Small Fry

What's the biggest takeaway from Lisa Brennan-Jobs' memoir? 

Her dad was a strange dude.

That probably wouldn't be much of a memoir - a lot of us have strange dads. What makes this book such a fascinating read is that her dad is Apple founder Steve Jobs. And their relationship was incredibly complicated.

This book was on a ton of lists as one of the best non-fiction reads of 2018. It's not hard to see why. Lisa Brennan-Jobs was born to former high school sweethearts who had already broken up. Apple didn't exist yet, Jobs wasn't one of the richest men in the world. When she was born - in a field in Oregon - Jobs refused to claim her as his own. From the beginning, he distanced himself from his daughter. He also, inexplicably, named a computer after her.  Over the years, he came to slowly accept her into his life; yet, he continued to deny his paternity publicly, even in Time magazine. Lisa grew up nearby with her mom, who was a struggling single woman who volleyed between caring for her daughter and blaming her for a wasted life. 

Like many children of divorce, Lisa was desperate for attention from the parent who wanted least to do with her (pardon my own daddy issues for a second.) He was at times loving and caring and other times, horribly inappropriate and demanding. You find yourself rooting for the best, then watching in shock as he turns his back at the worst possible time.

This book ebbs and flows with a young woman's life, with no big twists and turns. Still, the story of this odd family dynamic is incredibly compelling. Of all the things you've read and heard about Jobs over the years, his daughter's story sheds probably the most light on what really made him tick.