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Geek Parenting: What Joffrey, Jor-El, Maleficent, and the McFlys Teach Us about Raising a Family
Get parenting advice from geeky pop culture icons like The Addams Family’s Morticia and Black Panther’s T’Chaka in 97 entertaining mini-essays for parents who want to teach their kids to stay strong—and conquer the world.
It takes a starship to raise a child. Or a time machine. Or a tribe of elves. Fortunately, Geek Parenting offers all that and more, with thoughtful mini-essays that reveal profound child-rearing advice (and mistakes) from the most beloved tales of geek culture.
Nerds and norms alike can take counsel from some of the most iconic parent–child pairings found in pop Whether you’re raising an Amazon princess, a Jedi Padawan, a brooding vampire, or a standard-issue human child, Geek Parenting helps you navigate the ion storms, alternate realities, and endless fetch quests that come with being a parent.
Includes parenting experts from across time and space, such
It takes a starship to raise a child. Or a time machine. Or a tribe of elves. Fortunately, Geek Parenting offers all that and more, with thoughtful mini-essays that reveal profound child-rearing advice (and mistakes) from the most beloved tales of geek culture.
Nerds and norms alike can take counsel from some of the most iconic parent–child pairings found in pop Whether you’re raising an Amazon princess, a Jedi Padawan, a brooding vampire, or a standard-issue human child, Geek Parenting helps you navigate the ion storms, alternate realities, and endless fetch quests that come with being a parent.
Includes parenting experts from across time and space, such
208 pages, Hardcover
First published April 5, 2016
29 people are currently reading
525 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
April 2, 2016
This is an advanced copy I chose to read and review for the Wichita Public Library, where I am an Assistant Librarian. Geek Parenting initially grabbed my attention because it had “geek” in the title and it’s subtitle mentioned Jor-El, Maleficent, and the McFly’s so, of course, I had to investigate. Sweeping declaration: I am not a parent. I’m also not a parent-to-be. The thought of having kids right now is met instantly with all of my no’s and curling up in a ball until the scary thoughts go away. I wish I were exaggerating. Actually, I don’t; I’m okay with this. So, this book intrigued me out of curiosity and my wanting to know just what these two authors consider “geeky” and who exactly they are mentioning. I had in mind a few preconceived notions about who should be in this book and I was not disappointed. Doctor Who, Neil Gaiman works, Mary Poppins, The Princess Bride, Buffy, and more of my favorites were included in this compendium of lessons--short lessons focusing on one character, family, set of parents, or siblings.
Just reading their introduction, I could already tell I was going to like the book. “What better way to draw parenting wisdom than by dipping into the creative continuum that encourages humanity to dream big, reach for the stars, and imagine societies of peace and equality?” (page 10). It’s magical, really. This isn’t a self-help book in the sense that it doesn’t offer “how’s”; it offers perspective, insight, and “why’s” as gleaned from various television series, movies, and books. These lessons give a brief synopsis of a situation and how it was handled by the characters.
As I read the intro and further into the book, I felt like my own terrified view of parenting is warranted, but not necessary. Using the perspectives offered in the tid-bit lessons gave comfort, encouragement, and the feeling that parenting is not as scary and isolating as I’ve always imagined. Plus, they call librarians the “guardians of knowledge”, which is perfect, all the while referencing Giles and Buffy--I can’t think of a better description for librarians and Giles is Super Librarian.
Now, I’ve been gushing, and this book is definitely gush-worthy. However, it has it’s faults. A few of the lessons seemed unnecessary, either because they weren’t fully explained or because the idea trying to be conveyed didn’t sync up with the example given. They seemed contrived and thrown in there to cover all the geek bases. The lessons I found most noteworthy were those with more details. I wish that Charlie Bucket and Grandpa Joe and Frodo and Bilbo got a longer, more fleshed out lesson instead of a quick summary and one-line observation. It decreases the value of the wisdom available to grasp from those stories and loses sincerity. And Mickey Smith just had a confusing time.
That being said, anyone who has a love for characters like Malcolm Reynolds, the Pevensie children, Edward Scissorhands, the Addams family, and other sci-fi, fantasy, or action heroes, will have fun remembering what’s being referenced or learning of new stories they should make a part of their lives, and, eventually, their children’s lives. Ultimately, this book encourages parents to equip children with all the necessary tools to face life and succeed. We can all learn from the Winchesters, TMNT, Peter Parker, and the like!
Just reading their introduction, I could already tell I was going to like the book. “What better way to draw parenting wisdom than by dipping into the creative continuum that encourages humanity to dream big, reach for the stars, and imagine societies of peace and equality?” (page 10). It’s magical, really. This isn’t a self-help book in the sense that it doesn’t offer “how’s”; it offers perspective, insight, and “why’s” as gleaned from various television series, movies, and books. These lessons give a brief synopsis of a situation and how it was handled by the characters.
As I read the intro and further into the book, I felt like my own terrified view of parenting is warranted, but not necessary. Using the perspectives offered in the tid-bit lessons gave comfort, encouragement, and the feeling that parenting is not as scary and isolating as I’ve always imagined. Plus, they call librarians the “guardians of knowledge”, which is perfect, all the while referencing Giles and Buffy--I can’t think of a better description for librarians and Giles is Super Librarian.
Now, I’ve been gushing, and this book is definitely gush-worthy. However, it has it’s faults. A few of the lessons seemed unnecessary, either because they weren’t fully explained or because the idea trying to be conveyed didn’t sync up with the example given. They seemed contrived and thrown in there to cover all the geek bases. The lessons I found most noteworthy were those with more details. I wish that Charlie Bucket and Grandpa Joe and Frodo and Bilbo got a longer, more fleshed out lesson instead of a quick summary and one-line observation. It decreases the value of the wisdom available to grasp from those stories and loses sincerity. And Mickey Smith just had a confusing time.
That being said, anyone who has a love for characters like Malcolm Reynolds, the Pevensie children, Edward Scissorhands, the Addams family, and other sci-fi, fantasy, or action heroes, will have fun remembering what’s being referenced or learning of new stories they should make a part of their lives, and, eventually, their children’s lives. Ultimately, this book encourages parents to equip children with all the necessary tools to face life and succeed. We can all learn from the Winchesters, TMNT, Peter Parker, and the like!
November 9, 2016
A parenting book that is perfect for the nerd/geek/pop culture enthusiast. Great relevant topics that use your favorite fandoms as a base to teach you some lessons without being preachy. It just presents a situation, guides you through what your favorite show/movie/book can teach you about it, but ultimately lets you form your own opinion. And they are basically just short essays so you can read just a little at a time in order to fully think about everything you just read. The authors balanced everything well making sure to explain the fandom items (but never went on tangents) but talk about how it will relate well to everyday life as well. Really just pitch perfect.
My husband and I read an essay a night aloud to each other. And it was a wonderful way to end our day. Many moments were we laughed out loud and almost always making us fondly remember how the piece of pop culture fit into our childhoods. We can't wait to utilize some of what this brought into our mind to raise our future child.
Stand out essays for me were the one about Data and Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek TNG, The Grandfather and Grandson from The Princess Bride, and the Pevensie children from The Chronicles of Narnia.
My husband and I read an essay a night aloud to each other. And it was a wonderful way to end our day. Many moments were we laughed out loud and almost always making us fondly remember how the piece of pop culture fit into our childhoods. We can't wait to utilize some of what this brought into our mind to raise our future child.
Stand out essays for me were the one about Data and Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek TNG, The Grandfather and Grandson from The Princess Bride, and the Pevensie children from The Chronicles of Narnia.
June 25, 2016
Lessons for all parents and children from classic Geek sources: Star Wars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, comic books, classic and current sci fi/fantasy books and movies, even Greek mythology. Whether you are a geek who is a parent or a parent of a geek, you will enjoy this book and recognize many important truths all families should know. Live long and prosper!
July 26, 2016
This is a great collection of essays. Parents, whether geek in nature or not, will be able to draw parenting lessons and tools from parent and child relationships found in geek culture. This book is thought provoking and allows the reader to be reflective.
January 18, 2018
I finally read this after a friend lent it to me months and months ago. Not so sure why I didn’t pick it up sooner because it was a fun yet thoughtful take on parenting. As much as I completely consider myself a nerd, I’m more book nerd and less versed in most pop culture to be honest. There were more essays about books, movies etc. that I am familiar with than I expected and most of the ones I was not familiar with were explained well enough that I could still follow along with the authors’ point easily. There were a few where I did feel a bit lost and my eyes glazed over with a barrage of names that meant nothing to me, but those were few and far between. Oh, and I added one featured book to my TBR which is always fun :)
February 10, 2018
En härligt skön bok om barnuppfostran full med goda råd och fina exempel från bl.a. Doctor Who, Family Guy, Thor & Loki och Spindelmannen.
September 12, 2017
Very cute! Basically 1-2 page reminders on how to be a good person, and live life as best you can. In my opinion, does not only apply to parenting, I'd say its something to read when you need to reset and put everything back into perspective. Plus, every little piece of advice comes with an accurately used geeky example that makes the reading of the book all the more fun.
October 10, 2016
For years I've joked that Harry Potter is my religion and Lord of the Rings is my High Church. All the great moral lessons-- the tricky human questions of goodness and badness, love and duty, honor and faith-- you can mine those from your beloved secular texts. The sweet podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text is making a practice out of approaching the Harry Potter canon on the micro level to extract wisdom, insight, and blessings. All without the burden of "truth" or "belief." There is no such thing as a Harry Potter faith crisis-- we know going in that it's fiction. But as Dumbledore famously says, just because it's happening in your head doesn't mean it's not real.
And that's the premise of this very short and sweet little book. Each little lesson is a macro take-away from beloved movies, books, TV shows. From Star Trek and BBC Sherlock, from Sandman and The Hobbit-- and from dozens of others of familiar texts-- the authors muse on parenting, family life, and growth.
Be aware of your kids' boundaries. Support their dreams. Watch how you model you relationships. Listen to your kids, forgive them. Good things.
The lessons don't delve into difficulty-- the book could be short and sweet daily readings, a secular breakfast cereal devotional.
Really good!
And that's the premise of this very short and sweet little book. Each little lesson is a macro take-away from beloved movies, books, TV shows. From Star Trek and BBC Sherlock, from Sandman and The Hobbit-- and from dozens of others of familiar texts-- the authors muse on parenting, family life, and growth.
Be aware of your kids' boundaries. Support their dreams. Watch how you model you relationships. Listen to your kids, forgive them. Good things.
The lessons don't delve into difficulty-- the book could be short and sweet daily readings, a secular breakfast cereal devotional.
Really good!
January 28, 2016
Love this! I was expecting long chapters and another "parenting" book but this appealed not only to the parent inside, but also the geek muddling her way through mom-ing. Using anecdotes from all my fandoms and twisting them into palatable morals that aren't too "after school special"-y.
Brilliantly done and something that will stay on my shelf for reference as my tiny human grows.
Brilliantly done and something that will stay on my shelf for reference as my tiny human grows.
July 9, 2016
It has been a while since I've read a parenting book, but couldn't resist this one. It was an interesting combination to read various bits of advice about parenting merged in with elements from comic books, movies and novels. I had fun reminiscing while giving my parenting skills a bit of a check-up.
April 18, 2016
Soooo many geeky refrences. And while very basic parenting advice, it is more of a fun book to recognize how our favorite characters show us how we can be too.
November 7, 2016
I love LOVE this. So funny.
April 1, 2019
In all the parenting books I got, this one seemed best suited to me: not super serious, quick and direct in advice, filled with fun allusions.
While there are several pieces to hold on to, enjoy, and remember. Most are targeted to parents of pre-teens rather than those of us holding infants as we read. The allusions are a bit more "' 'member when..." than insightful analysis. And the brevity helps get ideas out, even if it leaves confusion and under explained ideas in its wake.
All told I'll probably end up revisiting this in five-six years, but until then it's just okay.
While there are several pieces to hold on to, enjoy, and remember. Most are targeted to parents of pre-teens rather than those of us holding infants as we read. The allusions are a bit more "' 'member when..." than insightful analysis. And the brevity helps get ideas out, even if it leaves confusion and under explained ideas in its wake.
All told I'll probably end up revisiting this in five-six years, but until then it's just okay.
June 4, 2017
Cute 1-3 page parenting lessons from geeky books, movies, and TV shows. From Sherlock to Battlestar Galactica to Teen Wolf, there are examples of how our favorite characters navigate being parents and children. The lessons span all ages, from birth to the grown-and-flown. Fun to read, and easy to consume in short time periods between actual parenting!
November 3, 2018
I enjoyed reading this. A chapter a day is an excellent way to go about the messages. It takes time to internalize the messages. Also, this book provided several other series/books to watch and read. Highly recommended for anyone for the holidays that you suspect or know is a geek. I thoroughly appreciated it.
May 18, 2019
I need to buy a copy so that I can annotate it. So many amazing pop culture references used in a way that any Geek Parent can relate to. So many topics we've already been dealing with as parent and so many stages we are anticipating in the near future. I love the quick little sections that speak our language!
October 17, 2017
A quick, fun, quirky little 'parenting advice' book. Each example is 2 pages (sometimes 1) and picks a parent/child relationship from a different sci-fi, fantasy, superhero, or otherwise dorky/geeky/nerdy book/show/movie/game/etc, and gives some advice based on that relationship.
November 14, 2019
I learnt quite a bit from so many fictional characters. I never knew that there could be so much wisdom from pop culture and they managed to distill the essence of the lessons so well and I learnt many unseen lessons from pop culture.
July 6, 2021
Many short (short!) essays that outline all of the best lessons to be learned from ‘geek parents’.
Well worth the read even if you’re not a parent- even if just for gaining a core understanding of a slew of pop culture characters.
Well worth the read even if you’re not a parent- even if just for gaining a core understanding of a slew of pop culture characters.
May 22, 2017
Cute, light hearted pop-culture book with parenting advice.
July 8, 2017
Cute idea, meh execution.
January 29, 2018
A short, entertaining read. Served mainly to remind me of things my kids might like when age-appropriate.
September 21, 2018
Great book, with lots of relevant references to pop culture parenting advice!
October 28, 2018
A fun concept. Lots of quick essays on parenting. Perfect to read in small bursts. There's some good advice in here and you'll likely end up with a list of shows to watch and books to read.
December 21, 2018
I was familiar with 90% of the references so there is a high probability my baby will be a geek already. It was a tongue in cheek kind of book, but the ideas were thought-provoking!
July 31, 2021
This was cute and I enjoyed all the little lessons and pop culture nods.
March 19, 2017
Liked the themes/messages. Discovered I wasn't "geek" enough for some of the references.
May 23, 2016
Parenting is one of the greatest challenges known to humankind. Taking a small child and raising it to fend for itself in the world is the most frightening, and worthwhile, adventure one can take. I can say this from experience, being a father myself. I would not trade those years for anything in the world. Being a parent, however, does not exactly come with a manual. So what do most people do? They look to others. In today's society of pop culture entertainment, those role models aren't always your own parents, but rather the heroes, and heroines, we see day to day in books, comics, and on the television and big screen. Every work and episode carries nuggets of truth to guide people. Examples include:
"With great power comes great responsibility."
"Always have a towel ready."
"I can do anything. "
"There's no need to fear!"
As these tales carry readers and viewers into parenthood, the only problem is that there is so much out there to absorb and learn, and not all of it is helpful. Luckily for us, Stephen Segal and Valya Lupescu come to the rescue with their book, Geek Parenting. Broken into sections, each couple of pages features a new short parenting tip with reference to a cultural moment many will be familiar with. The best way to understand this is a devotion for parents, but instead of using the Bible as a reference, it relies on pop culture.
The book is quite enjoyable, and although I may skip parts because I choose not to engage in that content or opinion, overall it is a fun, quirky title, which bodes well for it's publisher. The authors are friendly, and I had to chance to meet them when they gave me this book at Emerald City Comic Con. I should note that I reviewed an ARC title, and as a result, there are no doubt changes made in the final draft. I enjoyed the work and believe others will too, especially parents who grew up with Kim Possible and Back to the Future.
Disclosure: I have received a reviewer copy and/or payment in exchange for an honest review of the product mentioned in this post.
"With great power comes great responsibility."
"Always have a towel ready."
"I can do anything. "
"There's no need to fear!"
As these tales carry readers and viewers into parenthood, the only problem is that there is so much out there to absorb and learn, and not all of it is helpful. Luckily for us, Stephen Segal and Valya Lupescu come to the rescue with their book, Geek Parenting. Broken into sections, each couple of pages features a new short parenting tip with reference to a cultural moment many will be familiar with. The best way to understand this is a devotion for parents, but instead of using the Bible as a reference, it relies on pop culture.
The book is quite enjoyable, and although I may skip parts because I choose not to engage in that content or opinion, overall it is a fun, quirky title, which bodes well for it's publisher. The authors are friendly, and I had to chance to meet them when they gave me this book at Emerald City Comic Con. I should note that I reviewed an ARC title, and as a result, there are no doubt changes made in the final draft. I enjoyed the work and believe others will too, especially parents who grew up with Kim Possible and Back to the Future.
Disclosure: I have received a reviewer copy and/or payment in exchange for an honest review of the product mentioned in this post.
June 20, 2016
The parenting advice in "Geek Parenting" is reduced to 1-2 page soundbites on how to raise your kids to be good people; the brevity left me wanting more, sometimes, though. There were many pop culture references that I didn't understand (maybe I'm not geek enough?).
But don't let that deter you from reading this. Despite all this, "Geek Parenting" is worth the read to remind you what to do when and to reinforce what you are probably already doing. I especially liked Stephen H. Segal's take on Obi-Wan Konobe and the teenage vampire / werewolf symbolism as a broader metaphor for puberty. I've never thought of it that way before, and now that Segal has introduced that idea, it makes perfect sense. Definitely worth the read.
But don't let that deter you from reading this. Despite all this, "Geek Parenting" is worth the read to remind you what to do when and to reinforce what you are probably already doing. I especially liked Stephen H. Segal's take on Obi-Wan Konobe and the teenage vampire / werewolf symbolism as a broader metaphor for puberty. I've never thought of it that way before, and now that Segal has introduced that idea, it makes perfect sense. Definitely worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews