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Product Description
With a mixture of admiration, amusement, and alarm, author Kurt Chandler watches his son Ben navigate his freshman year of high school. It's a transitional time for both of themfather at mid-life and son on the path to manhoodwhich they manage together by awkward graceful turns. As the two share Ben's life adventures, includiding Ben's first shave, first date, sports tryouts, a road trip, and a rock concert, Kurt gains new insights into his own childhood and relationships with his parents, and the ways in which he handled his own adolescence. Publishing in time for graduation and Father's Day, this moving and honest portrayal of a father-teenage son relationship offers a real unsentimental understanding of what it means to be both a father and a son.
Amazon.com Review
Sentimental without being sappy, Shaving Lessons is an enjoyable journey through one man's experiences of being both father and son. Mainly focusing on day-to-day life with his 13-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter, it's also heavily sprinkled with baby-boomer recollections of his own adolescence. Both parts of the story are told with warmth and honesty, and author Kurt Chandler judges himself more harshly than he does the rest of his family. Anecdotes of dirt-bike rides, temper tantrums, and first days of school show fair-minded insights into his teenage son and old-school dad, while poking fun at the author for his various mishaps. Individual stories mix humor and emotion in equal parts--you'll find yourself smiling while dredging up reminiscences of your own. There's actually a fair amount of commonsense parenting advice here, as Chandler excels at gleaning wisdom from everyday occurrences. Trust in family members--his son, especially--is present on every page, from the first shave to attempts at meshing religious faiths, and the unfolding of a young character is witnessed with admiration and a great deal of respect. The straightforward honesty that these emotions are presented with will give every father and son out there some new ideas on their own relationships, as well as ways of enjoying each other's company without pressure and unrealistic expectations. --Jill Lightner
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