One thought on “King of the Wild Suburb: A Memoir of Fathers, Sons and Guns”

1. I have always been a walking contradiction and a true life lesson in NOT judging a book by its cover On the outside, I strike people as a larger than life, manly man, with rugged looks and stature On the inside, I am really a pensive, spiritual, passive soul Growing up I always danced with expected views from culture and struggled with fitting in It wasn t until much later in my adult life that I dashed all thoughts of fitting in against the rocks and began dancing to my own tunes Now when peopl [...]

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2. Messner s thoughtful and touching memoir begins in 1973 with his last hunting trip with his father, a tradition connecting three generations of Messner men A self ascribed twenty one year old commie peacenik with long hair and an aversion to guns, he seems an unlikely addition to the hunting group full of conservative ideals But their hunt, he notes, is about much than bucks and bragging rights it is about what it means to be a man and how to connect with other men in a society that approves fe [...]

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3. FATHER S DAY GIFT IDEA A beautifully told and moving story of a classic American family The author s grandfather, Gramps, a World War I vet, gives his son a special gift of a rifle for Christmas, 1934 accompanied by a letter full of happiness and pride but carefully admonishing his son to Never point it at anybody Always make sure it is unloaded when not in use The author s father passes the tradition to his own son who, when he finally kills a deer, vows that he will never, ever shoot another o [...]

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4. This is not a book I would nrmally pick up Fathers, sons and guns do not really interest me However, I remembered this book from and after thumbing through it, I was intrigued.This is a wonderful book with very relatable family experiences It is very well written and an easy quick read The loss of parents and changing family dynamics are something that everyone will one day experience.Many of the observations about men and their motivations is very enlightening This book highlights the contrast [...]

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5. A good memoir, and it reads fast This is the first assigned book for the American Masculinity class I m taking this semester, and our professor asked us to read it with our own father child relationship in mind Which is great except I m a girl and we didn t have anything like the hunting trips together Most of my dad and me memories involve being on the lake for family vacation I can relate to Messner s lament about fathers spending time on public life, despite the shining memories you may reta [...]

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6. This is an amazing tale of the relationships shared between the men of the family I loved the fact that you really know that this book is about the authors life Although, being female, I do not share this bond shown of the men in the family, I was still able to connect to the family aspects portrayed and most of all, the relationships with the family pets Also since I am a female, this book taught me about the bonds that men share and gave me a new insight into how men think and want to portray [...]

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7. I really really enjoyed this book I didn t think I was going to it far surpassed what I expected from it His style is easy going but not simplistic, and the photos are wonderful Highly recommend this book.

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8. If you grew up in the 50 s 60 s you will totally relate to this book It is well written, it flows so easily, and has heart and humor.d a few lessons for all of us

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