Home Game, by Michael Lewis

Bought: Borrowed from Library 3/20/2010
Read: Finished 3/22/2010 at about 11:00 AM.

I went to the library hoping to pick up a good movie on Sunday. (We succeeded, actually, nabbing Citizen Kane) but also looked for a few books. I found a copy of Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem, but decided it was too long (500 pages). I was actually looking for a copy of Moneyball, which was recommended in the Hornby book, but in looking for Michael Lewis, I found Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood. Since I haven't the slightest idea of what I'm doing as a father eight and a half months in, I thought this might be a good book to pick up. I knew from the reviews of Lewis' other books that he could make seemingly dull topics relatively interesting, so I thought this would be a good bet. I was right. From the first 15 pages of the introduction, I was hooked. The book isn't long; only 190 pages, but I said that I wanted to make sure I got through it quickly, because I'm notorious for missing due dates and accruing library fines. I needn't have worried. By the end of the first hour of reading it, I was around page 90. I don't know if it's increased speed because of law school, if it's just light reading, or if it was just enjoyable, but I raced through this book, laughing along the way. I wanted to reach the break between part II and part III last night, so I read for a little while in bed and roused my wife with laughter a couple of times as she drifted off to sleep. I made up for it this morning by taking the baby into the living room to play and letting her sleep in a bit for the first time in over a year.
I gave the book to her to read this morning also. It's about being a father and not knowing what you're doing, but it's so fun and enjoyable that I think anyone reading it with the least idea of what parenting might be like will enjoy it. I'm looking forward to getting Moneyball. I like baseball, so if it's anywhere close to as good as Home Game, it should be a blast.