As always, love anything Fredrik touches. This was full of his in-person humor and charm that is often missing from his fiction work (because he's an epic writer that knows his personality is not his character's personality, but like damn this was so full of his voice and I LOVED THAT). Would recommend even to non-parents like me, heartwarming and cuddly. Like a warm huge.

THINGS MY SON NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WORLD by Fredrik Backman captures parenting fully – the excitement, the shame, and the chaos. He made me smile at the metaphors he used to describe his development as a parent and he made is so relatable to feel nervous about the impact of each decision a parent makes on the emotional life of the child. I loved every word just as I do his fictional novels. I will buy this for my husband to read as I found myself projecting into my husband’s mind on many chapters (specific to the male bonding between father and son) but it was time well spent in the reading. A unique take on parenting that only Backman could do. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World is a collection of essays written by Backman and specifically directed to his infant son. It explores the relationship between father and son, and a new father's firsthand account of life as a new parent. This book is Backman providing the wisdom he wishes to pass onto his boy.

This book was definitely easy to read and I flew threw it. However, I failed to relate to the content, and for me, it's simply a collection of essays on every parental stereotype out there. Don't get me wrong, Backman does a wonderful job at providing a humourous take on his journey into parenthood. That said, I can definitely see how anyone with kids would enjoy this collection of essays more than myself. I did enjoy the underlying message, that parenting is hard and every parents tries to do their very best, but this book was just okay for me, especially since I am a huge fan of A Man Called Ove & Beartown.

I received an ARC from Atria via NetGalley of Things My Son Needs to Know About the World in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this collection of essays. So very Backman even though I've never read anything like this from him before. I laughed out loud and read excerpts to my husband. ❤

In today’s world, all possible information that we might need for survival is available via few keystrokes. But unfortunately, parenthood doesn’t come with a manual that can be downloaded from any website or streamed on any channel. It’s mostly a combination of trial and error, selection and elimination and experience and luck. In this hilariously written collection of letters, which are more like the chapters of a manual, Backman tries to teach some lessons to his son; invaluable lessons that he learnt in this life by observing, experiencing, trying or failing.

There are some that would make your stomach hurt by laughing, like how to survive a trip to Ikea, how it is alright to love dancing but soccer would be better and how it is okay to have a failed band but with a cool name. Amongst these lighter moments, are some deep lessons on the value of love, of friendship, of bonding and of just being a good human being.

Being a woman, I am obviously not going to experience fatherhood, but I had a very close bond with my father. It’s always different between fathers and daughters, because to us they are our first heroes. But I think this book showed me how it should be between fathers and sons; how they are each other’s buddies.

I really enjoy Backman’s work. “Bear Town” was one of my favorite novels I read last year, so I was excited to dig into this book. The essays written to the author’s son were casual and fun, an unexpected style from an author I usually consider more serious. The book is broken up into longer essays and short comments and dialogues. I particularly enjoyed the longer essays and thought they were thoughtful and truly emotional. Backman’s best work in this book is when he focused on his true emotions for his son - while I enjoyed the comedy, the heavier essays were my favorite.

The month of August 2014 was a happy time. That was when I first discovered Fredrik Backman and read "A man called Ove". Since then he has delighted me with another six outstanding fiction reads. This time out, he has ventured into non-fiction with this compilation of short, humorous, and very heartfelt essays on what it means to be a father in this day and age. Wow!

As usual, while reading Backman, my emotions took a roller coaster ride. Laughing aloud one minute, shedding a tear the next. He does that to me... I found the timing of this read especially poignant because my son is expecting his first child (a boy) within the next month.

The author's deep love for his wife and children fairly shines from the pages.

I particularly enjoyed the essay where Backman discusses inter-generational conflicts and lists the differences between people of his generation and the one of his parents.

The author's education in philosophy has made me understand a bit more about why I love his writing. He is a thinker. A philosopher. It is my belief that in generations to come he will be revered. His wisdom far exceeds his years.

I'm in my early sixties and I think Fredrik Backman would be perfect as a son. If I was in my thirties I think Fredrik Backman would be perfect as a husband. And, finally, and more importantly, if I was a little boy I think that Fredrik Backman would be the father I would want. Backman is... quite simply.... everything. (But I never gush, LOL, so disregard the last few sentences if gushing annoys you.)

Highly, highly, recommended!

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with a copy of Fredrik Backman’s memoir, Things My Son Needs to Know About the World, in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge fan of Fredrik Backman and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review his latest book. Things My Son Needs to Know About the World, is Backman’s first memoir, a departure from the novels for which he has garnered world-wide acclaim. He last few novels (Us Against You and Bear Town) were exceedingly bleak and dark. I loved them, but they left me with a heavy feeling. Generally, the tone of Things My Son Needs to Know About the World, is humorous and light-hearted. Backman has a hilarious style of self-deprecating humor and I often found myself giggling while reading.

The memoir comprised of short chapters, some less than a page, all written within the frame work of advice that Backman wishes to impart to his young son. There is one sweet chapter where he speak directly to his wife, whom he clearly adores and references throughout his book.

Although mostly humorous, there is a running current of Backman’s serious fears and dreams for his son. For example, in one chapter he mentions the importance of finding a sports team. It’s not that he cares that his son plays or watches sports, but Backman sees the way that sports has created bonds in his own life. He wants his child to be able to bond with friends and he sees sports as an easy entry point, but he also fears that his son might develop interests in which he does not know how to relate. He wants his son to know that he will be a supportive father, no matter what, but that he also fears that they won’t have things to bond over. The bonding is vital.

Backman writes about a time when he was shot during a robbery in a convenience store and how just a matter of inches could have left him dead or paralyzed. He speaks to the importance of those inches in everything in life, how something so small can change everything. This chapter was exceptionally poignant and along with the rest of the memoir, made me understand more of why Backman chooses certain subjects for his fiction works.

My step-children are Swedish and live with their mom in Stockholm, so I was interested in the tidbits on parenting in Sweden. I probably shouldn’t be surprised, but most of Backman’s concerns and dealings with other parents, are similar to sentiments that are echoed by my parent friends in the United States.

There is a hilarious chapter on navigating Ikea, which also rings true for the Ikea shopping experience in the United States. Follow those arrows!

Whether writing fiction or non-fiction, Backman is a fabulous writer and someone whom I am always thrilled when he publishes a new work. I highly recommend all of Backman’s books!

As a change of pace for Backman, this is not a book of fiction, but rather a type of memoir, which is also something that could be considered an advice book. The publisher calls this a collection of “personal dispatches from the front lines of one of the most daunting experiences any man can experience: fatherhood.” But whatever you call it, my regular readers will know by now that I’ve been a fan of Backman’s work since I read his first translated novel, “A Man Called Ove” and he’s been on my “Top Five” lists every year since then, often grabbing the #1 spot. Since then, Backman’s publicist has come to know me, and I’m on her list of bloggers that gets first crack at his work, and I totally adore her for it! I actually wrote to her asking about his next novel, but apparently that’s not quite ready yet, so she offered me this book.

Well, I’m not someone who reads a whole lot of non-fiction, and to be honest, I wasn’t actually looking forward to reading this. In fact, I almost decided to not bother reading and reviewing it; sometimes things like this can be a touch self-absorbed and daunting. But then I figured, hey, it is Backman, right? How bad could it be? Well… You will need to pardon me for my skepticism, and please accept my sincerest apologies because, as opposed to my initial expectations, this book was not just great, it was absolutely fabulous! It was everything and much more than you’ve come to adore about Backman and his unique writing style.

The essence of this book is that Backman is a new father to a young son, and men being what they are, they do tend to feel overwhelmed when it comes to fatherhood. Now, some men get that way mostly with daughters, but when it comes to sons, things can be a touch different. This isn’t a bad thing, but you must admit that a father’s relationship to their son is often different than how they behave and treat their daughters. For some reason, they feel that they need to instill certain things in their boys that it might not occur to them would be important for their daughters. Don’t get me wrong here, there’s nothing misogynistic in this book, in fact, one of the things that Backman writes about is how women aren’t just equal to men, but in some ways are far superior to them. With this, he also stresses the ultimate importance of respecting women, as his respect and admiration for his wife comes through throughout this book.

This also comes across when Backman talks about things like football and sports. While Backman doesn’t want to insist that his son be interested in these types of things (he might like to dance instead, which is fine), he does want him to understand them just enough so that he won’t become the brunt of humiliation from other boys when he’s growing up. This reminds us that as much as we want equality of the sexes, old gender tinged habits die very hard; reality dictates we learn how to react to gender bias and stereotypes consciously, rather than instinctively. This is probably the most difficult part of this book, as we see Backman struggle with what he knows is the way of the world vs. what type of man he wants his son to be. I also appreciated how he apologized to his son for messing him up and leaving him with a world that is less than perfect. It is something I’ve told my own children, often, and I always ask their forgiveness for this, since I simply did my best out of the all-encompassing love in my heart; I just never knew any better.

However, if this makes you think that this book is a serious, heartrending work, full of philosophy and ethics and the like, you would be completely and utterly wrong. This book is absolutely hysterical, and I couldn’t read it in bed with my husband next to me, since my guffaws and laughter would have woken him constantly. Backman goes from simple self-effacing to bald-faced confessional when describing each and every one of his mistakes in his parenting of his son, all in candid and hilarious detail. For example, there’s an incident with him putting his son in the stroller into the elevator of his building and then realizing he’d forgotten something in the apartment that will have you literally laughing out loud (but there were also a couple of places where I also got a touch teary-eyed as well).

In short, there is no Ove here, no Britt-Marie, no town struggling with their hockey team or the consequences of rape, no dying grandparent trying to make amends or connect with their grandchild. This is pure enjoyment and fun, with some insightful wisdom and poignant touches to keep it from falling into the ridiculous. For all of this there is no rating I could give this book other than a full five out of five stars, while I warmly and wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone – parents, grandparents, and even childless people, because you were a child of someone, and maybe this book will help you understand your parents or grandparents better.

Things My Son Needs to Know about the World by Fredrik Backman is a very highly recommended collection of personal essays about being a father. One of the best collections of the year!

I didn't think I could possibly love Fredrik Backman's writing more than I do and then I feel in love all over again with this collection of essays he has written to his son and for other new fathers. These essays are hilarious, touching, and heartfelt. Even more importantly, they include things a father needs to pass on to his son, as well as insights for other fathers into the whole culture-change of having a child.

They include tidbits of essential wisdom, like:
"There’s a hell of a lot to keep track of. Diaper bags. Car seats. Nursery rhymes. Extra socks. Poop. Above all, poop. There’s a lot of poop to keep track of. It’s nothing personal. You can ask any parent with small children. That whole first year, jeez, your entire life revolves around poop.
"[W]hen the preschool teachers refer to something as 'nature’s own candy,' they almost always mean raisins and almost never bacon."
"[T]hat is how you complete the final level of Monkey Island 3. Your mother can roll her eyes all she wants. I am not risking this knowledge dying with my generation."
"This parenthood thing didn’t come with instructions, that’s all I’m saying. You spit on the napkin. Then you wipe the child’s face with the napkin. You don’t spit straight onto the child. My bad."
"The nurses really don’t like it when you use the words “house-train” in relation to children."

The collection includes his longer personal essays with humorous side notes interspersed between them.Essays include: To my son; What you need to know about motion-sensitive bathroom lights; What you need to know about IKEA; What you need to know about soccer; What you need to know about stuff; What you need to know about being a man; What you need to know about God and airports; What you need to know about what happened to the singing plastic giraffe; What you need to know about why that Felicia girl’s mother hates me; What you need to know about good and evil; What you need to know about starting a band; What you need to know about love; What you need to know about when I hold your hand a little too tight.

The writing is simply wonderful. This is an excellent choice for new parents who are right in the throes of experiencing parenthood for the first time, but it also will be appreciated by parents who are seasoned veterans and will remember back when it was all new. As usual, underneath the humor are some essential insights into human nature that you will find in Backman's novels too.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/05/things-my-son-needs-to-know-about-world.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2814236648
https://www.librarything.com/work/12994505/book/168550290
https://twitter.com/SheTreadsSoftly/status/1126250580853362693

What an excellent little book!
Backman is a new father, and decides to write little a series of short essays to his son. Just little notes, giving advice that the boy can use throughout his life. Things like being nice to others and try hard not to be an ass. But the main message is to know that you are loved! That your dad is not perfect, and he makes mistakes, but what he does is out of love for you. What a great message! I wish all children could have the benefit of having your father there to explain life to you.
Backman tells the stories with humor and a self-deprecating style. It will make you laugh, and make you feel warm inside! What more can one ask from a book!

Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors. While many either love or hate his often long-winded prose, I am obsessed with it. I feel like I can dive into his books, get lost in the characters, and really learn as well, all while reading fiction.

Things My Son Needs to Know about the World is a non-fiction recollection of Backman’s life as a father. He shares his thoughts on just about everything in his own voice, the voice that understands humans more extensively than any psychologist. His wit, humor, and stark reality give readers insight into what it’s like to be a new parent.

With each lesson Backman narrates, we learn a little more about parenthood as well as Backman himself. His storytelling is always fabulous, but with this book, we can really get a feel for Backman and his family.

Fredrik Backman’s essay/story collection is set to be published on May 7, 2019

Preorder from Amazon

I want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with this ARC to review!

Happy Publication day!

This is a charming memoir written to his son, “Things My Son Needs to Know About the World”. Backman is a new Dad where reality flips itself on its head and you suddenly are so in love with your precious child, but your blinders are also removed. Something no one understands until they become a parent. Backman writes about the various silly challenges he is facing as a new parent, such as the reality of poop being such a big part of parenting, to advice on what it means to be a man in this world. Not just any man, but one who believes in justice, fights for those with less privileges, and one that respects women.

My favorite parts of course were the new dynamics with his wife raising a baby and generally his advice dealing with women.

I hope you’ll enjoy this little book as much as I did, getting to know the brilliant author behind my favorite books!

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for a chance to read this ARC! All thoughts were my own.

Backman’s collection of advice for his son includes all of the wit, charm, and insight that we expect from his writing. Valuable lessons are wrapped up in seemingly trivial stories, such as the vital importance of forming a band with your friends. Backman shines the most when he’s talking about his wife. Their hilarious conversations and disagreements as well as his comments about her influence in his life show how much he values her. Clearly he wants his son to know how much she means to him.

Through oddly specific topics such as Ikea, soccer, and a plastic giraffe, Backman shares more meaningful thoughts about how much he loves spending time with his son, being kind, and forming lifelong friendships. Also included at the end of each chapter are random conversations, incidents, and thoughts from his parenting experience. Although they don’t necessarily have anything to do with the chapter, they’re often hilarious.

I would happily read a daily update of Backman’s adventures in parenting, so this book was a delight the whole way through. Hopefully he’ll write a follow up with even more advice and stories as is son gets older!

4 1/2

Without a doubt, Fredrik Backman is my favorite current writer of literary fiction and now I can officially say that I've read all of his books as Things My Son Needs to Know About the World was the hold-out. Originally published in 2012, Things My Son Needs to Know About the World is a group of essays with some short anecdotes and observations in between.
The very first essay is about poop. And I was having breakfast. And the two didn't mesh--well. But I could see the funny bits about it, even as I was slightly grossed-out. The second essay was about IKEA. And I felt it was repetitive and then I grew worried about the review that was forming in my head because this felt like Backman was trying too hard to be funny or make points or something.

Maybe it was the translation.

Or maybe it was me and my reading of those first two essays.

Today, knowing that I really needed to get the book done, I read all the rest of the essays with little interruption. I was charmed and laughed. This was the Backman that shows up in subsequent books. He is funny and outrageous, insightful and self-deprecating. Not every joke or anecdote scores, at least not for me, but most do.

This parenthood thing didn't come with instructions, that's all I'm saying.
You spit on the napkin,

Then you wipe the child's face with the napkin. You don't spit straight onto the child.

My bad.

I do hope that he finds a better diet than sausages cooked in butter and oil with bacon and cheese put into a cutout baguette with fried onions, mayonnaise, and Bearnaise sauce because really we need to have his writing around for a very, very long time. He sees the humor in impossible situations but also manages to offer keen insights. He is also a man who isn't afraid to declare how much his wife and child truly mean to him. These essays are  guaranteed to make you think or laugh, or both.

I would recommend Things My Son Needs to Know About the World for Backman aficionados, new parents, and people who enjoy physical humor.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I might be the only person on #bookstagram who had never read a book by Fredrik Backman. It’s shocking, I know. So I started with this one ... different than his fiction that I have seen praised everywhere, but I couldn’t pass it up. I need all the help I can get with raising a son! 😝

Backman delivers exactly what I hoped to find in this book. It is full of laugh-out-loud jests at the world around us, yet hidden amongst the humor are wonderful heartfelt sentiments and advice for his son. I literally found myself chuckling out loud throughout the book, which is exactly what I needed after a couple of my previous reads being on the heavy side. Each chapter tells a different story, focuses on a different topic, and then leads into strange little interludes that I really enjoyed - a recipe, thoughts and musings, anecdotes about things that have happened with his son, etc. Backman does a wonderful job conveying thoughts and feelings that are universal for parents. I definitely recommend this as a quick, easy read if you are looking for something humorous, relatable, and refreshing.

Things My Son Needs to Know About The World will be released on May 7th. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Review posted to Goodreads, Instagram and Amazon.

I was beyond thrilled to get my hands on a copy of Fredrik Backman’s first non-fiction. I would’ve never guessed that the author who wrote my favorite book Beartown, which broke my heart, has now written a life lessons memoir to his son. Ummm...sign me up!

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This book was incredibly charming and heartfelt. With some of the essays I found myself cracking up! The story on IKEA was laugh-out-loud funny...I had to read it to my husband because it hit home so much. Other essays made memories of my own children flood into my mind, bringing me to tears in an instant.

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Parenting is messy but it’s a beautiful mess, and Backman is able to remind us of that in this book the way only he can. This book was a quick read (I think I read it in one day). I know I will pick it up from time to time when I need a smile or fee like making a batch of fried Snickers Ice cream.

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Cheers to raising kids that are kind.

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Things my Son Needs to Know about the World comes out Tomorrow! Thank you to Artia, Netgallery and of course Fredrik Backman for providing me a copy

I loved this so much. It was just the right mix of comedy and serious life lessons! Definitely recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Fredrik Backman for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.

I love Fredrik Backman's books and this is no exception. This is first and foremost a love story - to Backman's wife and son - told in humorous, truthful, touching short chapters, mostly apologizing for the fact that parenthood is tough work and mistakes are made, but that all was done in love. Everything is pretty much on-spot relatable - I loved the story of the generational differences.

Highly recommended - would be a wonderful gift, especially with Father's Day on the horizon.

Backman’s foray into non-fiction show a more humorous and light side to him than I’m use to with his fiction books I’ve read. He perfectly balances humor and heartfelt moments. It’s cute and funny with moments of poignancy. The love Backman feels for his son (and wife) is evidently clear and his passion for life shines through as well. I loved his vignettes about life, love, and everything in between. A great, short read.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.