Even though this collection of essays is chock full of nuggets of wisdom, it is not the wistful, poignant novel that you may be expecting. It's a laugh out loud, spill my wine and pee my pants kind of read. These stories will most definitely resonate with parents far and wide, and yet-to-be and childless folks alike will be thoroughly entertained by Backman’s stories. Backman has such a down to earth style of writing that is easy to relate to. If you’re in need of a light read and many laughs, read this gem. You’ll be rewarded with hearty laughter and a smile in your heart as well!

This ARC was provided by Atria books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

You should know that I am a huge fan of Fredrik Backman. I have read and loved all of his books. When I saw his new book, “Things My Son Needs to Know about the World” was on NetGalley I had to request it.

Backman’s writing style is very unique and this book is no exception. It’s funny in the best ways but also is relatable to your everyday life. I loved these short anticodes. If you’re looking for a sweet read, this is the one for you.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Atria Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

this book is written in such a wonderful way! truly like he's leaving a how-to for navigating life for his son. It was funny and included snippets ranging from IKEA to starting a band. I found myself laughing out loud!

There were things I don't agree with as a parent that he voiced but that's his opinion. I don't agree with the hands-off method. That children should navigate themselves through life. I think parents are to guide their children in the way they should go and children should learn from their elders who are wiser and have experience navigating life. That's where the 4/5 comes in for me.

I personally really like the way that this book is formulated and the stylistic choice. A letter to his son.
I've read a similar one, called "I've been meaning to tell you", which was kind of like a letter to his daughter for her coming of age as a multiracial individual.
I have not read Backman's other books. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed his writing style and the humor that he incorporates into this book, poop, diaper bags, and joked about his experience of being a father, from his frantic behavior at his son's birth to his son falling in love.
Nonetheless, you can really feel his love, his intimate relationship, and the connection he has with his son.
if you want a heartfelt, funny, and light-read into parenthood, this is the book for you.
A really short read, so you can finish it in one sitting, or you can take breaks to read it.

Thank you to #NetGalley #AtriaBooks for my free e-copy of #ThingsMySonNeedstoKnowAbouttheWorld by Fredrik Backman in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World is a collection of humorous and poignant essays Backman wrote to teach his son about life. Essays range from short and light (how to beat Monkey Island 3) to poignant and deep (why a dad might hold onto his son’s hand just a little too tight). Underlying it all are thoughtful themes including those of unconditional love, a desperate desire to not fail at fatherhood, falling in love, and friendship.

Are you a Backman fan?! *Full disclosure: Although I have my favorites, I read everything Backman and appreciate his creative, magical sentence crafting, risk taking style. I’m on board the Backman Band Wagon and committed to reading every word he writes. I was especially thrilled to receive an advanced reader copy of Things My Son Needs to Know About the World.

I have read the majority of Backman’s published work and journeyed with him as we traveled the paths of loss (And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer); competition, passion, assault, and intolerance (Beartown, Us Against You); the important things in life (The Deal of a Lifetime); lovable and mature quirky characters (A Man Called Ove, Britt-Marie Was Here); and a tender grandmother/granddaughter relationship (My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry).

In this essay collection, stand up comedy meets poignancy in an easy reading stream of consciousness format. It is delightful and entertaining reading experience to be inside the mind of Backman and see life from his perspective. I appreciate Backman’s characterizations, humor, creativity, honesty, transparency, and his ability to craft perfect phrases. One of my favorite topics is the sports chapter because I’ve experienced how the love of a sport is passed from father to son in my own family. I’ve seen the importance, the bonding, and the life lessons. I also appreciated the last chapter in which Backman details his traumatic brush with death and lingering anxiety. Overall, this book is humorous, insightful, creative, and appropriately poignant. You will laugh and cry.

Recommended for fans of Backman’s writing, for readers who love humor and personal essays, for parents, and for those who appreciate creative and thoughtful writing. For readers choosing the book because of the title, my reading experience is that the book is less poignant than the title might suggest.

Review posted on blog 4/12/19

Things My Son Needs to Know about the World was a welcome departure from the genres that I normally read. A great little pick me up that I read in a short amount of time one evening. I seriously just love Fredrik Backman and I can say this little book (his first non-fiction) offering us a glimpse into the workings of his everyday mind was not a let down. I laughed so hard with tears steaming down my face about some of his tales of parenthood. The scenes put me back into those newborns days giving me a chuckle at the crazy it was.

Although this is not one of my favorites it was still a fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for my advanced copy.

This book is a departure from Backman's fiction and not the book for me. It's a collection of short chapters of writings about parenting written to his son. I think it's supposed to be humorous, though I didn't find it so. To me it felt scattered and rambling. I expect it to be popular at my library though, simply due to name recognition.

2.5 stars rounded down

Oh Mr. Backman, I am sorry to rate your book so poorly. Everything else you have written has been wonderful. Insightful. My copies have dog ears and underlined sections and sentences so well crafted - I've transferred them to notebooks so that they will be remembered. As a mom of 4 sons, I couldn't wait to read this book (I got an ARC from NetGalley) wanting insight and advice to share with my boys.

This book though. Ugh! It reads like a cross between chic lit and a "mommy blog". It is filled with cliche and obvious thoughts that every new parent has - poop, diaper bags, and wrangling car seats into cars. I will admit parts I literally laughed out loud - particularly the trip to Ikea. So if you are looking for a hilarious book - go for it. If you are looking for substance and insight and something beyond what you've read on every new parent blog and magazine article on the planet, skip it.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the advanced review copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

"I want you to always remember that you can become whatever you want to become, but that's nowhere near as important as knowing that you can be exactly who you are."

This book is comprised of Fredrik Backman's letters to his son about life and love. In true Backman fashion these letters are silly and sweet while also getting at some very deep and vulnerable truths about people and the world. What I loved about this book was the way that Backman's gorgeous writing style that hums throughout his novels made an appearance, but took a backseat to his voice as a parent. This writer who I have loved for so long now is a human like all the rest of us, and there is something incredibly endearing about realizing that.

These letters are raw and funny, and while a few stand out as favorites to me, each one contained something that I enjoyed. This would make a great gift for parents!

I cannot say enough about this title. I love the "voice" of Backman and it does not disappoint in this off-the-beaten path title. It was a novelty for me to read of things from a male perspective as it's not my usual genre. I enjoyed it very much and shared many snippets with my husband as I read. It was entertaining and poignant and would make a great Father's Day gift.

Fredrik Backman can do no wrong in my eyes, and this book was so fun to read. I highlighted large parts of it and laughed out loud many times. His approach to talking about early parenthood is nothing short of hilarious and heartwarming. So grateful to have read this and looking forward to sharing it with many parents in the future.

How can you not appreciate the jumbled and convoluted mind that is Fredrik Backman? His way of looking at the world through his eyes, his wife’s eyes, and that of his child, will make you laugh and reflect on your own years of parenting and nodding in agreement at all the ridiculous good intentions that you had.

Child rearing is universal and Swedish author Fredrik Backman hits childrearing squarely on the head. With his witty and touching essays, there is no subject that he does not tackle, and in doing so, answers life’s questions and possibly causes his son years of therapy.

At times you are going to laugh out loud and others you may have a tear, but it is all good. No one prepares you for this path in life, but once you can make it through the hard years, ok, all the years are hard, and can look back, you realize that the most stressful times also contained the best stories.

So, curl up, read, reflect, read again, share the best parts with your friends, then swear that you will buy this book for the next baby shower that you are invited to since dad’s need a gift too.

I am a huge Frederik Backman fan and love his fiction. This collection of essays, written to his 18 month old son, is his first nonfiction. Like his fiction, these essays are sweet. They’re cute. They bring a smile, not necessarily a belly laugh. Although the little mini-chapters, the just sayin’ ones? They’re spot on hysterical as he admits this parenthood thing isn’t nearly as easy as it looks. And no matter the point he’s making, what shines through it all is the love he has for both his wife and son.

The book is a super fast read. It’s the perfect palate cleanser in between heavy fiction. He hits the nail on the head more often that not. My favorite chapter was on how to be a man. The difference between the generations was priceless.

I can’t say I loved this book but it was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

My thanks to netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.

One of our favorite authors does it again! This collection of musings and short stories is fun, thought-provoking, and just flat out makes you smile. Backman's insight into the heart of the old and young is present in all of his novels. It is even more upfront in Things My Son Needs to Know about the World. Full disclosure, we do not even have kids, but I was still touched by his words. I can't wait to share this book with our new parent friends!

I really enjoyed this book by Fredrik Backman, but I really enjoy most books by Fredrik Backman. He just has this way of writing where the sentences are short, but filled with so much emotion. This book was both very emotional and very funny.

As a parent, I found this book hilarious but I'm not sure you would find it as funny if you were not a parent. There is a lot of total dad humor in there. His son is definitely rolling his eyes. He probably loves it deep down, but externally he is definitely rolling his eyes. There were some really funny parenting moments in this book that I can absolutely relate to.

I also found this book very emotional and his love for and the way he speaks about his wife is just so sweet! His son will love reading all that when he grows up. His description of how masculinity changes and what it means to be a man was very interesting. And equality between women and men. I actually teared up a bit in that section. How different the generations of men are. Lol, very true in my experience! The robbery story and talking about his wife. Man, the tears! And I think literally every parent can agree with his talk about how electronics and the internet have made us so scared of not doing absolutely everything perfect! There are some really great topics in here for sure!

There were definitely a few topics though that were overdone a little bit, poop and IKEA, but it didn't ruin the book for me or anything. The one part I didn't like was the stuff about playing soccer so you fit in, so life is easier, because then you won't be alienated. He tried to explain himself there and I get what he was trying to say, but it still came off as really judgy to me. I wasn't really feeling that part.

Overall a really sweet book that I think parents will find hilarious and his son will treasure for life.

I received and ARC copy of this from Atria books through Netgalley

This book came to me at the right time in my life. The author and I are more or less the same age. I also have a 10 month old daughter. So I could relate to almost everything in this book.⁣
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It's meant to be something that the author wants to write to for son, giving him life advice and also unwanted advice about how to fry things in beer. ⁣ ⁣I laughed out loud many times while reading this and I also shed a few happy tears. It's also apparent how much he loves his wife - the mother of his son , and I can think of nothing better to give to your children.⁣
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Needless to say I will be buying a physical copy for my shelf.⁣ My only complaint is that the book could have been longer.
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Also this is my first 5 star book of this year. Yay!!!

Fredrik Backman is an auto-buy author for me. I'll read just about anything he writes and though this book was a little different from his fiction, he brought to it similar wit and humanity, which made it an enjoyable, moving read.

This book was everything I was hoping it would be. I adore Fredrik Backman and especially his writing on Parenting is always gorgeous and spot on. These are his personal thoughts for his son, written when the son is a toddler. They are funny, sweet, and full of SO much love. I laughed and cried. Just perfect.

Surprisingly, I hadn't ever read anything by Swedish author Fredrik Backman, though his books like A Man Called Ove and Beartown get rave reviews. Thus, I was excited to pick up his new book release for May 2019 - a collection of essays about life written to he young son. I so wanted it to be perfect - charming, interesting and funny. But, it just wasn't. While Backman has some amusing anecdotes, overall I felt I was just forcing myself to get through the essays. I think it's sweet that he wrote this for his son, but if you plan to read it, be sure to lower your expectations quite a bit.

First I need to say that this book should not have taken me that long to read but I started it and then got sick... don't you hate being that kind of sick where you cannot read?? Your eyes just hurt. If it hadn't been for the illness, I would've read this book in one day. And I will probably read it again. And probably listen to the audio version... many, many times.

Fredrik Backman writes fantastic stories about ornery lovable crudmugeons, cranky women who people just don't understand and serious hockey competitions involving rape. I think he truly refuses to be defined by one category. But with this book, he shows us two things. One... just how much he truly loves his wife and son and two, just how funny he really is.

This book had me agreeing with him through so much of it (he says things that we've all thought) while laughing out loud at his humorous take on it all. I think whether you have kids or not, you will love his take on it all because what this book all comes down to is LOVE... and not just love for his family but for his love of Manchester United, wrestling (ie, the Undertaker) among others.

I'm beginning to think that Fredrik Backman could write the tax code and I would devour that too.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.