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The Fifty Things: Lessons for When You Feel Lost, Love Dad
Humane, wise and funny letters to Peter's children; a blueprint for liberal, thoughtful living in the modern world.
Praise for The 50 Things:
"This book is that rare thing: a non-preachy and super-helpful guide. Every page made me smile and some laugh aloud." Eoin Colfer, bestselling author of Artemis Fowl
"Humane, funny and above all loving. I wish I'd written it to my children." Fiona Bruce
"This is a book for the ages. As you read it, you think why didn't somebody do this a long time ago? Every father should have it and every child should read it." Jim Sheridan
"Few exude the love warmth, humour, humility, and insightfulness we all aspire to, as naturally and generously as Peter Dunne and I can't recommend the soul-warming experience of reading his wonderful blog-born, hence uncontrived, book highly enough." Stephen Russell, aka The Barefoot Doctor
As his 50th birthday dawned, Peter Dunne had a life-changing conversation with a friend and realised that, while he may not have invented the internet or found a cure for cancer, he had nonetheless fathered three remarkable and beautiful children.
Inspired by that fact, he set out to leave a trail of metaphorical breadcrumbs for them, so that if they ever needed to know what their father might have had to say on a particular subject, it would be set down for them.
The result is a book of letters from a father to his children, and though the stories are firmly set in a place and time, the themes and the tone are universal and timeless. From Compromise to Compassion, from Democracy to Sacrifice, THE 50 THINGS explores the social mores and morality of our time and tries to answer the eternal questions that line the path to peace of mind.
Praise for The 50 Things:
"This book is that rare thing: a non-preachy and super-helpful guide. Every page made me smile and some laugh aloud." Eoin Colfer, bestselling author of Artemis Fowl
"Humane, funny and above all loving. I wish I'd written it to my children." Fiona Bruce
"This is a book for the ages. As you read it, you think why didn't somebody do this a long time ago? Every father should have it and every child should read it." Jim Sheridan
"Few exude the love warmth, humour, humility, and insightfulness we all aspire to, as naturally and generously as Peter Dunne and I can't recommend the soul-warming experience of reading his wonderful blog-born, hence uncontrived, book highly enough." Stephen Russell, aka The Barefoot Doctor
As his 50th birthday dawned, Peter Dunne had a life-changing conversation with a friend and realised that, while he may not have invented the internet or found a cure for cancer, he had nonetheless fathered three remarkable and beautiful children.
Inspired by that fact, he set out to leave a trail of metaphorical breadcrumbs for them, so that if they ever needed to know what their father might have had to say on a particular subject, it would be set down for them.
The result is a book of letters from a father to his children, and though the stories are firmly set in a place and time, the themes and the tone are universal and timeless. From Compromise to Compassion, from Democracy to Sacrifice, THE 50 THINGS explores the social mores and morality of our time and tries to answer the eternal questions that line the path to peace of mind.
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Published March 9, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 24, 2017
In his introduction to 50 Things, Peter Dunne explains how the book came about. It was 2013 and he had just turned fifty years of age. He didn't have a 'mid-life crisis', but he did begin to measure his life, and look at what he had done, and more importantly to him, what he had not done.
He started to feel a little disappointed about life, but soon realised that being a father to three amazing children was a major achievement and when his good friend Steve urged him to 'write something great for your children'. He did, and this book is the result.
Each of Peter's fifty things has its own chapter, with a famous quote at the beginning. There is 'Tolerance' with "Bigots will not be tolerated." (Anon, graffiti), and 'Confidence@ with "If you're presenting yourself with a confidence, you can pull off pretty much anything." (Katy Perry), and possibly my favourite; 'Career' with "I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same things as 'making a life'," (Maya Angelou).
Fifty subjects, with fifty accompanying letters, some longer than others, some very short, but all to the point and an absolute joy to read. Peter Dunne's voice is warm, wise and witty. He peppers his stories with news items, from politics to philanthropy, making them relevant, and not at all sweet and sickly.
The 50 Things is a the perfect book to keep on the shelf, to pick up every now and again and read. To remind yourself when life is a bit rough, or everything seems to be going wrong, of a different way of thinking and dealing with things.
Thoughtful and helpful, a look at how we could and really should deal with the things that are thrown at us.
He started to feel a little disappointed about life, but soon realised that being a father to three amazing children was a major achievement and when his good friend Steve urged him to 'write something great for your children'. He did, and this book is the result.
Each of Peter's fifty things has its own chapter, with a famous quote at the beginning. There is 'Tolerance' with "Bigots will not be tolerated." (Anon, graffiti), and 'Confidence@ with "If you're presenting yourself with a confidence, you can pull off pretty much anything." (Katy Perry), and possibly my favourite; 'Career' with "I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same things as 'making a life'," (Maya Angelou).
Fifty subjects, with fifty accompanying letters, some longer than others, some very short, but all to the point and an absolute joy to read. Peter Dunne's voice is warm, wise and witty. He peppers his stories with news items, from politics to philanthropy, making them relevant, and not at all sweet and sickly.
The 50 Things is a the perfect book to keep on the shelf, to pick up every now and again and read. To remind yourself when life is a bit rough, or everything seems to be going wrong, of a different way of thinking and dealing with things.
Thoughtful and helpful, a look at how we could and really should deal with the things that are thrown at us.
May 29, 2017
One of those simple projects that you can describe on the back of an envelope. Peter Dunne was turning 50, and while he isn't exactly having a mid-life crisis, he is becoming aware of his own mortality, and also that there may be a time when he wants to say something to his children, or they want to ask him something and he won't be around to have the conversation.
Consequently, 50 short essays (they feel like blog entries because that is how they started life) on topics like sex, charity, and joy are collected together in this book.
Pros: I'm a little younger than the author, and I only have one child, rather than the three these blog posts were originally aimed at, but I suspect that every father will identify with the majority of entries in this short book. The entries vary between slightly comedic but still touching to pathos-laden. The aim is clearly to share the fruits of experience without limiting his children's ability to make their own mistakes. The wonderous thing about the writing is that is sails very close to the edge of slipping into syrupy and cloying, but to my mind, it never slips over that line. Others may not agree with where they feel that line is.
Cons: Religion is clearly important to Mr. Dunne, and several of the entries offer advice derived from religious instruction. I'm an atheist, and these entries grated on me, as any effort to claim the moral high-ground on the basis of a faith lesson grates on me. However, it was only a handful of entries.
This is the latest of my dalliances with audiobooks. I suspect that if I had been reading a physical version of the book then I would have marked some passages for posterity, and this highlights one of the weaknesses of audiobooks even over eBooks, but it was still an enjoyable listen.
Consequently, 50 short essays (they feel like blog entries because that is how they started life) on topics like sex, charity, and joy are collected together in this book.
Pros: I'm a little younger than the author, and I only have one child, rather than the three these blog posts were originally aimed at, but I suspect that every father will identify with the majority of entries in this short book. The entries vary between slightly comedic but still touching to pathos-laden. The aim is clearly to share the fruits of experience without limiting his children's ability to make their own mistakes. The wonderous thing about the writing is that is sails very close to the edge of slipping into syrupy and cloying, but to my mind, it never slips over that line. Others may not agree with where they feel that line is.
Cons: Religion is clearly important to Mr. Dunne, and several of the entries offer advice derived from religious instruction. I'm an atheist, and these entries grated on me, as any effort to claim the moral high-ground on the basis of a faith lesson grates on me. However, it was only a handful of entries.
This is the latest of my dalliances with audiobooks. I suspect that if I had been reading a physical version of the book then I would have marked some passages for posterity, and this highlights one of the weaknesses of audiobooks even over eBooks, but it was still an enjoyable listen.
February 6, 2018
Given as a goodreads Giveaway for an honest review. I think it is a great idea to pass on your guide to life to your children but it is a personal view with personal values and while I agreed with a lot of what was said I feel a touch of cynicism and a little less naivety was called for. I also don't believe life is God's plan for us all so mentions of God rubbed me up the wrong way too. I'm afraid as much as he might have tried to avoid it Peter Dunne came over as a little smug and far too good to be true despite his protestations of faults and weaknesses and he seemed a little too fond of being seen as eccentric and quirky. I am sure he was totally sincere it's just the trap you fall into sometimes when making your personal take on life public. His love for his children came over as very touching however and there were chapters that did make me think and take stock.
May 8, 2017
Timed well as I myself am about to turn 50. I liked the positive spin the book puts on turning 50 regarding the experience and wisdom learnt over those 50 years. The short chapters made the book easy to dip in and out of. I also liked the quotes and anecdotes scattered throughout to illustrate the author's points. A lovely book for the author to write for his 3 children.
December 23, 2024
Always rereading this one - a favourite
January 2, 2017
I got a free copy of this in advance of publication by attending a publisher's launch party at the local literature festival, along with a reading by the author. It won't be published until March. Turns out the downside of advance copies is that there's no official GR record for the book yet! NB, the title given on Amazon is written as Fifty, the book cover says 50, so I'm not quite sure if this will ever get tied in to the entry with the proper cover art!
The basic premise is that the author began compiling a series of blog posts, written to his 3 children, summarising 50 things he wanted to leave for them to know, and was then offered a book contract to bring them together. They appear to have been published substantially unaltered, and are therefore addressed to a very select audience, complete with anecdotes and stories that may well spark a memory for his immediate family, but possibly give the book a less broad appeal. I sometimes thought some of his choices were slightly repetitive, and that once he'd decided 50 was a nice round number (the project was inspired by his 50th birthday) he possibly struggled to come up with enough proper subjects without having them at least overlap.
It worked well as a book for me to dip into and read a couple of at a time - I don't think it would have made ideal reading for a long, uninterrupted stint, because it did feel quite samey if I read too many at once.
The basic premise is that the author began compiling a series of blog posts, written to his 3 children, summarising 50 things he wanted to leave for them to know, and was then offered a book contract to bring them together. They appear to have been published substantially unaltered, and are therefore addressed to a very select audience, complete with anecdotes and stories that may well spark a memory for his immediate family, but possibly give the book a less broad appeal. I sometimes thought some of his choices were slightly repetitive, and that once he'd decided 50 was a nice round number (the project was inspired by his 50th birthday) he possibly struggled to come up with enough proper subjects without having them at least overlap.
It worked well as a book for me to dip into and read a couple of at a time - I don't think it would have made ideal reading for a long, uninterrupted stint, because it did feel quite samey if I read too many at once.
April 13, 2017
Got this as a Goodreads Giveaway. Liked the cover. Liked the title. Liked the idea of the book. Liked the structure. Liked the chapter headings. The content doesn't read as authentic.
April 21, 2017
Thank you Goodreads for sending me this book. What a lovely idea for a bock, and an enjoyable read too. Peter Dunne has written a book that you can dip in and out of and go back to. He has written down his ideas on “50” things ranging from religion to friendship to parenthood, and this book is written for his children, so that in the future they will know what his ideas were on several subjects. A good concept for a book and I thoroughly enjoyed dipping in and out of it.
May 2, 2017
A lovely read with turning 50 recently, loved the practical advice with funny little antidotes that I can relate to. Set in quick read chapters that you can easily pick up.
A thoughtful present for the younger generation giving advice on basically everything - don't google it, read this!!!!!
A thoughtful present for the younger generation giving advice on basically everything - don't google it, read this!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews