My Top Ten Books for Dads

Book clubs are for chicks.  Actually I've always assumed that most book clubs dismiss with the book in the first 10 minutes and instead focus on the lives of people who aren't in the room, mass consumption of chardonnay and low-carb appetizers.  I also assume that most book clubs end up with 10 hot moms topless in a hot tub, but that may just be me.

I've read one book that wasn't related to business since we've had kids. Mostly because for every kid, you lose a few hours out of each day and little things like soccer practice, personal hygiene and sleep tend to get in the way (usually).  If any of you math wizards out there want to take a crack at developing a formula that illustrates the phenomenon, please do.However, I think reading is one of the most important interests we can instill in our children. And one of the most difficult.

Newspapers have been left bloody and twitching by the side of the road in a pool of their own vomit (although it is still important to know what's going on out there). Magazines, once thick with colorful calls to action to hit consumers at their most vulnerable touch points, are now anemic rags with in-depth exposes that could not be more vapid.  Television is pretty good right now... if you are fascinated by celebrities and need to juxtapose their day-to-day problems with your own (HBO being an exception).  Don't even get me started on Hollywood (you may endure this topic within the next couple of weeks).  As the media we consume shrinks (again) from to snack-sized to bite-sized, we are staring right down the throat of an evolutionary phenomenon that will allow us to exist on the intellectual equivalent of french fries.

But there are still novels.  And even if no more novels were ever written, we'd still have more than we can read in our lifetime.  Books force you to slow down, dust off your imagination, and think,  They allow you to absorb the rich complexity of a good story that could stay with you forever. They also take you to place without pull ups, those god damned tiny snaps and whining. Try getting that from Twitter. 

Wow... I'm bitter today!  It feels good. Anyway, here is my list of books for dads.  None of these books have anything to do with being a dad per se, but they all offer interesting philosophical things to think about as you struggle to instill some sense of decency and morality into your kids' lives.

My top 10 dad books (in no specific order):

1. Death in the Afternoon  by Ernest Hemmingway
2. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
3. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
4. Bombardiers by Po Bronson
5. The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
6. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
7. Bringing Down the House by Ben Merzich
8. Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
9. Liars Poker by Michael Lewis
10. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

And I'm going to include a Bonus Book that you should already own:

11. The Odyssey by Homer

Let us know what your top ten books are, and  I'm curious to know why you think reading is important, generally.  Also, let me know if you want to start a book club... but I might bring Tres Gereraciones instead of chardonnay.

Weigh in with a comment.

Comments

[Simon]

Some pretty good books there - including The Odyssey! Death in the afternoon is particularly good!