Manhood for Amateurs

Manhood for Amateurs is Hugo- and Pulitzer-winner Michael Chabon's 2009 book of essays, subtitled "The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son." It is, unfortunately, disappointing. While there is the occasional characteristic turn-of-phrase that makes me enjoy Chabon's writing, this smacks of little essays-as-writing-exercises that were tossed into a drawer and pasted togther to make a book. Some of them are interesting, to be sure --- his musing about how being elected President was going to take Barack Obama away from his daughters, his internal struggle about being honest with his children about smoking marijuana --- but overall, we expect far more from Chabon.

    As an aside, shortly after I finished this, there was a review in the December 2009 Atlantic for Ayelet Waldman's then-current book, Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace. I read the review, because it was by fellow Caltech alum Sandra Tsing Loh, though I did not intend to read the book itself. I note this only for the purposes of amused contrast, since it is out simultaneously with Chabon's book and Waldman is Mrs Chabon.