The Family Law in Aussie Readers

Jan 10, 2011 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

The Family Law is an amusing collection of anecdotes by Benjamin Law sharing the joys, traumas and candid moments of growing up in his eccentric Chinese Australian family in suburban Queensland. There is a distinct Aussie flavour to Law's reminiscences which are easy to relate to. Law examines his life with a wry sense of humour and an eye for the quirky differences of his family and their experiences. I laughed out loud more than once, particularly with his mother's blunt, if crude, statements. ...more

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May 27, 2015 Joy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: recommended, non-fiction, 2015-goodreads-challenge, autobiography

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So this book has been sitting on the backburner for a while. Goodreads tells me that I finished it at the end of May this year...so that's five whole months where I didn't review it. Heh...oops? And this isn't the only book still waiting to be reviewed either. Eep.

You guys know my love for audiobooks these days. If you don't — well I love it. When I started full time work back in April, I found it extremely difficult to get much reading done (lel this hasn't changed much let's be real).

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So this book has been sitting on the backburner for a while. Goodreads tells me that I finished it at the end of May this year...so that's five whole months where I didn't review it. Heh...oops? And this isn't the only book still waiting to be reviewed either. Eep.

You guys know my love for audiobooks these days. If you don't — well I love it. When I started full time work back in April, I found it extremely difficult to get much reading done (lel this hasn't changed much let's be real). Even during my daily train travels, I just wasn't in the mood. Then along came audiobooks and I found a saviour to my TBR.

The Family Law is very different to my usual reads, which I'm sure you can tell. I'm not a huge fan of autobiographies, but heck it was free on Audible (I think it was a Christmas promotion?) so I decided to give it a go.

And I'm so, so glad that I did!

I was not familiar with Benjamin Law when I started this book, so I basically went into his story blind. I didn't even read the blurb beforehand...I mean it was an autobiography...how much can the blurb really tell me?

Turns out, Benjamin is a pretty well-known Australian journalist and author. And he himself narrates the book, which added the authenticity that I didn't even know I wanted.

The Family Law is a memoir of the Law family, a collection of 23 short stories from Benjamin's time growing up on Australia. He recounts his childhood through to young adulthood, sharing some great snippets into what life was like for him, his siblings and the whole Law family. Being an Asian family living in Australia, many of the everyday trivialities was definitely relatable for me — especially the mum, who was just hilarious and I laughed in public more than once because of her antics.

For example, Benjamin recounts in detail about her sharing stories about the birth of her children with him and his siblings, despite protestations from everyone.

The Law family was crazy and funny and each chapter just got more hilarious than the one before. I think it was accentuated by the fact that he himself narrated the book, and did a brilliant job of playing up the voices and emotions required from each story he shared. Most of the stories shared was light-hearted, but there was occasionally a few moving moments too.

Even if you're not a fan of autobiographies, I highly recommend The Family Law. If you've always wanted to start reading autobiographies but have no idea which one to pick up, then this is a good place to start.

...more

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Jul 08, 2011 tee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: memoirs, i-own

This was good. The funniest bits involved his mother (the footnote regarding her and her vagina on page 11, her reasoning as to not needing to go to an onsen in japan as. "I know what old pussy looks like. Why would I need to see Japanese ones?". But then there was also an epic incident involving him unintentionally defacing the pop-up genitalia in a school sex-ed book. And his memories of traipsing around theme parks with his family; including a sad deer park with a lone emu that, desperate for This was good. The funniest bits involved his mother (the footnote regarding her and her vagina on page 11, her reasoning as to not needing to go to an onsen in japan as. "I know what old pussy looks like. Why would I need to see Japanese ones?". But then there was also an epic incident involving him unintentionally defacing the pop-up genitalia in a school sex-ed book. And his memories of traipsing around theme parks with his family; including a sad deer park with a lone emu that, desperate for food, "screamned like veliciraptor" before propelling its head through the car window. He writes about growing up on the Sunshine Coast, living life as a weedy, clarinet-toting homo with a deceptive baritone voice. He curses a fair bit. If I haven't won you over then you are dead to me.

Benjamin Law is hilarious, which isn't news to me because I've been a fangirl since he first appeared in Frankie magazine. Which I have been buying from newsagents since the very first copy fyi. Having been such a dedicated Frankie fan, I've seen it turn from a little, loved-with rabid-fervour-by-the-devoted-few magazine into a hell-fucking-popular publication. I got a bit jealous. The Frankie family were MY family. YOU love Benjamin Law? I loved him FIRST. I loved him before he even knew he was awesome. Yeah, complete hipster fury.

Anyway, then he went and published this book and everyone loved it and the whole time I was like, duhhh, I don't even have to read it because I KNOW Benjamin Law (not really really, I'm not one of the privileged. I just have this one-sided starry eyed love that will never die unlike reciprocal relationships which always end up mutilated and dead). Then a few days ago I couldn't bear it anymore and tucked my tail between my legs and went to the Avid Reader to get myself a copy. It was just as good, if not better, than I expected. I hear they're turning it into a tv show and the content is perfectly suited to one. I just hope that they do it right. I'm a little protective.

Best of all is that Law is a Brisbane author. I have a love hate relationship with Brisbane having lived here most of my life. I continue to live here and while the bright lights of New York and the misty streets of London tempt me, having people like this to make me proud of my home town makes living here more bearable.

I'll be a Law fangirl for life. I was probably the first btw. ...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Dee-Ann rated it it was amazing

Shelves: australian-authors, five-star, humour, library-book, non-fiction, memoir, movie-material

Very funny book of anecdotes of growing up and living in a modern asian family in Australia. I can really relate to the mother and I suspect one or more of my 5 sons could relate to benjamin and his 4 siblings.

Love the description by the mother about childbirth ...so true ... and what a brave woman to divorce her husband, but still hold the famly together.

There is no holding back in this book, some parts wanted me to cringe, especially the description of the gay nightclubs and the farting episod ...more

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Mar 21, 2012 PattyMacDotComma rated it really liked it

Shelves: aa, australian-author, kindle, aa-ce

I always enjoy seeing and listening to Ben on panels and when being interviewed, and I worried that his writing wouldn't be as entertaining. It is, and his description of family life growing up as an Asian Aussie is delightful. He's a real character, and he comes by it honestly. ...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Patrick Johns rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bio, too-funny-to-read-in-a-public-place

Very funny and entertaining. My wife banned me from reading it in bed because I was laughing too much (ref: the Emu episode)

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May 11, 2019 Chris rated it really liked it

A family memoir. Ben's parents are immigrants from HK and Malaysia, and the family grew up in the Sunshine Coast of QLD. The book is vignettey short stories: cockroaches, the heat, growing up gay, sharing a room, dysfunctional relationships, family nudity, holidays .etc. The book has plenty of laughs, and a few key messages too. But even when it's serious it's understated. I'm always outraged to hear about racial violence and homophobia in our community, but I can't be surprised because, after a ...more

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