Friday, August 20, 2010

Home Game by Michael Lewis

Contrary to what you may believe glancing at this blog, I have not, in fact, stopped reading. Quite the opposite. I feel like somehow this summer has afforded me time to voraciously devour some pretty stellar material (and some pretty brainless, summer-appropriate material as well). A recent read was Home Game:An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood by Michael Lewis. In this hilarious, self-deprecating memoir-of-sorts Lewis chronicles his adventures in fathering throughout the first year of each of his three children's lives. While he originally journaled the included accounts of his offspring and their foibles in order not to lose their memory amidst sleep-deprivation, he also ends up using the book to grapple with the constantly-shifting role of fathers in family and society in this day and age. If you happen to be a woman and take Lewis too seriously you may find yourself offended by his wistful longing for the days of yore when fathers affected a "detached amusement" (at best) regarding their offspring and didn't, as a generally accepted rule, jump in and do the dirty work (quoting his father: "I didn't even talk to you until you were 21!"). Through his openness regarding his moments of poor judgment, confusion, and blossoming love for his children, however, one can clearly detect a father who loves his children and feels somewhat proud at his contribution to their personhood.

Bottom line: Laugh-out-loud hilarity regarding a father's bewilderment over fathering.