Scan barcode
A review by alexisrt
Father's Day: A Journey into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary Son by Buzz Bissinger
I cannot give this book a rating. I picked it up semi-randomly at the library, thinking I'd read a good review of it, but not really remembering much about it.
It would be churlish of me to complain about Bissinger's self-absorption and lack of filter; I had some inkling of it going in. I'll do it anyway, though. The book seesaws between genuine affection for Zach and a constant desire for Bissinger to turn the focus onto himself so he can show the reader exactly what kind of self-hating ass he is. It's not pleasant, and gives the reader, or at least me, the feeling that they're reading a self-propelled train wreck. In any memoir about a special needs child, there is a balance between respecting the child's boundaries and privacy, and writing an honest description of the parent's life. No one ever agrees on that boundary, but at times, my own personal boundaries were crossed. In addition, calling his own son "retarded" is a deliberate provocation.
To rate this would be dishonest. It is neither good nor bad; it is a testament to the author.
It would be churlish of me to complain about Bissinger's self-absorption and lack of filter; I had some inkling of it going in. I'll do it anyway, though. The book seesaws between genuine affection for Zach and a constant desire for Bissinger to turn the focus onto himself so he can show the reader exactly what kind of self-hating ass he is. It's not pleasant, and gives the reader, or at least me, the feeling that they're reading a self-propelled train wreck. In any memoir about a special needs child, there is a balance between respecting the child's boundaries and privacy, and writing an honest description of the parent's life. No one ever agrees on that boundary, but at times, my own personal boundaries were crossed. In addition, calling his own son "retarded" is a deliberate provocation.
To rate this would be dishonest. It is neither good nor bad; it is a testament to the author.