Pops
Written by Michael Chabon
Narrated by Michael Chabon
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
“Magical prose stylist” Michael Chabon (Michiko Kakutani, New York Times) delivers a collection of essays—heartfelt, humorous, insightful, wise—on the meaning of fatherhood.
For the September 2016 issue of GQ, Michael Chabon wrote a piece about accompanying his son Abraham Chabon, then thirteen, to Paris Men’s Fashion Week. Possessed with a precocious sense of style, Abe was in his element chatting with designers he idolized and turning a critical eye to the freshest runway looks of the season; Chabon Sr., whose interest in clothing stops at “thrift-shopping for vintage western shirts or Hermès neckties,” sat idly by, staving off yawns and fighting the impulse that the whole thing was a massive waste of time. Despite his own indifference, however, what gradually emerged as Chabon ferried his son to and from fashion shows was a deep respect for his son’s passion. The piece quickly became a viral sensation.
With the GQ story as its centerpiece, and featuring six additional essays plus an introduction, Pops illuminates the meaning, magic, and mysteries of fatherhood as only Michael Chabon can.
Editor's Note
Thanks, dad…
While Michael Chabon’s collection of essays, for the most part, could be called “Parenthood” instead of “Pops,” the best piece is one that confronts gendered differences directly, called “Against Dickitude.” Chabon tackles a myriad of topics and tells many a funny story in this short compilation. “Pops” is well worth a listen for any dads or children out there who love their family and great writing.
Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon is the bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Moonglow and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, among many others. He lives in Berkeley, California with his wife, the novelist Ayelet Waldman, and their children.
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Reviews for Pops
77 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great collection of stories for Father's Day weekend
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chabon's reflections on parenting and being a father, interesting to see the feelings and perspectives he takes.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A fun collection of essays/articles about being a father, fatherhood, and being a son and sonhood (a new term?). Not a whole whole lot of substance, but entertaining reads, that do give some insight on Chabon's parenting/time as a child. I haven't read any of his other works, but this was interesting enough and the writing was good to the point where I might feel the need to look out for his other works.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A small number of short stories, very enjoyable, that all focus on the theme of fatherhood. Both as a son and as a father, mostly the latter. I particularly liked the one about the son who is into clothes and who has style.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a quick book of reflections on fatherhood. It focuses on being a parent of a young teen, but the book actually starts with advice for aspiring authors not to have children! The book ends with an essay by the author about his relationship to his own father. In between are essays, several previously published elsewhere, that talk mainly about the author's relationship with his children. Having raised both sons and a daughter myself, I found some scenes surprisingly familiar, especially those about the author's younger son being quite picky about what he wore to school from a very early age. Nothing offensive is contained herein so this is a nice read for an hour or two in which one might want to relax and reminisce a bit. It did remind me, however, to look for more of Chabon's longer works. I haven't read any for quite a while.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A small book of essays chronicling Chabon role as father. The first essay shows Chabon, not yet married, not yet a popular author receiving advice from a noted author. His main nugget of advice, was never to have children as they g away the needed time and concentration to write. Much humor here.Four children later he writes about his role as a father, his role as a male femsnist with two daughters of his own. Looks back to his own mother and father, advice he was given by his mother, his father who he finds difficult but clearly loves him. Fashion week with his thirteen year old son, who has a distinct child style of his own. There is a great deal of humor, some significant insights in this timely collection. I love his style of writing, his honesty here, his vulnerability, and I think he would be a very interesting man to meet. A short collection, but an entertaining one.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I loved this book. It was so nice to read more about Chabon’s personal life and about him being a father. I read this book in one sitting. I would have loved for it to be five times as long as it is. I will definitely purchase a physical copy of this book for my collection. Thanks to Above the Treeline and Edelweiss and HarperLuxe for the review copy.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fantastic writing by Chabon, as usual, but I'm not certain that there is enough material in here to warrant a whole book.