First sentence: When I was a boy in Iowa, my ambition was "to become a pullman conductor and see the world." I know that because I wrote it in a diary I kept when I was seven.

Premise/plot: The book calls itself a memoir and who am I to disagree? I see each chapter as more of a vignette or essay. But again, who am I to disagree with the subtitle? Tom Braden was many things--soldier, spy, politician, journalist, husband, and father. He doesn't really recount much of anything besides husband-and-father in this memoir. I had no idea he worked for the CIA (or is it in the CIA???) until I read the afterword; that he was a soldier in World War II, I'm not surprised. Regardless, this book recounts his raising his family in the 1960s and 1970s. Expect anecdotes and some name dropping--as to both husband and wife moved in high circles.

My thoughts: I have very vague memories of catching the TV show in reruns. Very vague. (I think it was before we got the VCR.) But I remember just enough to be interested/intrigued in reading this one. I had no expectations. I didn't know if it would be sincere/sentimental or if it would be more like Erma Bombeck. (Don't laugh, remember I had no idea what to expect.) Some chapters do read like straight up comedy. Others read more like commentary of the times. There were a very few places that I found a bit creepy. But that could just be me not understanding the 60s and 70s.

I believe I read this book back when I was a child after watching the TV Show. I found it even more interesting as an adult. It was fascinating to see how parenting was back in the 70's. I also enjoyed the Kennedy references and the world the Dad lived in.

This is Tom Braden's story of how life is with his wife Joan and their eight kids. It was the basis for the tv show Eight is Enough. The book is written like Tom is observing how his family revolves around him day to day and then taking notes about his observation. There doesn't seem to be a lot of interaction or conversations between Tom and his kids, he also does a lot of complaining about his kids.

This memoir is really more of a collection of essays over the course of a number of years. This style really works for Braden's writing style and makes it possible to keep track of which kid is which. Eight may be enough but it's also a LOT to keep track of! Most of the stories revolve around the challenges of managing a household of eight children which led for some pretty entertaining moments. Braden adds a lot of humor to the situation. It's clear he loves his wife and his family but at the same time I have a feeling he spent a lot of time either tuning out the chaos or with very strained patience and rueful humor.

I think my favorite story was the one about the Braden children vs. the Kennedy children but they were all enjoyable. This wasn't a book I flew through but one I tended to pick up and read an essay from as needed. This is perfect travel reading, sick bed reading, or to read during the commercial breaks as you obsessively watch hurricane coverage on The Weather Channel. I hadn't watched the show when I started reading it but I'm off to find some episodes now!

would love to have a big family and I enjoyed this series, but, unfortunately, I found this book a bit dull and polemical. I wanted to know more about the children and less about the differences between the generations. I did think that it would be more of an amusing and light book.

However, I really enjoyed reading about the famous people who Braden and his wife knew. For example, they were good friends of the Kennedys - Jackie and Joan (Braden's wife) seemed to be especially close. There was also a fascinating anecdote about Rosa Lewis and the old Cavendish Hotel.

Braden's book about his time in the OSS might be more interesting.

I received this free ebook from Net Galley in return for an honest revie

Loved it! Easy read, well written, character descriptions were touching and funny. I was just the right age when the television show based on the real family was out so I especially enjoyed finding out more about the REAL Braeden family.~ Will highly recommend this and I know that anyone I recommend it to will enjoy it just as much as I did.

Eight is Enough by Tom Braden seems to be a re-release of his book that was written years ago. While some of the information will seem dated, it is a reminder that no matter era you live in parenting is parenting. Braden smoothly and professionally writes about his adventures of raising a large family back in the 60s to 70s.

Braden himself lived an interesting life which he alludes to in his book when he mentions parachutes and weapons. Before Braden entered the newspaper business he served during WWII, worked in the OSS and CIA, and was a co-host for Crossfire on CNN.

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

Eight Is Enough by Tom Braden has been re-released by Open Road Media in the eBook format. This is a highly recommended, nostalgic look-back at parenting in the early 70's. Although many things in the book are dated now, the original book was published in the mid-seventies, it still provides many amusing anecdotes and practical parenting advice, as well as some personal opinions. Just as the TV show, Braden does address some serious concerns he had at the time, including drugs, alcohol, and premarital sex, along with more amusing stories. Admittedly, there is a lot of name dropping in the book. It's hard to say if this was intentional or simply a reflection of the life the Braden's lived.

Many people will recall the popular TV show of the same title and loosely based on Braden's book. Parents are Tom and Joan (only in the TV show stepmother Abby appeared very quickly since the original actress playing Joan died after 4 episodes). The eight children are: David, Mary, Joannie, Susan, Nancy, Elizabeth, Tommy, and Nicholas. Tom Braden actually lived a rather colorful, interesting life, but was played, as I recall, as a rather affable and agreeable advice-giver on the TV show. The show did tackle some tough, timely issues but naturally things were solved quickly.

There were several interesting quotes, but I'll only share three.

The first was Mother's Rule, meaning Braden's mother: "The 'good' books we force upon the young in contravention of our knowledge that the purpose of the young is to contravene. Therefore, learning must be secret and illegal. If you really want a child to read something, there is only one way: Hide it." My mother insisted that nobody had ever tried her rule. But I have. It works. I hide the 'good' books, or I put them on the highest shelves.

"I think the deans of our colleges have yielded too easily. Respect, consideration, thoughtfulness and kindness, privacy and forbearance are still virtues worth inculcating. And when they fall before the strength of the new sexual morality, style loses meaning and, I should think, college dormitories become barns. I’m sure I sound old-fashioned."

"There is a time in the life of a man and a woman, between childhood and adulthood, between dependence and responsibility, between desire and the ability to cope with it, between wanting something and deciding to earn it, when the human being, physically grown and emotionally childish, is a very dangerous animal."

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Open Road Media.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/06/eight-is-enough.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2040203072

This book is a reissue of the book from the 1970's that inspired the TV series by the same name. It is humorous but, unlike many books about being a father from comedians, it hangs together and feels like a finished book instead of a series of routines.

I liked his view of family life and his own foibles as well as the quirks of his family. Knowing many large families myself, I can vouch for the reality of the picture.

I'm very glad for the reissue of the book, but it is dated. The book was written in the 70's and his children, especially the older four, were caught up in the rebellion and experimentation of the period. Since the young people then are now retiring, these concerns seem a bit quaint. What the book had as current atmosphere it has lost in favor of a first-person view of a complicated time.

Even so I really enjoyed it.

Open Road Media and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Eight Is Enough: A Father's Memoir of Life with His Extra-Large Family. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Tom Braden's life with his wife Joan and their eight children was the subject of a very popular television show, a show that Tom doubted so greatly that he sold his story for one dollar. Having watched the show, I was very interested in reading about the real-life individuals that make up the Braden clan. With essays regarding different aspects of his children's lives, as well as stories that include some of the upper echelon of society, Eight Is Enough is just a small snapshot of life as a family of 10.

The television show neglected the man himself: Tom was a fascinating person with an exciting life. From running a newspaper to being friends with President Kennedy, no one could ever say that Tom Braden's life was dull. Through his essays, the author shows how his perspective changed as his children aged. I wish that the author had taken the reader through more of his fascinating background, as Eight Is Enough is more about the offspring than the man himself.

This book was the basis of the tv show "Eight is Enough" which I loved and watched every week. It was the about the trials and tribulations of having eight kids. The show, according to this book, did a very good portraying this family.

There were some funny stories. I loved the telegram from RFK to Tom Braden that said "you win." meaning that Tom had eight kids and RFK only had seven at that time.

A fun, enjoyable read that had me on IMDB looking up the cast of characters and seeing what had become of all those kids. A real trip down memory lane.

Thanks to Open Road Integrated Media and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

3.5 stars. A good family memoir written from the father's POV of the 1970's (and earlier) that was the basis for the TV show EIGHT IS ENOUGH. Anecdotes of his memories of raising 8 kids in a 2 career family back then, the challenges and craziness. Made me think about the TV show when it used to be on. Funny and heartfelt, a bit old-fashioned at times, but that was the way that generation was raised, with manners and a great work ethic.

(My thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.)