Booking it

UPS just tossed what sounded like a brick at our door. It was for Rob, the 560-page "White Protestant Nation: The Rise of the American Conservative Movement."

I just started reading "Beautiful Boy," the true story of a father's dealings with his meth-addicted son. It was in the news quite a bit because not only did the dad write a book, the son did, too -- "Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines." And "Beautiful Boy," at least, was sold at Starbucks for a while, though that's not where I bought it.

So far I like "Beautiful Boy" quite a bit, but the father annoys me. He pretty much glosses over any of the negative things he did to screw up his son's life. Yes, he didn't give his kid the meth, but he really does act like the boy's childhood was ideal.

Then you realize that while the boy was very young, his father, the author, apparently cheated on his wife with a family friend, but he doesn't even talk about that, just throws it out there in half a sentence and moves on. And he can't imagine that putting his five-year-old son on a plane by himself and shuttling him between mom and dad could have been a bad thing. Dude! Your book would be more true and honest if you TOOK SOME RESPONSIBILITY.

Uh, also in books: I really want to read Cherie Blair's memoir, "Speaking for Myself." Apparently all London is gaga about the idea that she got pregnant at Balmoral because she was too embarrassed to pack contraceptives (the Queen's staff apparently unpack for you and she didn't want them to see this). The British press is having fun trying to guess what kind of contraceptives she was on (because, really Cherie, pills and other small items can just go in your purse).

Cherie's book won't be out until fall in the U.S. (hey! on Kelly's first birthday!) but you can get it from Amazon UK if you really must read it early. I love living in a world where we have that option.