I Sleep at Red Lights - Life After Triplets
I Sleep at Red Lights - Life After Triplets
Bruce Stockler captures the chaos. joy and challenges of becoming the father of triplets in this hilarious, fast-paced. and refreshingly honest memoir.
From the moment Stockler and his wife, Roni, learn they have hit the fertility jackpot, their lives are turned upside down. The day the babies are bornin an operating room bustling with 30 doctors. nurses and techniciansis the first jolt in a physical and emotional roller-coaster ride. And every day following continues to reveal one unpredictable twist after another.
Just going to the supermarket and keeping the kidsand the storesafe from disaster is like an episode from an adventure story. When the triplets start to walk. and explode in three directions at once. they quickly learn to exploit their newfound freedom at every possible turn.
A fabulous gift for expectant or new fathers of triplets and mothers will love it too !
"Best Fatherhood Memoir" Esquire Magazine
Hilarious. Moving. Entertaining Memoir. This is a wonderful and truly unique book. the story of a man who realizes that being a father is the job he was born to do--after losing his job and becoming a stay-at-home Dad for triplets plus an older son. I'm an American living in London and I think UK readers will gain a really valuable insight into how radically the American family is changing -- at least for those American Dads who have decided to wake up. The book is emotionally resonant and incredibly insightful about marriage. and all the characters. from the author to his wife to the four kids. are fully-rounded individuals. As "I Don't Know How She Does It" explained British motherhood to American readers. this book provides a much sharper. funnier and deeply-felt look at the American family to readers here. A.R
Bruce Stockler may not have time to sleep. but he did have time to write a hilarious. smart and touching book. I hope his wife gives birth to quadruplets so there will be a sequal soon. A.J. Jacobs - Esquire
I read one of the author's columns in T2 of The Times and thought it quite lovely. so I decided to buy his book and found it absolutely delightful. With great humour and heart the author explores his desire to spend more time with his children. at the expense of his career. and his rousing portrayal of the fitfullness of married life is a splendid achievement. For an American memoir. little is lost in translation. Great gift for lady friends. I would think.
Illuminating. Wise. Charming. Serious. Hilarious. 11 Mar 2004. I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud reading a book. I even read this out loud to my wife and my brother. Stockler's book works on three levels--first. as a hilarious adventure story. The chapters on taking the kids to the ladies room (because the men's room is filthy. which he compares to a a scence from a biological thriller) and going to the supermarket. where the kids cause mayhem. are classics. But underneath all the humor is an incredibly pointed intelligence; he always steps back and analyzes how his life works. what's important. and what it's like to be a man. It's also an incredibly honest look at marriage. Stockler admits that he is emotionally closer to his kids than his wife. and. in his own quiet way. it's a revolutionary idea. He says that being married is harder than being a Dad. That takes guts--but this is one honest book. He also writes about the dynamics of the kids--they way the four of them have a whole spider-web of interlocking relationships--with an eye for pychological detail that reminds me of Graham Greene. And the third level is the journey--how Stockler folds in his parents and his childhood to deliver us to a discovery of who he is and where he came from. So underneath it's also a serious book. Much more serious than the cover would have you think. It's a more important memoir than any of the trashy American bestsellers. It's not "post-modern" or self-conscious. like "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius." but it is more emotionally honest and compelling. and much more true. It's a one-of-a-kind book and I'm glad I discovered it. Read this book and pass it on to a friend.
My wife gave me this book for my birthday. and I thought. oh dear--what to do? We have three small children. but I'm not one for parenting books. But I was utterly surprised and enthralled by this fast-moving. insightful story of a man who uses the chaos of three new babies to explore the meaning of his life. The book is extremely amusing and deceptively well-written and is quite unique as a memoir. I think men and women should appreciate it equally. whether parents or grandparents. A small book that deserves to be widely read and discussed.
Bloody brilliant book -- most honest account of marriage I've read in years. Don't let cover fool you. With a scathing smart sense of humour. the auth. deconstructs his entire life -- work. relations with his wife. family -- in the firestorm of staying up taking care of his three little ones. A great discovery of self book in the vein of Maughm's "Razor's Edge" but without the literary pomposity. I'd be quite put out to think that only women would buy this book.
"The structure is somewhat loose and repetitions abound. But these flaws ultimately don't detract from this book's overall appeal. which should extend even to those fathers who have just one newborn to contend with."
"Funny but undercurrents of angst make this a vivid status report on modern parenting." Kirkus Reviews
"An extremely funny. extremely perceptive memoir....The book is charming and tender. with moments of outright hilarity (the author is. after all. a humor writer). Stockler's voice is fresh and memorable....Great fun." David Pitt. Booklist
"Engaging and observant. this will charm readers. though the author's main revelation that he is madly in love with his family...is perhaps too often lost in the laughs. Still. this is a pleasure to read..." Library Journal
A lively story packed with heart. Readers Digest Editors Choice
