Messages from My Father: A Memoir

I love Trillin’’s writing, and this slim and loving memoir of growing up in Kansas City does not disappoint. The book is just over 100 pages, so it is in and of itself a summary. Just read it. I will not summarize it for you! And while you are at it, read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s memoir of her childhood (and her love for the Brooklyn Dodgers) Wail Till Next Year. They are wonderful companion pieces. And take this life lesson that Abe Trillin shared with his family: “You might as well be a mensch”. A lesson that served Calvin well.

This is a gentle and an introspective book that is easy to read. Trillin reflects on his father's positive impact on his mode of thinking from childhood to adulthood. His father's expression like, "You might as well be a mensch" carries the weight of wisdom that tends to stick around. He clearly inspired his son be a person of integrity. Parenting is difficult, and it appears that Trillin's father managed to balance just right on the tightrope between too much and too little of parenting -- just right -- and that's what good dads do. I know that mine does.

Trillin gives us not only a valentine of his father but he does so without revealing any negativity -- he is able to see the man and his "agenda" without focusing on his own residue. This is an amazing feat considering how others have viewed the "agenda" of their fathers and how it cost them. One does not come across this graciousness frequently -- rarely is a better description.

A moving tribute to a father he obviously loved, and to his family, foibles and all. Great reading! An easy and enjoyable way to while away a few hours.

Personal stories of the author's growing up and his dad. Stick with you.

A small, charming, lovable and wise book. I'm getting it for all my children for Christmas to help them discover how wonderful their own father was!

I just love the way Trillin writes. And I love the idea that Trillin's father sent him to Yale, so he wouldn't be a grocer like his old man.

Calvin Trillin is a master story teller -- it's as if we had a one-to-one conversatoin, how wonderful.

Anyone who likes Calvin Trillin will love this book. It's funny, yet serious, with the usual amount of quips that make will make you out loud