Specific Gifts for Groomsmen
July 24, 2011 10:00 AM Subscribe
As part of a gift to the groomsmen for my upcoming wedding, I am getting each of them a book that is relevant to their lives or interests. I need some help picking out a book for two of the groomsmen, based on some specific criteria:
Groomsman 1: He will have just had his first child a couple weeks before the wedding. I would like to get him a book (fiction or non-fiction) that is a meditation on fatherhood (rather than a "how-to"). I was thinking Kenzaburo Oe, if you are familiar with him, but he writes more about what it is like being a father to severely disabled children rather than a father in general and the gift may come off as morbid. Does anyone have any recommendations for literary treatments of the importance of fatherhood, especially in the context of one's first child?
Groomsman 2: He is a marathoner and likes reading about endurance athletes. I am not familiar with the nonfiction literature out there on this subject, so have a hard time figuring out what books are the most well regarded. Again, not interested in a how-to or a training manual, but more interested in a work of narrative nonfiction.
If this provides any guidance, for one groomsman who is an independent filmmaker, I am giving his Walter Murch's Conversations and for the best man who loves list-making, I am giving him Umberto Eco's book on lists. I am getting them other stuff besides these books, I just wanted to have a more personal element as part of the gift.
Groomsman 1: He will have just had his first child a couple weeks before the wedding. I would like to get him a book (fiction or non-fiction) that is a meditation on fatherhood (rather than a "how-to"). I was thinking Kenzaburo Oe, if you are familiar with him, but he writes more about what it is like being a father to severely disabled children rather than a father in general and the gift may come off as morbid. Does anyone have any recommendations for literary treatments of the importance of fatherhood, especially in the context of one's first child?
Groomsman 2: He is a marathoner and likes reading about endurance athletes. I am not familiar with the nonfiction literature out there on this subject, so have a hard time figuring out what books are the most well regarded. Again, not interested in a how-to or a training manual, but more interested in a work of narrative nonfiction.
If this provides any guidance, for one groomsman who is an independent filmmaker, I am giving his Walter Murch's Conversations and for the best man who loves list-making, I am giving him Umberto Eco's book on lists. I am getting them other stuff besides these books, I just wanted to have a more personal element as part of the gift.
Nathaniel Hawthorn's Twenty Days with Julian and Little Bunny, with an intro from Paul Auster, has always been on my list. From Publisher's Weekly: "When his wife and daughters went away on a three-week visit, Hawthorne stayed home with five-year-old Julian. The writer's musings on this adventure are, in Auster's words, "at once comic, self-deprecatory, and vaguely befuddled," as he discovers how insistent a child's needs are, and how boundless his energy."
posted by cocoagirl at 10:32 AM on July 24, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by cocoagirl at 10:32 AM on July 24, 2011 [2 favorites]
For the new father, maybe Room Temperature by Nicholson Baker
posted by newmoistness at 10:56 AM on July 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by newmoistness at 10:56 AM on July 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
I am almost sure a serious endurance athlete that runs full marathons has read Born to Run - it's a fantastic choice! I'd second the Murakami book (fantastic and less common) or perhaps something like Garp (depending on his age - the younger the better, actually).
posted by kcm at 12:05 PM on July 24, 2011
posted by kcm at 12:05 PM on July 24, 2011
I can't claim that I have read 'A Personal Matter' by Oe, but I have read about it and interviews of him about it, and my understanding is that it's a pretty intense book. Maybe check into it before you get him that one.
posted by TheRedArmy at 12:08 PM on July 24, 2011
posted by TheRedArmy at 12:08 PM on July 24, 2011
Does Groomsman #1 have any notable interests/hobbies that are more akin to running, filmmaking, or list-making? I know being a new dad will be top of mind for him at the time, but it may be easier to find great book ideas if you're looking at something that's more of a perennial interest for him, as you are with the other groomsmen. (Heck, in the exhausting first weeks of parenting, it may be especially valuable for him to have a reminder of things he enjoyed/enjoys outside of being a father.)
posted by mauvest at 12:29 PM on July 24, 2011
posted by mauvest at 12:29 PM on July 24, 2011
For #1, perhaps Michael Chabon's Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son
posted by angsolom at 12:29 PM on July 24, 2011
posted by angsolom at 12:29 PM on July 24, 2011
If you want to consider something (much!) lighter re fatherhood, there's Calvin Trillin's Family Man and/or Messages from My Father.
posted by Corvid at 12:35 PM on July 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Corvid at 12:35 PM on July 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yes, most runners who like to read has read Born to Run by now, because it's a great read and got a lot of publicity. I liked Murakami's book which is also fairly well-known.
I really enjoyed Feet in the Clouds by Richard Askwith. There are more reviews of the book on the UK Amazon site. I had to order it from a 3rd party seller because it's only released in the UK. I got the recommendation on Mefi before, in the fell running thread.
posted by bread-eater at 1:00 PM on July 24, 2011
I really enjoyed Feet in the Clouds by Richard Askwith. There are more reviews of the book on the UK Amazon site. I had to order it from a 3rd party seller because it's only released in the UK. I got the recommendation on Mefi before, in the fell running thread.
posted by bread-eater at 1:00 PM on July 24, 2011
Michael Lewis' Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood
posted by captainscared at 2:38 PM on July 24, 2011
posted by captainscared at 2:38 PM on July 24, 2011
Groomsman 2: He is a marathoner and likes reading about endurance athletes.
How about Gary Paulsen's Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod about the running of the Iditarod sled dog race. It's a great book about a different kind of athletic endurance test.
posted by Jahaza at 6:09 PM on July 24, 2011
How about Gary Paulsen's Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod about the running of the Iditarod sled dog race. It's a great book about a different kind of athletic endurance test.
posted by Jahaza at 6:09 PM on July 24, 2011
For the runner, maybe Why We Run by Bernd Heinrich? I'll admit to not having read it, but I have read a couple of Heinrich's other books and he is an excellent writer.
posted by that's candlepin at 11:45 AM on July 25, 2011
posted by that's candlepin at 11:45 AM on July 25, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for the great suggestions everyone! I am leaning towards getting the Murakami book (I think the groomsman has already read Born to Run) and the Michael Lewis book on fatherhood.
posted by Falconetti at 2:17 PM on July 26, 2011
posted by Falconetti at 2:17 PM on July 26, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Sticherbeast at 10:02 AM on July 24, 2011 [5 favorites]