Things My Son Needs to Know About The World
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Things My Son Needs To Know About The World is a tender and funny series of letters from a new father to his son about one of life's most daunting experiences: parenthood
From the 18 million copy internationally bestselling author of A Man Called Ove
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'You can be whatever you want to be, but that's nowhere near as important as knowing that you can be exactly who you are'
In between the sleep-obsessed lows and oxytocin-fuelled highs, Backman takes a step back to share his own experience of fatherhood and how he navigates such unchartered territory.
Part memoir, part manual, part love letter to his son, this book relays the big and the small lessons in life.
As he watches his son take his first steps into the world, he teaches him how to navigate both love - and IKEA - and tries to explain why, sometimes, his dad might hold his hand just a little bit too tightly.
This is an irresistible and insightful collection from one of the world's most beautiful storytellers - the bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and Beartown.
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Praise for Fredrick Backman:
'A mature, compassionate novel' Sunday Times
'Will, funny, and almost unbearably moving' Daily Mail
'You'll love this engrossing novel' People
'Backman is a masterful writer' Kirkus Review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Swedish novelist Backman (A Man Called Ove; Beartown) addresses his young son in a series of delightful, thoughtful essays on fatherhood. In "What You Need To Know About Motion-Sensitive Bathroom Lights," Backman explains how his life "revolves around the logistics of poop," and tells of a funny struggle with a shopping center baby-changing station that, he writes, "was my Vietnam." In one of the shorter anecdotes, "This Is Not Going Well. I'm Aware," Backman contemplates explaining the birds and the bees to his son, but concludes: "I had sex with your mother. You're gonna need a few years to process this.... I really should have just told you about storks." A moving essay on "What You Need to Know About Soccer" is less about the sport and more about Backman's desire for his son to not experience the feeling of "being left out" and of his own fear that someday Backman will feel left out of his grown son's life. All of the essays are connected by Backman's belief that children should grow up "to be better than us... kinder, smarter, more humble, more generous, and more selfless than we are." Parents especially fathers will appreciate Backman's witty and touching lessons.
