What do you think?
Rate this book
I Need to Tell You Something: Life Lessons from a father for his teenage children
It started as a request from Bill Franks' financial advisor to create a "Statement of Values" letter that he could share with his then-young children. If something happened and he wasn't around to raise them, what were some of the core values he would like to impart on them once they were old enough to understand?
As Bill began laying out his thoughts, he realized that he had a lot more to say than would fit in a letter. He also realized that many other families might benefit from the same advice he was providing. What started as life lessons he wanted to share just with his children, quickly became an opportunity for other families to discuss and learn together. Written not from the perspective of an expert, but from that of a father giving guidance to his own teens, the book comes at the issues from a different perspective than many others.
This guidebook, written with teens as the intended audience, presents a great foundation for adults to think about and be intentional about sharing their own ethics and principles. With clear examples, timely teen issues, and 'taking action' elements with each chapter, it provides many opportunities for parents to begin or continue important conversations with their children. In chapters where parents disagree with Bill's view, the book still provides a starting point to explain to their children how their views differ.
As Bill began laying out his thoughts, he realized that he had a lot more to say than would fit in a letter. He also realized that many other families might benefit from the same advice he was providing. What started as life lessons he wanted to share just with his children, quickly became an opportunity for other families to discuss and learn together. Written not from the perspective of an expert, but from that of a father giving guidance to his own teens, the book comes at the issues from a different perspective than many others.
This guidebook, written with teens as the intended audience, presents a great foundation for adults to think about and be intentional about sharing their own ethics and principles. With clear examples, timely teen issues, and 'taking action' elements with each chapter, it provides many opportunities for parents to begin or continue important conversations with their children. In chapters where parents disagree with Bill's view, the book still provides a starting point to explain to their children how their views differ.
234 pages, Paperback
Published September 25, 2017
1 person want to read
About the author
Bill Franks
6 books4 followersBill Franks has spent his career focusing on analytics, data science, AI, and big data. He began his career in hands-on roles coding and building models, and then advanced to hold Chief Analytics Officer positions in both large, public company and small, private organization environments.
Franks is also the author of the books Taming The Big Data Tidal Wave, The Analytics Revolution, and 97 Things About Ethics Everyone In Data Science Should Know. He is a sought after speaker and frequent blogger who has been ranked in multiple global influencer lists tied to big data, analytics, and AI, and was an inaugural inductee into the Analytics Hall of Fame.
Bill's work has spanned clients in a variety of industries for companies ranging in size from Fortune 100 companies to small non-profit organizations.
You can learn more at http://www.bill-franks.com.
Franks is also the author of the books Taming The Big Data Tidal Wave, The Analytics Revolution, and 97 Things About Ethics Everyone In Data Science Should Know. He is a sought after speaker and frequent blogger who has been ranked in multiple global influencer lists tied to big data, analytics, and AI, and was an inaugural inductee into the Analytics Hall of Fame.
Bill's work has spanned clients in a variety of industries for companies ranging in size from Fortune 100 companies to small non-profit organizations.
You can learn more at http://www.bill-franks.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 1, 2017
A Goody Goody and a Fuddy Duddy Walk into a Bar…
The ridiculous labels above are the author’s own words to describe himself and brand of life lessons and advice to his children. This is the simple premise behind I Need to Tell you Something, an overly wordy, heavily traditional, morally superior, personal ode to the author’s magnificence and self-proclaimed expertise in this area. As a parent myself, I was curious to see what a fellow parent’s take on parenting is however the preachy tone made for an unpleasant read. To be clear, I am not the target audience but still…
Franks categorizes each of his life lessons under such headings as Respect Versus Popularity, Taking Responsibility, and Keeping Your Word then gives us a “few” examples from his past where he illuminates his point by offering up his own personal stories where he undoubtedly shone in the face of adversity and temptation to go down the wrong road. For good measure, he gives us a couple of examples of times where his behavior was less than worthy in a seeming attempt to show us all that he is not perfect. It didn’t come off. Rather, I got a sense of a white, overly-privileged, successful in all the ways society deems acceptable, middle-aged male who doesn’t say a damn thing anyone with two firing brain cells doesn’t already know. He ends each chapter with a list of questions to be answered so I suppose in addition to the lessons, there is homework as well?
Franks comes off as a long suffering parent, albeit one more worthy than his childless counterparts (he has some strong opinions on this subject, see chapter 34). There are some books that should not be published. This is one of them. It’s not that I am not in agreement with many of his viewpoints, I am though I do not agree with everything he says. However, kids other than his will likely never come in contact with this book, written especially for them, savvy parents will utter the word “duh”, and the clueless ones wouldn’t get it in the first place. His judgmental tone would be abhorred by anyone. He would have been better off keeping his personal lessons strictly a family affair.
BRB Rating: Skip It
The ridiculous labels above are the author’s own words to describe himself and brand of life lessons and advice to his children. This is the simple premise behind I Need to Tell you Something, an overly wordy, heavily traditional, morally superior, personal ode to the author’s magnificence and self-proclaimed expertise in this area. As a parent myself, I was curious to see what a fellow parent’s take on parenting is however the preachy tone made for an unpleasant read. To be clear, I am not the target audience but still…
Franks categorizes each of his life lessons under such headings as Respect Versus Popularity, Taking Responsibility, and Keeping Your Word then gives us a “few” examples from his past where he illuminates his point by offering up his own personal stories where he undoubtedly shone in the face of adversity and temptation to go down the wrong road. For good measure, he gives us a couple of examples of times where his behavior was less than worthy in a seeming attempt to show us all that he is not perfect. It didn’t come off. Rather, I got a sense of a white, overly-privileged, successful in all the ways society deems acceptable, middle-aged male who doesn’t say a damn thing anyone with two firing brain cells doesn’t already know. He ends each chapter with a list of questions to be answered so I suppose in addition to the lessons, there is homework as well?
Franks comes off as a long suffering parent, albeit one more worthy than his childless counterparts (he has some strong opinions on this subject, see chapter 34). There are some books that should not be published. This is one of them. It’s not that I am not in agreement with many of his viewpoints, I am though I do not agree with everything he says. However, kids other than his will likely never come in contact with this book, written especially for them, savvy parents will utter the word “duh”, and the clueless ones wouldn’t get it in the first place. His judgmental tone would be abhorred by anyone. He would have been better off keeping his personal lessons strictly a family affair.
BRB Rating: Skip It
October 31, 2017
This book is well-written, and obviously heart-felt advice from father to children. There are some topics like tattoos and not having children that some readers will have the complete opposite reaction to the author's feelings on the topics. His chapter on not having children made the reader feel they are less of a person for not procreating. There wasn't enough of a balance for either stance. Don't guilt your kids into having grandkids for you. Not everyone who grows old without having children regret their decision. In fact, many are happy for making that decision. Topics like these can be influenced by our parents, but as children go out into the world, they develop their own ideas about everything. I feel like the author sways them to his preferences and judges them if they don't chose as he does. I think it's a beautiful gift for his own children, not necessarily something for the general public. My opinion.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews