The Breeder's Book Club

Learning how not to be a parent, one book at a time

Being a parent can be scary, difficult, and confusing. Luckily, there are thousands and thousands of awful books written by stupid people that will tell you exactly what you're doing wrong. But who has time to read them all?

We do. Every two weeks, our elite team of comedy moms and dads reads a different parenting book. Then, heroically, we mine nuggets of wisdom from the steaming piles of guidance. In podcast form.

We get judged so you don't have to. We are

The Breeder's Book Club

Episode 4 - Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

March 14, 2014  /  John

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Be forced to practice, practice, PRACTICE!!!

We read "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother", by Amy Chua.

Amazon.com blurb:

Chua (Day of Empire) imparts the secret behind the stereotypical Asian child's phenomenal success: the Chinese mother. Chua promotes what has traditionally worked very well in raising children: strict, Old World, uncompromising values--and the parents don't have to be Chinese. What they are, however, are different from what she sees as indulgent and permissive Western parents: stressing academic performance above all, never accepting a mediocre grade, insisting on drilling and practice, and instilling respect for authority. Chua's efforts "not to raise a soft, entitled child" will strike American readers as a little scary--removing her children from school for extra practice, public shaming and insults, equating Western parenting with failure--but the results, she claims somewhat glibly in this frank, unapologetic report card, "were hard to quarrel with."

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Episode 3 - Beyond the Sling

February 27, 2014  /  John

If your child can't tell the difference between love and Stockholm Syndrome, you're on the right track. We read "Beyond the Sling, Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way," by Mayim (Blossom) Bialik, PhD.

Featuring Lauren, Rich, Johanna and John

Amazon.com blurb:

Mayim Bialik shows us that by understanding the basic theories of attachment and infant development—and incorporating age-old childrearing methods like breastfeeding, baby wearing, gentle discipline, and co-sleeping—we can truly be the parents that nature intends us to be. With a PhD in neuroscience and a specialization in the hormones of attachment, Bialik is uniquely qualified to explain the science behind the method and how it’s your evolutionary right to tap into your intuition and enjoy every stage of parenthood. A mother of two young boys, she also offers a firsthand account of how she came to follow the tenets of attachment parenting, plus a down-to-earth guide to making this lifestyle work for every kind of family. 

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Episode 2 - The Children of Now

February 11, 2014  /  John

No matter how impaired you are, Dr. Meg wants you to be validated and heard. Which is typically achieved by imagining a conversation with you and then signing your name to some of her terrible poetry. We read The Children of Now, by Dr. Meg Losey, Ph.D.

Featuring Lauren, Rich, Johanna and John

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Episode 1 - The New Dare to Discipline

January 28, 2014  /  John

This week, we learn how to compassionately raise a child through the loving example of Christ's teachings. But then you beat 'em anyway. It's The New Dare to Discipline, by James Dobson.

Featuring John, Rich and Lauren

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