meaning, magic, and mysteries of fatherhood as only Michael Chabon can.
For the September 2016 issue of GQ, Michael Chabon wrote a piece about accompanying his son Abraham Chabon, then thirteen, to Paris Men’s Fashion Week. Possessed with a precocious sense of style, Abe was in his element chatting with designers he idolized and turning a critical eye to the freshest runway looks of the season; Chabon Sr., whose interest in clothing stops at “thrift-shopping for vintage western shirts or Hermès neckties,” sat idly by, staving off yawns and fighting the impulse that the whole thing was a massive waste of time. Despite his own indifference, however, what gradually emerged as Chabon ferried his son to and from fashion shows was a deep respect for his son’s passion. The piece quickly became a viral sensation.
With the GQ story as its centerpiece, and featuring six additional essays plus an introduction, Pops illuminates the meaning, magic, and mysteries of fatherhood as only Michael Chabon can.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2018
165 people are currently reading
2382 people want to read
About the author
Michael Chabon
144 books8,891 followersMichael Chabon is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, D.C., he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, graduating in 1984. He subsequently received a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of California, Irvine.
Chabon's first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (1988), was published when he was 24. He followed it with Wonder Boys (1995) and two short-story collections. In 2000, he published The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, a novel that John Leonard would later call Chabon's magnum opus. It received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001.
His novel The Yiddish Policemen's Union, an alternate history mystery novel, was published in 2007 and won the Hugo, Sidewise, Nebula and Ignotus awards; his serialized novel Gentlemen of the Road appeared in book form in the fall of the same year. In 2012, Chabon published Telegraph Avenue, billed as "a twenty-first century Middlemarch", concerning the tangled lives of two families in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2004. He followed Telegraph Avenue in November 2016 with his latest novel, Moonglow, a fictionalized memoir of his maternal grandfather, based on his deathbed confessions under the influence of powerful painkillers in Chabon's mother's California home in 1989.
Chabon's work is characterized by complex language, and the frequent use of metaphor along with recurring themes such as nostalgia, divorce, abandonment, fatherhood, and most notably issues of Jewish identity. He often includes gay, bisexual, and Jewish characters in his work. Since the late 1990s, he has written in increasingly diverse styles for varied outlets; he is a notable defender of the merits of genre fiction and plot-driven fiction, and, along with novels, has published screenplays, children's books, comics, and newspaper serials.
Chabon's first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (1988), was published when he was 24. He followed it with Wonder Boys (1995) and two short-story collections. In 2000, he published The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, a novel that John Leonard would later call Chabon's magnum opus. It received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001.
His novel The Yiddish Policemen's Union, an alternate history mystery novel, was published in 2007 and won the Hugo, Sidewise, Nebula and Ignotus awards; his serialized novel Gentlemen of the Road appeared in book form in the fall of the same year. In 2012, Chabon published Telegraph Avenue, billed as "a twenty-first century Middlemarch", concerning the tangled lives of two families in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2004. He followed Telegraph Avenue in November 2016 with his latest novel, Moonglow, a fictionalized memoir of his maternal grandfather, based on his deathbed confessions under the influence of powerful painkillers in Chabon's mother's California home in 1989.
Chabon's work is characterized by complex language, and the frequent use of metaphor along with recurring themes such as nostalgia, divorce, abandonment, fatherhood, and most notably issues of Jewish identity. He often includes gay, bisexual, and Jewish characters in his work. Since the late 1990s, he has written in increasingly diverse styles for varied outlets; he is a notable defender of the merits of genre fiction and plot-driven fiction, and, along with novels, has published screenplays, children's books, comics, and newspaper serials.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 462 reviews
June 3, 2018
A small book of essays chronicling Chabon role as father. The first essay shows Chabon, not yet married, not yet a popular author receiving advice from a noted author. His main nugget of advice, was never to have children as they g away the needed time and concentration to write. Much humor here.
Four children later he writes about his role as a father, his role as a male femsnist with two daughters of his own. Looks back to his own mother and father, advice he was given by his mother, his father who he finds difficult but clearly loves him. Fashion week with his thirteen year old son, who has a distinct child style of his own. There is a great deal of humor, some significant insights in this timely collection.
I love his style of writing, his honesty here, his vulnerability, and I think he would be a very interesting man to meet. A short collection, but an entertaining one.
Four children later he writes about his role as a father, his role as a male femsnist with two daughters of his own. Looks back to his own mother and father, advice he was given by his mother, his father who he finds difficult but clearly loves him. Fashion week with his thirteen year old son, who has a distinct child style of his own. There is a great deal of humor, some significant insights in this timely collection.
I love his style of writing, his honesty here, his vulnerability, and I think he would be a very interesting man to meet. A short collection, but an entertaining one.
July 13, 2018
Audiobook....read by Michael Chabon
WORKS FOR ME!!!!!
I’ve no complaints!!!!
I could sit and listen to ‘both’ Michael and his lovely wife Ayelet Waldman talk about their family, their marriage, their jobs, ....heck and what they ate for breakfast many times over and still look forward to my next fix.
I adore Michael Chabon & Ayelet... so don’t even ask me to not be bias.
This book is filled with a father’s love for his children!!!
Loved every minute of this Audiobook 💕
WORKS FOR ME!!!!!
I’ve no complaints!!!!
I could sit and listen to ‘both’ Michael and his lovely wife Ayelet Waldman talk about their family, their marriage, their jobs, ....heck and what they ate for breakfast many times over and still look forward to my next fix.
I adore Michael Chabon & Ayelet... so don’t even ask me to not be bias.
This book is filled with a father’s love for his children!!!
Loved every minute of this Audiobook 💕
May 21, 2018
"Once they're written, my books, unlike my children, hold no wonder for me; no mystery resides in them."
- Michael Chabon, Pops
Fundamentally, this seems like a leaner, thinner, Manhood for Amateurs, (Part II: Fatherhood). It was good, and some of the essays were great even. But like a lame, awkward untwisting of the old the Woody Allen joke from Annie Hall:
"Boy, the stories in this book weren't bad,"
"Yeah, I know; and such small portions."
Well, that's essentially how I feel about the book. I love love Chabon (not a completest, but the horizon is close), adore his prose, his outlook, and his wacky metaphors. I sometimes even got the serious feels with these stories as a husband and father. But, alas, just about when I'm getting all Chaboned-up, the book is over.
Anyway, the thin book contains the followings stories, just in time for father's day:
1. Little Man (in GQ as 'My Son the Prince of Fashion')
2. Adventures in Euphamism
3. The Bubble People
4. Against Dickitude
5. The Old Ball Game
6. Be Cool or Be Cast Out
7. Pops (in the New Yorker as 'The Recipe for Life')
- Michael Chabon, Pops
Fundamentally, this seems like a leaner, thinner, Manhood for Amateurs, (Part II: Fatherhood). It was good, and some of the essays were great even. But like a lame, awkward untwisting of the old the Woody Allen joke from Annie Hall:
"Boy, the stories in this book weren't bad,"
"Yeah, I know; and such small portions."
Well, that's essentially how I feel about the book. I love love Chabon (not a completest, but the horizon is close), adore his prose, his outlook, and his wacky metaphors. I sometimes even got the serious feels with these stories as a husband and father. But, alas, just about when I'm getting all Chaboned-up, the book is over.
Anyway, the thin book contains the followings stories, just in time for father's day:
1. Little Man (in GQ as 'My Son the Prince of Fashion')
2. Adventures in Euphamism
3. The Bubble People
4. Against Dickitude
5. The Old Ball Game
6. Be Cool or Be Cast Out
7. Pops (in the New Yorker as 'The Recipe for Life')
June 12, 2018
During a time in which the artist-vs-art debate has reached a fever pitch, it is positively delightful to discover that one of my favourite authors happens to be a guy worthy of admiration for both his work and his conduct. Listened to over two hours and change of chores and food prep, Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces is a stellar audiobook compilation of Chabon's reflections on fatherhood. Though I'm more familiar with Chabon's fiction, he does a splendid job infusing the same sense of wonder, intelligence, word-play, and empathy into these essays as he does his imagined tales.
It was a pleasure to discover that Chabon's verbose and superlatively imagined style extends to his nonfiction writing. Chabon's children pop off the page with minuscule details that show his affection for them and attention to their lives. Each of these stories tackles a moment in which Chabon is confronted with his own parenting challenges or when his children have surprised him with their comportment. Each of these stories is warm and suffused with hard-earned wisdom and bolstered by Chabon's decision to narrate the audiobook.
Though the theme of fatherhood unites the stories, there's sufficient variety here that had me listen to the entire running time in a single session. Chabon delivers a thoughtful meditation on male privilege, consent, feminism, and his own fumbles in past relationships that centre around a text conversation between his son and a love interest. A journey to Paris fashion week with his sartorially gifted son makes for a hilarious lambast of high fashion and a touching attempt to understand his offspring. The closing story dealing with his ailing father also makes for a poignant and beautiful finish to the entire collection.
As I've said in a previous review, Chabon never writes the same book twice. Though this is nonfiction, a lot of the warmth and humanity that has drawn me to his previous books is present in Pops: A Fatherhood in Pieces. If his previous book--the partially-nonfictional Moonglow--felt elegiac then, Pops is a sharp turn towards the optimistic and uplifting. Whatever he's up to next, you can be sure I'll be picking it up!
It was a pleasure to discover that Chabon's verbose and superlatively imagined style extends to his nonfiction writing. Chabon's children pop off the page with minuscule details that show his affection for them and attention to their lives. Each of these stories tackles a moment in which Chabon is confronted with his own parenting challenges or when his children have surprised him with their comportment. Each of these stories is warm and suffused with hard-earned wisdom and bolstered by Chabon's decision to narrate the audiobook.
Though the theme of fatherhood unites the stories, there's sufficient variety here that had me listen to the entire running time in a single session. Chabon delivers a thoughtful meditation on male privilege, consent, feminism, and his own fumbles in past relationships that centre around a text conversation between his son and a love interest. A journey to Paris fashion week with his sartorially gifted son makes for a hilarious lambast of high fashion and a touching attempt to understand his offspring. The closing story dealing with his ailing father also makes for a poignant and beautiful finish to the entire collection.
As I've said in a previous review, Chabon never writes the same book twice. Though this is nonfiction, a lot of the warmth and humanity that has drawn me to his previous books is present in Pops: A Fatherhood in Pieces. If his previous book--the partially-nonfictional Moonglow--felt elegiac then, Pops is a sharp turn towards the optimistic and uplifting. Whatever he's up to next, you can be sure I'll be picking it up!
August 26, 2019
In these eight brief essays, Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Michael Chabon tells us stories about his teenage children and shares the vulnerability of parenthood: what it feels like to be reduced to a “minder,” a receding figure of dwindling relevance, looking for the permissible moments to be helpful, striving to be of use. Yet he shares the rewards of parenting too: we see him find those permissible moments, and share his joy as his children grow closer even as they grow beyond him.
The first essay (“The Opposite of Writing”) is an introduction of sorts), in which Chabon—years later, now a father of four—responds to the advice of a famous novelist who told him never to have children. The second piece (“Little Man”) is the best, about a trip he and his youngest son made to Paris for Fashion Week (fourteen-year-old Abe is obsessed with fashion; his father Michael couldn’t care less). The other six essays, though, are good too: “Adventures in Euphemism” (how to deal with the “N-word” when reading Huckleberry Finn aloud to your children), “The Bubble People” (during a visit to a neighborhood Berkeley coffeehouse—where his fifteen-year-old daughter sports a rasberry pillbox hat with a veil—Chabon reflects upon growing up in sedate Pittsburgh, and wonders, “Which one is the bubble?”), “Against Dickitude” (how does a father respond to his teenage son’s callous ignoring of a girl?), “The Old Ball Game” (A daughter and a son help Chabon wrestle with the mythic enormities and the complex realities of baseball), “Be Cool or Be Cast Out” (Clothing—for both him and older son—as a badge of defiance and self-assertion, and “Pops” (a memoir of his own brilliant father).
This book is a brief, but eventful journey, and throughout Chabon shows himself to be a loving, parent, always looking out for the opportunity to attain th the brief, occasional moment of relevance. May we all be so loving and attentive . . . and so lucky.
May 21, 2018
This was another impulse grab at the library's new (accent on new - like only five days old!) release shelf which turned out to be quite the unexpected pleasure. I had never read anything by Chabon before - although his The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is a 'to-read' and has gathering dust on my bookshelf for a few years - I'm now kind of curious about his other work.
Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces pretty much lays it out right there in the title. It is a collection of essays - some previously published in the magazines GQ and Details - about the responsibilities of being a father in America, raising good children in this society, and also touches on being a son in the 'sandwich generation.' Chabon's style is conversational and fairly straightforward, and he is equally humorous and sincere. I think the only negative thing I can say is that I wish it were three times longer than its scant 125 pages. Now excuse me while I go hug my kids and then phone my dad.
Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces pretty much lays it out right there in the title. It is a collection of essays - some previously published in the magazines GQ and Details - about the responsibilities of being a father in America, raising good children in this society, and also touches on being a son in the 'sandwich generation.' Chabon's style is conversational and fairly straightforward, and he is equally humorous and sincere. I think the only negative thing I can say is that I wish it were three times longer than its scant 125 pages. Now excuse me while I go hug my kids and then phone my dad.
August 25, 2018
This charming set of short stories focusing on families and fatherhood have been previously published in an assortment of journals—GQ, atlantic.com, and Details. Chabon’s excellent writing and novel insights are delightful. Recommend.
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July 27, 2018I haven't actually read this. It's an indication of how ridiculously prodigious is Chabon's output that he's written two books about fatherhood. I mistakenly thought I was reading this; in fact I've just finished the other one!
August 29, 2018
Have you ever read a small book, 8 essays say, and written 2-3 pages on the review?
You finally say to yourself, "wtf am I doing, no one wants to read all this!" I read through Michael Chabon's charming book, "Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces," in less than a day, so it deserved a concise, witty review. Ok, concise.
Introduction - READ this, it's really his first essay. Famous author gives him stupid advice.
Little Man - Son Abe has style, Michael doesn't; they go to Paris and leave with a totally new understanding.
Adventures in Euphenism - Michael tries to replace the n-word in Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn while reading aloud to his kids; his youngest calls him out on completely missing one on Native Americans.
The Bubble People - Michael and his daughter agree that it's okay to be weird.
Against Dickitude - Michael tries to explain how not to be a jerk to other people, particularly to women. He does a decent job, especially pointing out a situation his son is having with an old classmate who has been texting him. I was with him until the last paragraph; there's other ways to teach empathy.
The Old Ball Game - Give the sport a try, stick it out, then don't go back. Also, watch with a different kid!
Be Cool or Be Cast Out - Bottom Line: Middle School Sucks! They won't listen but try to tell them that they'll never see these kids again and it won't matter when they're in college. Give yourself as an example.
Pops - Michael's Pop was a doctor when he was young and Michael really looked up to him. The smart, know-it-all, doctor. But, still his Dad!
A great, touching compilation of essays on fatherhood by one of our favorite authors.
You finally say to yourself, "wtf am I doing, no one wants to read all this!" I read through Michael Chabon's charming book, "Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces," in less than a day, so it deserved a concise, witty review. Ok, concise.
Introduction - READ this, it's really his first essay. Famous author gives him stupid advice.
Little Man - Son Abe has style, Michael doesn't; they go to Paris and leave with a totally new understanding.
Adventures in Euphenism - Michael tries to replace the n-word in Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn while reading aloud to his kids; his youngest calls him out on completely missing one on Native Americans.
The Bubble People - Michael and his daughter agree that it's okay to be weird.
Against Dickitude - Michael tries to explain how not to be a jerk to other people, particularly to women. He does a decent job, especially pointing out a situation his son is having with an old classmate who has been texting him. I was with him until the last paragraph; there's other ways to teach empathy.
The Old Ball Game - Give the sport a try, stick it out, then don't go back. Also, watch with a different kid!
Be Cool or Be Cast Out - Bottom Line: Middle School Sucks! They won't listen but try to tell them that they'll never see these kids again and it won't matter when they're in college. Give yourself as an example.
Pops - Michael's Pop was a doctor when he was young and Michael really looked up to him. The smart, know-it-all, doctor. But, still his Dad!
A great, touching compilation of essays on fatherhood by one of our favorite authors.
October 4, 2019
Quanto tempo sottraggono i figli ai padri? E se il padre è uno scrittore, quanto deve pagare, in termini di libri non scritti e non pubblicati, per avere un figlio?
In questi otto racconti, Michael Chabon investiga la paternità, in quel rapporto unico che lega un padre a un figlio, e cerca di dare una risposta a quell’illustre collega che lo sconsigliò vivamente di avere figli, se avesse voluto intraprendere seriamente la carriera di scrittore.
Chabon però non segue il consiglio e diventa sia padre di quattro figli sia scrittore ed è stato felice di questa scelta: “Una volta scritti, i miei libri, diversamente dai miei figli, non contengono più meraviglie; non vi risiede più alcun mistero. Diversamente dai miei figli, i miei libri sono crudeli e inflessibili con le mie debolezze, inettitudini e pecche caratteriali. Ma soprattutto i miei libri, diversamente dai miei figli, non ricambiano il mio amore.”
Padre è colui il quale nel momento giusto crea una piccola crepa nell’anima giovane del figlio, perché “A volte una crepa è proprio quel che ci vuole, per far entrare uno spiraglio di luce.”
E padre è anche chi non riesce ad avere un rapporto sano con i propri figli: “Al di fuori della zona sicura delle nostre telefonate, con il loro menù fisso a base di minirecensioni di libri e film, analisi politiche dilettantesche e telegrafici bollettini sugli altri abitanti delle rispettive case, territorio del nostro rapporto padre-figlio è oscurato dalle consuete rabbie, delusioni e sconfitte, cosparso delle ossa di vecchie promesse e bugie.”
Finalmente con questo libro do avvio alla lettura dei libri di Chabon che sto corteggiando da tempo.
In questi otto racconti, Michael Chabon investiga la paternità, in quel rapporto unico che lega un padre a un figlio, e cerca di dare una risposta a quell’illustre collega che lo sconsigliò vivamente di avere figli, se avesse voluto intraprendere seriamente la carriera di scrittore.
Chabon però non segue il consiglio e diventa sia padre di quattro figli sia scrittore ed è stato felice di questa scelta: “Una volta scritti, i miei libri, diversamente dai miei figli, non contengono più meraviglie; non vi risiede più alcun mistero. Diversamente dai miei figli, i miei libri sono crudeli e inflessibili con le mie debolezze, inettitudini e pecche caratteriali. Ma soprattutto i miei libri, diversamente dai miei figli, non ricambiano il mio amore.”
Padre è colui il quale nel momento giusto crea una piccola crepa nell’anima giovane del figlio, perché “A volte una crepa è proprio quel che ci vuole, per far entrare uno spiraglio di luce.”
E padre è anche chi non riesce ad avere un rapporto sano con i propri figli: “Al di fuori della zona sicura delle nostre telefonate, con il loro menù fisso a base di minirecensioni di libri e film, analisi politiche dilettantesche e telegrafici bollettini sugli altri abitanti delle rispettive case, territorio del nostro rapporto padre-figlio è oscurato dalle consuete rabbie, delusioni e sconfitte, cosparso delle ossa di vecchie promesse e bugie.”
Finalmente con questo libro do avvio alla lettura dei libri di Chabon che sto corteggiando da tempo.
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October 8, 2018Getting advice on fatherhood from Michael Chabon is like getting urban management suggestions from, I don't know, Stockholm. Zurich.
I recognize the legitimacy of your experience but can see limited parallels between it and The Real World as I know it.
Still as addictive, ornate and stunning as anything the man has written.
I recognize the legitimacy of your experience but can see limited parallels between it and The Real World as I know it.
Still as addictive, ornate and stunning as anything the man has written.
May 18, 2020
Wonderful little collection of essays about fatherhood from Michael Chabon. Truly loved each one and so wish there had been more. Docked a star for that and his use of the n-word. It was for a teachable moment but I refuse to accept a white person not being able to figure out a way not to use it. Especially for an audiobook. Still recommend, but it must be said.
February 25, 2018
Michael Chabon's been one of my favourites for years, but I don't think he was in my top 5 until a couple of years ago when I read his piece "The Old Ball Game" on his website. It's a beautiful piece about baseball and family that always brings a tear to my eye, and firmly established him in my mind as a writer of another calibre. I'm so excited it's been included here. Chabon's not a sentimentalist, but his writing is shot through with compassion, especially in regards to his family. The beautiful warmth and humanity of his writing here will make you smile and bring those close to you even closer.
January 5, 2019
Remarkably self-absorbed, for a book about fatherhood.
May 31, 2018
Pops is a very slim collection of nonfiction essays. I particularly enjoy Chabon's nonfiction because he is unafraid. He addresses topics that would scare most authors. Specifically, he has no issues admitting that fatherhood, and manhood for that matter, is a bit of a work in progress for him. Even though none of us have it figured out, he readily admits that fact.
Remember, Chabon is a world-renowned Pulitzer Prize winner. He should have an ego the size of a mansion, but he doesn't. His humility is both refreshing and inspiring.
At just 127 pages, Pops succinctly delves into Chabon's adventures in fatherhood. If I'm not mistaken, each of his children serves as the focus of an essay. The themes range from discovering the true nature of a child to seizing upon missed opportunities to trying to teach boys not to act like assholes. There's much more, of course, but the unifying factor throughout is Chabon admitting to his own mistakes and simply trying to do the best he can.
The book ends, interestingly enough, with Chabon writing an essay about his own father. If you are a consistent reader of Chabon, you understand that this is well-covered ground. He is not mean when it comes to his own father, yet he also isn't sugarcoating anything. It's obvious that he loves his own dad, but it's also apparent that he didn't always like the man.
If find it fascinating that in a book about his own trials, tribulations, and triumphs as a father, he ends on a note that helps us to understand the events that forged the sort of father he would one day become. Now, I trust Chabon completely. I've been reading him since 2004, and I've never had reason to doubt his honor or sincerity. However, it is worth noting that in all his recollections regarding his father, we've only had his unique perspective. And now, in writing about himself as a father, we only have his point of view. What would his own children say about these essays? Will they find Chabon's writing compatible with their own personal experiences?
Chabon is incredibly intelligent. It would not surprise me at all if he were to have his children participate in a podcast or an interview or something to serve as a companion piece to this novel. It simply struck me as an interesting thought.
As always, Chabon delivers beautiful prose describing his escapades in parenting. If you love his writing, you'll love this book.
Remember, Chabon is a world-renowned Pulitzer Prize winner. He should have an ego the size of a mansion, but he doesn't. His humility is both refreshing and inspiring.
At just 127 pages, Pops succinctly delves into Chabon's adventures in fatherhood. If I'm not mistaken, each of his children serves as the focus of an essay. The themes range from discovering the true nature of a child to seizing upon missed opportunities to trying to teach boys not to act like assholes. There's much more, of course, but the unifying factor throughout is Chabon admitting to his own mistakes and simply trying to do the best he can.
The book ends, interestingly enough, with Chabon writing an essay about his own father. If you are a consistent reader of Chabon, you understand that this is well-covered ground. He is not mean when it comes to his own father, yet he also isn't sugarcoating anything. It's obvious that he loves his own dad, but it's also apparent that he didn't always like the man.
If find it fascinating that in a book about his own trials, tribulations, and triumphs as a father, he ends on a note that helps us to understand the events that forged the sort of father he would one day become. Now, I trust Chabon completely. I've been reading him since 2004, and I've never had reason to doubt his honor or sincerity. However, it is worth noting that in all his recollections regarding his father, we've only had his unique perspective. And now, in writing about himself as a father, we only have his point of view. What would his own children say about these essays? Will they find Chabon's writing compatible with their own personal experiences?
Chabon is incredibly intelligent. It would not surprise me at all if he were to have his children participate in a podcast or an interview or something to serve as a companion piece to this novel. It simply struck me as an interesting thought.
As always, Chabon delivers beautiful prose describing his escapades in parenting. If you love his writing, you'll love this book.
June 18, 2018
3.5 Stars!
“If none of my books turn out to be among that bright remnant because I allowed my children to steal my time, narrow my compass, and curtail my freedom, I’m all right with that. Once they’re written, my books, unlike my children, hold no wonder for me; no mystery resides in them. Unlike my children, my books are cruelly unforgiving of my weaknesses, failings, and flaws of character. Most of all, my books, unlike my children, do not love me back.”
This is a quote from the opening recollection, where Chabon recalls an encounter at a party with a famous, though unnamed Southern writer, who gives him some life advice. The first thing to notice about this book, is that it is a lean offering at 127 small pages. It’s one of those diminutive hardbacks that rely on some aesthetically pleasing trickery to try and distract you from the lack of pages, cushioning the blow of the low word count by focusing more on the presentation. So basically that means that a full page is given over to announce each essay title and the back of that same page is blank, all to pad it out just that bit more, visually pleasing yes, but also a wee bit cheeky and mean too.
But of course the most important thing here is the quality of the writing, and Chabon does not disappoint. He is good company. This is a follow up of sorts to his “Manhood For Amateurs”, this would be an EP to that LP. He focuses on many aspects of fatherhood. Whether in Paris for fashion week with his 13 year old son, watching his son play Little League Baseball or telling bedtime stories, his writing is always smooth and compelling. These are deeply personal essays, and are told with restraint, sensitivity and great economy. At various points these are touching, intimate, confessional and powerful.
December 8, 2018
A perfect little book, whose every short story struck a chord with me. Interestingly, despite the title, most of the stories are about Chabon’s children, which I think is an under-utilized perspective, not his father. It starts with a respected author warning Chabon to avoid having offspring for their inhibitive effect on productivity, then proceeds to essays covering an array of parental challenges: chaperoning a teenage son to Paris Fashion week; debating the morality of reading Mark Twain at bedtime; celebrating weirdness; teaching lessons on respecting the opposite sex; sharing the pleasure of watching sports on tv; coping with the unsporty child in organized sports; supporting individuality (key takeaway: don’t ever say “you look so cool”); before ending with a bittersweet story on his own father. One theme that I am increasingly becoming conscious of as a father - and I know this probably sounds trite - is the importance of celebrating children for being themselves. Let them have their own interests and their own aspirations. Western parents, myself included, spend so much time and energy striving on the behalf of their kids. I admire Chabon for laissez-faire attitude and his willingness to stand back and let his kids be who they be. Excellently written, this had more to think about in its 110 pages than most books four times its length.
June 19, 2018
My wife gave me this book for Fathers Day. We’re both Chabon fans and this one doesn’t disappoint, at least not in terms of being well written by Chabon. But, it gets 4 stars for the following reasons: 1) It is all reprinted articles from various magazines, although that, in itself, is not worthy of removing a star 2) For a book of essays, it’s entirely too short. I need more! and 3) I’m still angry about the ending of ‘Against Dickitude’ and it has been 24 hours since I read it. Seriously?!? It was a great essay, right up til the end then it’s just, to quote Chabon himself, farbisn.
Honestly, it should be 5 stars because both ‘Pops’ and ‘The Old Ball Game’ hit me right in the feels and all of them are truly gifted writings on being a father. Looking for a good book for your dad for Fathers Day next year? This is it.
Honestly, it should be 5 stars because both ‘Pops’ and ‘The Old Ball Game’ hit me right in the feels and all of them are truly gifted writings on being a father. Looking for a good book for your dad for Fathers Day next year? This is it.
June 13, 2018
(3). I m normally not a short story kind of guy and I have had some trouble in the past getting through Chabon's novels, but the review of this book resonated with me so I got it from the library. It came at the right time, right after Tom Wolfe passed away and I was ready to revisit some of his works. This is a nice little collection. Two of the stories, the longer ones about his son and his father are really touching and insightful. Chabon is very talented, I saw him deliver a piece he wrote especially for a fundraising event here in Columbus, Ohio where I live a couple of years ago, and he was mesmerizing. A really nice change of pace, it won't take much of your day and it will leave you with a smile.
October 16, 2018
I have tried Chabon a few times, and unfortunately I haven't been swept off my feet, though I haven't disliked his work either. So it was a surprise that I picked up this small volume of essays, and an even greater one that I really enjoyed it, especially the keystone essay about his young son's interest in men's fashion. Several of the sections spoke to me personally, as a father and also a man who grew up basically with some of the same experiences. His baseball story was good (I came to baseball as a fan much later in life). I liked that it expressed the fact that as fathers, at least some of us, we grow into the role, and also that is is never too late to think about our relationship, past and future, with our children.
June 28, 2018
Top of the Pops.
A slender book of essays on fatherhood by my favourite author. I only wish this had been longer. Warm, witty and wise, each piece has something recognisable to say about parenthood and says it in such a way that will bring a smile to the face or a tear to the eye. Ah, Michael Chabon, how wonderfully you write…
A slender book of essays on fatherhood by my favourite author. I only wish this had been longer. Warm, witty and wise, each piece has something recognisable to say about parenthood and says it in such a way that will bring a smile to the face or a tear to the eye. Ah, Michael Chabon, how wonderfully you write…
December 6, 2018
My neighbor insisted I read this and insisted I would love it. I did not love it, or even like it. Something about Chabon really pisses me off. If he were a coffee cup and all my other coffee cups were dirty I still wouldn't use him. I'd donate him to goodwill and feel guilty about offloading such a sh!tty cup.
May 20, 2019
Reread: May 2019
At only 127 pages (or 3 hours if you prefer audio to print) Pops is, as well as a great collection of personal essays, a perfect gateway into the world of Michael Chabon. Highly recommended if you have never read his work before. 4.5/5
At only 127 pages (or 3 hours if you prefer audio to print) Pops is, as well as a great collection of personal essays, a perfect gateway into the world of Michael Chabon. Highly recommended if you have never read his work before. 4.5/5
June 13, 2018
Every book from Chabon is a gift. This one is a collection of short pieces on fatherhood. I'd read most of them before. They're all worth re-reading.
October 24, 2019
Short book of essays about being a father. Chabon is an excellent writer so he can pull off writing about being a sensitive, engaged parent in short vignettes without being cloying or annoying.
March 6, 2020
Nice book of stories regarding fatherhood. Worth reading
December 13, 2022
I found this little gem at The Dollar Tree. I'd never read anything by him, although he was on my "I Should Check Him Out One Day" list in my head. Heartfelt essays. A nice introduction to who he is. Definitely worth the buck twenty-five. (Probably would've docked it a star if I'd shelled out $19.99, though; it's a pretty slight volume.)
November 21, 2018
Enjoyable often insightful and penetrating read.
July 22, 2019
I loved these essays. I'm a huge fan of Chabon, and one of my favourite Chabon books is his essay collection on masculinity and his coming-of-age, Manhood for Amateurs. Pops feels like an addendum to that book. Every one of these essays could be included in that earlier collection, and my only complaint is this book is pretty short.
I'm still giving this collection five stars because no one writes like Chabon, and I walked away from the book feeling the weight of my role as a father and a son in a way I haven't in a long time.
I'm still giving this collection five stars because no one writes like Chabon, and I walked away from the book feeling the weight of my role as a father and a son in a way I haven't in a long time.
September 14, 2018
I happened upon this book on the new book shelf at the library and ...What a delight! A series of short stories about "fatherhood", each one making me smile, chuckle and touching my heart. I read the book in a day, and this is one that I may re-read.
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