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Small Fry: A Memoir
by
Born on a farm and named in a field by her parents--artist Chrisann Brennan and Steve Jobs--Lisa Brennan-Jobs's childhood unfolded in a rapidly changing Silicon Valley. When she was young, Lisa's father was a mythical figure who was rarely present in her life. As she grew older, her father took an interest in her, ushering her into a new world of mansions, vacations, and p
...more
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Hardcover, 383 pages
Published
September 4th 2018
by Grove Press
(first published September 2018)
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Start your review of Small Fry: A Memoir
I love to read memoirs. I do not love to read memoirs in which the author is either begging for pity or bragging. Unfortunately, in Small Fry Lisa Brennan-Jobs does both. She writes very well, descriptively, and engagingly; otherwise, I would not have been able to stomach this book at all. She held my attention even whilst she annoyed the hell out of me.
Small Fry is about Lisa's childhood and her relationship with her sometimes-there/sometimes-not-there father, Steve Jobs. Nothing shocking that ...more
Sep 30, 2018
Elyse Walters
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
non-fiction,
biography-autobiography-memoir
Update: $1.99 kindle special today. I thought this book ( Audiobook) was sooo enjoyable. The Bay Area - itself- was a main character
I spent more than $1.99. lol
It’s GOOD!
Audiobook....narrated by Eileen Stevens
“I’m one of the most important people you will ever know”....
Who talks like that?...to your 3 year old daughter?
But ... it’s TRUE!!! Steve Jobs ‘was’ the most important person Lisa Brennan-Jobs knew growing up. He was her ‘daddy’.
Can we laugh now?
Of course we see the sadness.
Lisa grew ...more
I spent more than $1.99. lol
It’s GOOD!
Audiobook....narrated by Eileen Stevens
“I’m one of the most important people you will ever know”....
Who talks like that?...to your 3 year old daughter?
But ... it’s TRUE!!! Steve Jobs ‘was’ the most important person Lisa Brennan-Jobs knew growing up. He was her ‘daddy’.
Can we laugh now?
Of course we see the sadness.
Lisa grew ...more
I have a bit of a fascination with Steve Jobs. I worked for a company that was one of the first to attempt to adopt his innovative NeXT computer system in the early 90’s after he left Apple. Like other companies, we had to abandon it because it was highly proprietary and no other software would work with it. Shortly thereafter, I ran into him at the remote Hawaiian resort he favored (no TVs, no phones, very isolated) and was struck by his markedly furtive behavior and the sharp, hostile glare I
...more
4.5 Well, I gobbled this one up in a few short days. As soon as I started reading this, I was fascinated and totally immersed in Lisa's story. Steve Jobs, Apple, not many happy not heard that too names. I don't use Apple products myself, don't even, voluntarily mind you, own a cell phone, but my daughter is an avid user. I'm just blown away by all the interesting non fiction being published right now. This one was garnering such great reviews from critics and readers alike, I had to grab it.
Lisa ...more
Lisa ...more
Do you ever read a book that you can’t shut up about?
As in, a reading experience that takes up so much room in your brain that you can barely think about anything else, let alone talk about it?
That was how I felt about this book. It was consuming.
I must have said some variation on the words “You know, Steve Jobs was actually a pretty bad guy...like, I’m reading some pretty disturbing stuff about how he was as a dad.”
This is obviously a very reductionist take on not only Steve Jobs but this book ...more
As in, a reading experience that takes up so much room in your brain that you can barely think about anything else, let alone talk about it?
That was how I felt about this book. It was consuming.
I must have said some variation on the words “You know, Steve Jobs was actually a pretty bad guy...like, I’m reading some pretty disturbing stuff about how he was as a dad.”
This is obviously a very reductionist take on not only Steve Jobs but this book ...more
A Land Apart
What a Jerk. Steve Jobs was clearly in that elite group of psychos which includes Trump, Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk. Bullies, liars, pathologically egocentric, litigious bastards one and all. And any taste they have is restricted to their mouths.
Whether or not the world at large is a better place because of Steve Jobs is open to debate. But the immediate world of those around him was hell. Dumps his first partner (actually she dumps him); denies paternity of the child; pays peanuts in ...more
What a Jerk. Steve Jobs was clearly in that elite group of psychos which includes Trump, Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk. Bullies, liars, pathologically egocentric, litigious bastards one and all. And any taste they have is restricted to their mouths.
Whether or not the world at large is a better place because of Steve Jobs is open to debate. But the immediate world of those around him was hell. Dumps his first partner (actually she dumps him); denies paternity of the child; pays peanuts in ...more
Copy courtesy of NetGalley
So, this book....... it's one of those which elicit strong emotions in a reader, especially a parent. There are times when you wonder why these people were allowed to be parents, why no-one smacked some sense into Steve & whateverthemothersnamewas, how did this child evolve into a somewhat coherent individual?
Proof that:
- intellect does not ensure good parenting (or even a mediocre attempt at it)
- fame & money clearly does not make you happy
- whateverthemothersnamewas ...more
So, this book....... it's one of those which elicit strong emotions in a reader, especially a parent. There are times when you wonder why these people were allowed to be parents, why no-one smacked some sense into Steve & whateverthemothersnamewas, how did this child evolve into a somewhat coherent individual?
Proof that:
- intellect does not ensure good parenting (or even a mediocre attempt at it)
- fame & money clearly does not make you happy
- whateverthemothersnamewas ...more
The headline of the NYT review referred to Steve Jobs as a "terrible dad" but the book is so much more than a smear of Jobs as a parent or human. He was, most certainly a difficult, deeply flawed human but in her beautiful memoir, Lisa Brennan-Jobs is graceful, not bitter. She reveals the wounds inflicted by both parents and her longing to belong in her two families, in school, and in a world she was too young to understand. Any child of divorced parents will recognize her complex and confusing
...more
This book was horribly boring and I question why Brennan-Jobs story is one that needed to be memorialized, other than for the fact her father is Steve Jobs and that he was a bit of an asshole. Do not get the hype at all.
Jun 21, 2018
Roxanne
added it
Lisa Brennan-Jobs new memoir, Small Fry, is searing in a Mommy Dearest expose` way, with me exclaiming and throwing the book down on at least three occasions, with a, “He did what?!”.
And that’s saying something for a former high school counselor, who’d thought I had hardened to any shock at inconsistent parenting and emotional abuse. So let me tell you, Steve Jobs takes the Apple cake. But instead, pick up a copy of Lisa Brennan-Jobs’ book and let her tell you in her very rational, yet compelli ...more
And that’s saying something for a former high school counselor, who’d thought I had hardened to any shock at inconsistent parenting and emotional abuse. So let me tell you, Steve Jobs takes the Apple cake. But instead, pick up a copy of Lisa Brennan-Jobs’ book and let her tell you in her very rational, yet compelli ...more
This was an insightful and heartbreaking memoir. The author is the daughter of Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple and a notorious jerk.
I will admit that I almost stopped reading this book because it was so disturbing in parts. I was angry with how cruel Steve could be to Lisa and her mother, who was Steve's former girlfriend. For years, Steve denied that Lisa was his child, which was devastating for her. Even though he eventually acknowledged he was her biological parent, Lisa grew up feeling ...more
I will admit that I almost stopped reading this book because it was so disturbing in parts. I was angry with how cruel Steve could be to Lisa and her mother, who was Steve's former girlfriend. For years, Steve denied that Lisa was his child, which was devastating for her. Even though he eventually acknowledged he was her biological parent, Lisa grew up feeling ...more
[3+] This is not a memoir in which I identified with the writer. Lisa Brennan-Jobs defines herself by her absent, fickle, often selfish father. We don't learn much about her - except through her lense of what her father has taken away from her (and occasionally given her). The book is readable and at times fascinating. But it is also frustrating. Brennan-Jobs is a fine writer and the book would have been improved with a focus on more than what she needed from her father and didn't get. She is st
...more
Mixed feelings on this one.
Similar to death by a thousand cuts, this book reads like a slow madness incurred from a thousand barbed slights by Steve Jobs.
It was interesting, and mundane at the same time. It's more a collection of vignettes of Steve Jobs through his first daughter's eyes, than an autobiography of Lisa. She is only present in the book in relation to him, her feelings about him, and her struggle to feel welcomed and validated in his life.
Clearly, Lisa hasn't yet let go of a lot o ...more
Similar to death by a thousand cuts, this book reads like a slow madness incurred from a thousand barbed slights by Steve Jobs.
It was interesting, and mundane at the same time. It's more a collection of vignettes of Steve Jobs through his first daughter's eyes, than an autobiography of Lisa. She is only present in the book in relation to him, her feelings about him, and her struggle to feel welcomed and validated in his life.
Clearly, Lisa hasn't yet let go of a lot o ...more
I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. This was pretty bland and boring. I wouldn't recommend this with so many other great memoirs out there
...more
Lisa Brennan-Jobs was the first daughter of world famous Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple and one of the richest men in the world. If, like me, you don't already know her story you might imagine for her a privileged life. If so, like me, you would be wrong. Hers is not exactly a story of the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
From the outset Steve Jobs denied his paternity so her earliest years were spent with her artist mother. Later, he acknowleged her as a daughter but theirs was a volatile fa ...more
From the outset Steve Jobs denied his paternity so her earliest years were spent with her artist mother. Later, he acknowleged her as a daughter but theirs was a volatile fa ...more
This is a very well written and a very interesting memoir about the complex, distant father that Steve Jobs was to Lisa Brennan. The book joins its great predecessors such as the Educated: a memoir by Tara Westover or We are all shipwrecks: a memoir by Kelly Grey Carlisle that are non-fiction books that read like fiction. All the parts that make a great and compelling read are in place: an unusual and intriguing story, very high quality of writing and editing, maturity of the author able to tran
...more
Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs is an autobiography presented as a coming-of-age story written for the target-audience of Steve Jobs fans and people interested in the myth surrounding the Apple creator who died not long ago. Overall, a good story, but with flaws, not enough about Steve Jobs to matter generally, and not enough alignment of values with the lead character to matter for me.
The writing is nice and flowing (except for the big gap in the maturing years discussed later in this review), ...more
The writing is nice and flowing (except for the big gap in the maturing years discussed later in this review), ...more
Sep 03, 2018
Elizabeth
added it
I also grew up in Palo Alto at the same time so many of the places and references were violently real to me. Dragers? Check. Zohar? Check. The Good Earth? Check. That Whole Foods downtown? I can picture that place as if it were yesterday. It was kind of ratty in the old days. I'm sure it's supremely well-lit now.
This book was a bit heart-breaking. I have a lot of sympathy for the author as she describes how she yearns to be more part of her father's new family, yet never will be. ...more
This book was a bit heart-breaking. I have a lot of sympathy for the author as she describes how she yearns to be more part of her father's new family, yet never will be. ...more
This is memoir by Steve Job's daughter. She talks about growing up in California and what it was like growing up the daughter of the Apple founder. I would definitely recommend this book.
...more
Guys, you don't have to read this book. Utter crap. This book is only relevant for people obsessed with Apple and Steve Jobs like he's some kind of genius or a god. Lisa is a very minor story in his life and this novel reads as such. I mean no wants to read about ordinary things done by ordinary people like a journal entry sans critical reflection. Like, my mother bought a car, we called Steve to pay the bill. I mean, just no. There's a lot of sentences like this, we called him up to ask for ren
...more
Ugh. Just because it is a memoir does not mean one should recount random, unlinked vignettes of her life. And if this is the method chosen, bad idea as it is, at least stretch the imagination and insert some transitions in an attempt to show a created connection. At times, the author says "the next day" but no previous day was ever identified. It is not clear if she is 1 month old or 5 years old. At other times, she says "later." Later than what? I believed that some of the stories recounted wer
...more
Apr 29, 2019
Gretchen Rubin
added it
My sister Elizabeth told me I had to read this book. An outstanding family memoir.
3.5 stars. Fairly well-written and interesting, but I'm rounding down based on the wave of relief I felt upon parting ways with the narrator.
It's hard to chronicle meanness without letting it infect you, and I kept detecting a faint trace of Steve Jobs's selfish cunning in the narrator herself: in her prose, her inner life, and even her actions. The narrative arc -- wobbly throughout the book -- sort of collapses at the end. I felt as though the author tried to quickly and clumsily stitch togeth ...more
It's hard to chronicle meanness without letting it infect you, and I kept detecting a faint trace of Steve Jobs's selfish cunning in the narrator herself: in her prose, her inner life, and even her actions. The narrative arc -- wobbly throughout the book -- sort of collapses at the end. I felt as though the author tried to quickly and clumsily stitch togeth ...more
After recently reading Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography, it seemed only right to hear another side. Lisa is his first child whom he vehemently denied until a paternity test proved otherwise. With an unstable mother and a severely judgmental father who was often cruel, Lisa had a tumultuous upbringing. Sure, some of this could be written off as privileged white girl problems, but I just don’t think that’s fair nor accurate. Every story deserves to be told and heard. Shitty childhoods can co
...more
Oct 27, 2018
Ginger Bensman
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
human-development-relationships,
memoir
Small Fry is the story of a child longing to belong, a child constantly vigilant, looking to discern from the adults in her life what she needs to be and do, to be seen and valued and loved. And getting the signals right is no small task when both her parents are (emotionally) children, still desperately searching to find love and security and the missing pieces of themselves. Her father’s outsized success, casual cruelty, and warped understanding about what it is to be a parent, lead to sharply
...more
This is an intriguing coming-of-age/family story, but I disagree with the reviewers who believe that the fact that the father in question was Steve Jobs is irrelevant. It's what makes this book especially interesting. For all his brilliance and on-and-off charisma, he was cold and sanctimonious, withholding, profoundly awkward and, at times, wildly inappropriate. And saw exactly how his life would unfold, and it unfolded that way. Does brilliance excuse coldness, meanness, cheapness? Written fro
...more
This book really makes you understand that people are complicated. Just because they are famous, or intelligent, etc., doesn't mean that success is going to translate into all aspects of their lives.
...more
Jan 11, 2019
Rebecca
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed-for-nudge,
memoirs
(3.5) What was it like to have Steve Jobs as your dad? That question has already drawn many to Lisa Brennan-Jobs’s debut memoir. You don’t need to have any particular interest in Apple computers or in technology in general to read and enjoy this; all you need is curiosity about how families work, especially amid complications like disputed paternity, half-siblings, and the peculiarities of behaviour common to geniuses and madmen.
Apart from brief flashbacks to her earliest years and a few scenes ...more
Apart from brief flashbacks to her earliest years and a few scenes ...more
Lisa did not win the parent lottery. That often happens to people who have young parents and who have no resources- financial, emotional, etc.- to do the job. This was the case here. Neither parent really wanted her and she kind of floated with no sense of belonging. So why didn't I feel sorry for her?
1. The first 1/2 of the book was when she was 10 or younger. It's not that particularly interesting and this book was no exception.
2. An extraordinary amount of time was spent on people's bathroom ...more
1. The first 1/2 of the book was when she was 10 or younger. It's not that particularly interesting and this book was no exception.
2. An extraordinary amount of time was spent on people's bathroom ...more
"For a long time I hoped that if I played one role, my father would take the corresponding role. I would be the beloved daughter; he would be the indulgent father. I decided that if I acted like other daughters did, he would join in the lark. We’d pretend together, and in pretending we’d make it real. If I had observed him as he was, or admitted to myself what I saw, I would have known that he would not do this, and that a game of pretend would disgust him."
***
I LOVED this memoir. I found mysel ...more
***
I LOVED this memoir. I found mysel ...more
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Lisa Brennan-Jobs' coming-of-age memoir,
Small Fry
, details her childhood as the disowned daughter of Apple cofounder and tech icon Steve Jobs....
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“I see now that we were at cross-purposes. For him, I was a blot on a spectacular ascent, as our story did not fit with the narrative of greatness and virtue he might have wanted for himself. My existence ruined his streak. For me, it was the opposite: the closer I was to him, the less I would feel ashamed; he was part of the world, and he would accelerate me into the light.”
—
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“I wished that I wanted less, needed less, was one of those succulents that have a tangle of wiry, dry roots and a minty congregation of leaves and can survive on only the smallest bit of moisture and air.”
—
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