Things the Grandchildren Should Know
by Mark Oliver Everett
List Price:
Our Price: $3.52
You Save: $20.43 (85%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.25 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Mark Oliver EverettEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-14
ISBN: 0312385137
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Book Reviews of Things the Grandchildren Should Know
Book Review: "I was given the gift of bone-crushing insecurity."
Summary: 4 Stars
"Things the Grandchildren Should Know" caught my eye on the nonfiction new acquisitions shelf of my local library. Something about the title made me curious but when I picked up the book I had no idea it was a memoir and, for all I knew, it could have been some kind of self-help, advice book. Frankly, I had no idea who Mark Oliver Everett was and had never heard of a singer called "E" or a band called the Eels. It's only in the last few days, in fact, that I've sampled some of Everett's music and I'm still not sure what to think of most of it. I was not overwhelmed by what I heard, but I enjoyed enough of the music to ensure that I will revisit it soon to see if it sticks.
That's the music. The book, though, is definitely a keeper because it reads as one of the more honest family-story exposés that I've read in years. Memoirs are beginning to lose favor with the reading public due to the large number of "pity parties" that have been published in recent years and the fact that several of them have been exposed as complete frauds. "Things the Grandchildren Should Know" is no pity party on the part of Everett. He does not come looking for sympathy or seeking to impress readers by the amount of tragedy he has endured. Rather, he recounts his family history in such a direct, in-your-face style, a style that makes great use of irony and humor when least expected, that the reader often ends up smiling through even the saddest events of Everett family history.
By the time the ride is over, Everett has managed to explain how he became the person he is, where he finds the creative spark for his music and how that music has probably saved his life, and where he plans to go from here.
It is easy to see that Mark Oliver Everett is an extremely talented man, a prolific songwriter with the vision and musical ability to produce recordings that turn his songs into award-winning hits. But Everett grew up in a Washington D.C. suburb as one-quarter of a dysfunctional family headed by a brilliant father, a man who spoke so little to his children and never touched them that he was little more than a physical presence in their home, and a mother who paid little attention to him or his sister. Everett and his sister, Liz, came to rely greatly upon each other but were still emotionally scarred by the seeming indifference of their parents. But, sadly, while Everett was able to save himself through his songs, Liz decided to seek her own relief in whatever drugs she could find.
"Things the Grandchildren Should Know" is the story of a musician who achieved the kind of success that he hardly dared dream might be possible as a kid. The remarkable thing is that he achieved that success while his family was going to pieces around him to such an extent that one day, still a young man, he was stunned to find himself its only survivor. Eels fans probably know much of Everett's background already through his autobiographical songs but casual fans, or readers unfamiliar with the music, likely will be surprised that so successful an entertainer can express such an unpretentious view of life - and make us believe him.
Music Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Music Books
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brainby Oliver Sacks
Knopf Publishing Group; Published: 2008; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.33
Listenby Joseph Kerman, Gary Tomlinson
Bedford/St. Martin's; Published: 2007-02-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $23.00
The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Centuryby Alex Ross
Picador; Published: 2008-10-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.00
Price in other shops:
Forever Young: Photographs of Bob Dylanby Douglas R. Gilbert, Dave Marsh
Da Capo Press; Published: 2006-10-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.55
Price in other shops:
Heroes And Villains: The True Story Of The Beach Boysby Steven Gaines
Da Capo Press; Published: 1995-08-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.15
Price in other shops:
Handbook for Sound Engineers, Third Editionby Glen Ballou
Focal Press; Published: 2002-01-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $336.34
Jazz Anecdotesby Bill Crow
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1990-05-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $24.18
Lovesick Blues: The Life of Hank Williamsby Paul Hemphill
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2006-08-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
How to Train Singers/ Book and Tapeby Larra Browning Henderson
Parker; Published: 1991-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $29.95
Price in other shops:
I, Tina: My Life Story (icon!t)by Tina Turner, Kurt Loder
It Books; Published: 2010-06-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Eels - Beautiful FreakRelease date: 1996-08-13; Music CD
Best price: $3.88
Price in other shops:
Eels - Blinking Lights And Other RevelationsBaker; Release date: 2005-04-26; Music CD
Best price: $5.68
Price in other shops:
Eels - Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire (Dig)Release date: 2009-06-02; Music CD
Best price: $6.88
Price in other shops:
Eels - Daisies of the GalaxyRelease date: 2000-03-14; Published: 2000; Music CD
Best price: $4.16
Price in other shops:
Eels - End TimesRelease date: 2010-01-19; Music CD
Best price: $8.20
Price in other shops:
Eels with Strings - Live at Town HallImage Entertainment; Release date: 2006-02-21; DVD
Best price: $10.86
Price in other shops:
Eels - Tomorrow MorningRelease date: 2010-08-24; Music CD
Best price: $7.40
Price in other shops:
Eels - ShootenannyRelease date: 2003-06-03; Published: 2003-06-09; Music CD
Best price: $3.13
Price in other shops:
Eels - Meet the Eels: Essential Eels 1996-2006 1 (W/ Dvd)Release date: 2008-01-15; Published: 2008-01-18; Music CD
Best price: $8.36
Price in other shops:
Eels - Electro-Shock BluesRelease date: 1998-10-20; Published: 1998; Music CD
Best price: $4.58
Price in other shops: