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Good Talk, Dad

The Birds and the Bees...and Other Conversations We Forgot to Have

Audiobook (Includes supplementary content)
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Bill Geist—the beloved, award-winning, long-time special correspondent for "CBS: Sunday Morning," whose debut Little League Confidential was a New York Times bestseller in hardcover and paper—and Willie Geist, the Today Show host, popular member of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," and author of the best-selling American Freak Show—have begun an extended conversation between father and son on areas of mutual interest, agreement, and disagreement.
Told in a unique back-and-forth banter style, the hilarious father-son team will laugh together at the shared journey of their relationship. They'll riff on fatherhood, religion, music, sports, summer camp disasters, driving lessons gone horribly wrong, being on TV, and their wonderfully odd family life. Think Big Russ and Me meets S*** My Dad Says, with humorous observations about professional wrestling as a worldview, raising a kid with television cameras in the kitchen, and anything and everything else that comes to their witty minds.
The Geists decided to write this book so their children and grandchildren would have a record of their unusual father-son relationship. The book is remarkably funny, as well as poignant and sincere, especially in light of Bill's announcement that he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's. With its lighthearted look at the crazy things fathers and sons go through and the unique bond those experiences forge, the book is sure to be a must-have gift for Father's Day.
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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 7, 2014
      Conceived after Bill let the world know he had Parkinson’s disease, this work is meant to show Bill’s grandkids and Willie’s kids the unique relationship and friendship between father and son. Written in a call-and-response style that is reminiscent of the way people used to write letters, the structure allows each Geist, both of whom are New York Times bestselling authors, to tell his own side of family stories that include everything from love and parenting to careers, sports, and cars. Kicking off with chapters about the birds and the bees, summer camp, and fishing, this dual-memoir starts off slowly and predictably. Thankfully, as the pages turn, the tales become more personal and with more humor, insight, and cheeky advice for guys of all ages. While known for his wry sense of humor, Bill is best in his more serious stories about his time spent in Vietnam and dealing (or not dealing) with his disease, while Willie shines in the lighter moments, especially his essay, originally published on Grantland.com, about taking his four-year-old daughter to a Columbia University football game. Though these days both Geists are TV hosts/journalists by trade, prose suits them equally well, allowing each to be more off-color and more in-depth in their storytelling. This is a fun read sure to be much-talked about during the Father’s Day season.

    • Kirkus

      May 15, 2014
      Two veteran raconteurs face off to cover over four decades of family myths and legends.Co-host of NBC's Today 9 a.m. hour and MSNBC's Morning Joe, Willie Geist (American Freak Show: The Completely Fabricated Stories of Our New National Treasures, 2010, etc.) joins his father, columnist and TV journalist Bill Geist (Way Off the Road: Discovering the Peculiar Charms of Small Town America, 2007, etc.) in canonizing both great and not-so-great moments in parenting and coming-of-age. The authors banter back and forth in their discussions of everything from a nonexistent father-son sex talk to Willie's summer camp to coaching Little League. Then there are the tales of underage drinking, how to cook up a fake ID, the family's Elvis cult and an uncle's/brother's pharmacopeia perfectly timed for special events. As in most families, there is one car handed down through the generations, in this case, a Jeep CJ-7. The authors interleave the chapters with sidebars entitled "Geist Date in History" that highlight small events that bear marking-e.g., the day Willie met Donald Trump. Willie also includes a previously published story about taking his daughter to a Columbia University football game. The Geist family, the authors note, often perform rites of passage late, so this book is a chance "to cover our father-son bases retroactively." It's clear most of these stories have been told countless times; they're practiced and well-paced. However, new material about Bill's Vietnam tour and his battle with Parkinson's disease contain further revelations and have not been polished over the family dinner table. A strong father-son relationship shines through.Heavy on bad-boy behavior and sports, the book should come with a six-pack of cheap beer. A quick read that is not for everyone.

      COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 29, 2014
      Longtime CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Bill Geist and his son, Willie, co-host of NBC’s Today and MSNBC’s Morning Joe, demonstrate down-to-earth charm in the audio edition of their book about the ups and downs of father-son relationships. While most of the material centers on lighthearted and irreverent anecdotes about parenting, the elder Geist gracefully transitions to the weighty topics of his experiences during the Vietnam War and his battle with Parkinson’s disease. Bill, whose voice quivers slightly, reveals emotion without descending into gushing sentimentality. The younger Geist projects the “aw shucks” frat boy manner that has made him such a hit with morning viewers in recent years; his natural conversational delivery is well suited to the audiobook medium. Willie brings a whimsical tone to the discussion of careers, admitting that
      following in his dad’s broadcasting footsteps was tied to a series of happy accidents. Fans of the Geists will relish the opportunity to hear their story in their own words and voices. A Grand Central hardcover.

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  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

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