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    Parents Behaving Badly
    Unavailable
    Parents Behaving Badly
    Unavailable
    Parents Behaving Badly
    Ebook277 pages3 hours

    Parents Behaving Badly

    By Scott Gummer

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    An uproarious, surprising, and poignant satire of American suburbia and youth sports gone wild

    When Ben and Jili Holden must move from Manhattan with their three children back to their small hometown of Palace Valley, California, they are forced to reconcile the parents they’ve become with the dreams they had, the choices they’ve made, and a sex life much more down-to-earth than the epic Ferris wheel tryst of their youth. After reluctantly stepping up to lead his son’s Little League team, Ben is challenged to finally come to terms with the long shadow of his father, a legendary high school baseball coach and mentor who is beloved by generations of players, yet largely a stranger to Ben.

    At the heart of the story are the universal experiences and themes of family and community, as Ben and Jili struggle to connect with their technology-addicted children and grapple with issues of marital fidelity—both at home and in the hotbed of sexual tension that is the Little League park. Among an unforgettable cast are Del, an autocratic coach who issues his own Ten Commandments; Liza, Ben’s unrequited high school crush; Logan, a smart-aleck ringer whose preteen talents are eclipsed only by his ego; and Cyn, the sultry thong-wearing team mom with the serpent tattoo. Every mother and father of every boy and girl who have ever participated in youth sports can relate, and in Parents Behaving Badly Scott Gummer brilliantly skewers overzealous parents and lunatic coaches, giving the grown-ups who seek vicarious glory the send-up they so richly deserve.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAtria Books
    Release dateApr 12, 2011
    ISBN9781451609196
    Unavailable
    Parents Behaving Badly
    Author

    Scott Gummer

    Scott Gummer is the author of two books, The Seventh at St. Andrews and Homer Kelley's Golfing Machine, and has contributed to over forty magazines including Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, Travel + Leisure and more. He lives with his wife and four children in the Sonoma wine country, where he has coached youth sports at every level from peewee boys to high school varsity girls, and where he serves on the little league Board of Directors.

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    Reviews for Parents Behaving Badly

    3.5/5

    12 ratings4 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      This was a fun little story of a middle-age marriage, the silliness of suburbia, and the overbearing parents and coaches in Little League baseball. It was entertaining and worth listening to the end, though a touch forgettable.
    • 4/5
      Parents Behaving Badly, by Scott Gummer, is a fun read. Several scenes are hilarious, but the sweet, tender side to this story makes it most memorable. Ben and Jili move back to their hometown, where many broken and unfulfilled dreams are buried. As they adjust to their once familiar surroundings, they learn to deal with the ghosts of their pasts. Old flames flicker, secrets are revealed, and unspoken questions receive answers. To be honest, I feel the beginning of the story is a little slow and confusing—too many characters to follow and not enough background to feel grounded in the story. That quickly changes when the characters burst to life and the storyline becomes infused with humor. That’s not to say the entire story is fun and games. It also touches on the frustrations, insecurities, temptations and questions that Ben and Jili’s marriage faces. The author does a great job of projecting imagery through his words. Although the physical descriptions of the characters (with an exception here and there) are not as crisp as I would have liked, the scenes are vivid, lively and full of color. I’m not a baseball fan, so many of the coaching references, plays, and strategies go over my head; but my lack of knowledge does little to thwart my enjoyment of the story and its satirical undertone. There are two basic storylines: Ben’s relationships with his family and friends, and the mad goings-on of little league baseball. The tales meld together nicely; glued together by pain, frustration, fear and laughter. As a parent, even though my children did not participate in team sports in school, I can relate to a large part of this story. The small town of Palace Valley contains residents with big problems. There are several characters I swear live down the street from me ... the middle-aged Barbie wannabe, the obsessed and obnoxious little league coach, the gorgeous temptress who wants nothing more than to steal someone else’s man, and the insufferable know-it-all. Let’s not forget the children caught in the middle of the madness, forced to live the dreams of their parents. *I received this book as an early release. It did not influence my review or rating.
    • 1/5
      Here's the main reason I didn't like this book: I find the topic of Little League Baseball to be quite boring. So the vast majority of the novel did not hold my interest one bit. I kept hoping maybe things would turn around and get interesting. What's more, Parents Behaving Badly read, well, badly. At the beginning of the book I had a hard time keeping straight which character was which. Part of the problem is the author never really spent any time telling me who was who and the other part of the problem was they all had boring and generic names. Anyway, I kept reading without trying to figure it out because I didn't really care.The title suggests the parents in this book are going to be behaving badly. But there wasn't much of that going on. They thought a bit about cheating, but they thought about it passively and never actually considered going out and cheating. That's not actually behaving badly so much as it is contemplating behaving badly. Snore. Then there was a little incident at the end of the book, but other than that, there wasn't much behaving badly going on that I noticed.On the plus side, though it was a very, very minor part of the plot, I did have to admire the family for moving across the country when Grandma starting getting really forgetful. Not too many families would do that that these days. This book might be excellent for some people, and I'm sure there are people who would find this book hilarious (I giggled once or twice) and relatable, but overall, it just wasn't for me.*Disclaimer: I won an advanced copy of this novel through a Goodreads giveaway. Trust me, that fact did not influence my review in any way.
    • 4/5
      This book should be required reading for any parent signing up their precious little one for sports as well as anyone contemplating coaching! An enjoyable and quick read, it has a nice "people-watching" feel to it as it explores just how messed-up suburban families can be. I wanted the plot to dig a little deeper...the conflicts were almost watered down, but sometimes it's nice to have a light read. I also liked hearing the story from the male perspective. Parents Behaving Badly will appeal just as much to men as it does women, especially the detailed accounts of dramatic Little League games. There is a good balance between humor and sentiment -- would make a great foundation for a television sit-com.Please note that I was provided an advance reading copy of this book by the publisher which has not affected my review.