Tag Archives: parents
** The Accordion Family by Katherine Newman
Having successfully sent two children away to college, waiting for the third one to get there, and hoping none will come back, I was curious to see what The Accordion Family: Boomerang Kids, Anxious Parents, and the Private Toll of … Continue reading
Filed under Non fiction
*** Crazy U by Andrew Ferguson
Not another book about getting into college! Do try Crazy U. It’s the lighthearted true story of a dad and his reluctant son moving through the crazed world of college applications, including colleges who actively manipulate their rankings (all of … Continue reading
Filed under True story
* The Adults by Alison Espach
The Adults starts well enough, with a drunken birthday party during which the honoree, the heroine’s father, kisses the neighbor and starts a series of family disasters: divorce, suicide of the neighbor’s husband, unwanted pregnancy. So the heroine’s smart but … Continue reading
Filed under New fiction
** Sunset Park by Paul Auster
Sunset Park starts with the intriguing story of a dropout who has a job clearing out foreclosed homes in Florida and romances an underage high-school senior. But when he moves back to a New York squat the book adds the … Continue reading
Filed under New fiction
Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller
Lost in the Forest is the story of a familywhose father dies accidentally, which brings his stepdaughters closer to their dad, and one of them into a very ill-advised affair with a supposed friend of the family. It’s all very … Continue reading
Filed under New fiction
In the Kitchen by Monica Ali
In the Kitchen tells the story of a man whose life unravels — up until the hopeful ending. It starts with a brilliant, grueling really, description of what really happens in the kitchen of a high-end restaurant, told in a … Continue reading
Filed under New fiction
Under Pressure by Carl Honore
Under Pressure talks about the same helicopter parents that were the focus of A Nation of Wimps, but the focus is slightly different: more on younger (school age) children, and more on the ridiculousness of defining ourselves through our children’s achievements. … Continue reading
Filed under Non fiction
A Nation of Wimps by Hara Estroff Marano
A Nation of Wimps decries the heavy-handed parenting that coddles and spoils children and removes opportunities for what our parents may have called character-building experiences. My favorite anecdote from the book was of the parent who negotiated a college grad’s salary … Continue reading
Filed under Non fiction
Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg
Hurry Down Sunshine is another terrifying book for parents, a la Beautiful Boy, but this time with a daughter who is diagnosed with psychosis and potentially a bipolar disorder, shut into a psychiatric hospital, drugged until her personality seemingly disappears, but … Continue reading
Filed under Non fiction
Too Much of a Good Thing by Dan Kindlon
Too Much of a Good Thing addresses the gnawing anxiety of comfortable parents, that amongst the riches that surround our children we may be missing the boat on other, more important ingredients of education so our children may end up … Continue reading
Filed under Non fiction
