“When you’re older, I’ll tell you about the very first poop. The ancient, eternal, original poop. The one all babies poop at some point during the twenty-four hours after birth. It’s completely black. Like evil itself had pooped. No joke. Changing that diaper was my Vietnam.” -Fredrik Backman, Things My Son Needs to Know About the World

OH MY GOODNESS!

I found another new favorite book! This is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. It is up there with Jim Gaffigan’s books, which is pretty much converting his hilarious comedy sketches into a book. Hint: Get the audiobook read by Gaffigan and it is like an 8-hour stand-up show!

I loved “A Man Called Ove,” by Fredrik Backman. That novel had some humor. Ove was a “lovable” old curmudgeon if that is even possible. Throughout that book you constantly laugh at how ridiculous he is being in our modern era. He was like your unhappy grandfather that never really changed with the times.

I just started “reading” Backman’s hilarious “memoir” to his son, “Things My Son Needs to Know about the World,” published in English in May 2019 and I am loving it!

Wow! I love this book so much! It brightens my day every time I turn on the car, plug in my phone and listen to it.

If you haven’t noticed, I love to read. I love to “read” audiobooks, too!

No, this is not cheating.

I am not really an audio or visual learner, but I actually learn best by kinetic means, i.e. putting my hands on the thing, taking it apart, writing something down, etc.

So as far as reading goes, I don’t feel like I am getting less involved in the story when I listen to it being read to me. I don’t have the science to back it up, but the way some of these audiobooks are produced, I feel like they enhance the reading experience.

Every one who disagrees, you just need to listen to more audiobooks! If you have a chance, find the audiobook, “Echo” by Pam Muñoz Ryan and then try to disagree with me.

Check. Mate.

Not all of Backman’s book is about poop. He goes on to talk about the horrors of Ikea. And the horrible dangers of not following the painted arrows on the floor. He is Swedish.

He expounds on the demands on parents nowadays, who are expected to “know everything” thanks to the advent of Google:

“But my generation knows, OKAY? We know EVERYTHING! So if anything goes sideways with your childhood, I’ll be held responsible. It will never be legally sustainable that I acted “in good faith.” I could have googled it. I should have googled it. My God, why didn’t I google it? Damn it.” -Fredrik Backman, Things My Son Needs to Know About the World

I am into the first few chapters and I love it! So good! You have to read this book if you are the following:

• A Dad
• Love Humor
• A Parent
• A Reader

One last word: Wow.

Just wow!

– Jason