Babyhood [Hardcover]

Paul Reiser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 20, 1997

I'm going to be totally honest. This is not the kind of book that can help you. It's not a "how-to, " a "when-to, " or a "what-to-expect." Let's compare: Those "know-it-all" books tell you how to have a happy, healthy pregnancy. My book mentions a squirrel. Those books tell you how to care for a newborn child. My book describes how tired I am. Those books give you essential information you can use in a life-threatening emergency. My book has some very amusing anecdotes about poop. So really, it's up to you. If you want to be prepared and well-informed, I understand. But if you enjoy seeing the words "pterodactyl" and "uterus" in the same book, you've come to the right place.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Fans of television's Mad About You and its star, Paul Reiser, will be delighted with his second foray into the self-deprecating self-help genre. Couplehood, his first book, leads logically to this next phase--Babyhood. In a chatty voice Reiser takes us from the "Maybe someday we'll have kids" step into the deep-sea dive of commitment.

Babyhood begins on an airplane, with Paul and wife blissfully unencumbered by children. They are seated across from the young parents (graying before his eyes) of a terrorizing 2-year-old and a screeching infant. This sobering reality manages magically to pale in a transcendent moment of the baby's bliss, uncomplicated by drool or colic, and the two decide: "Now."

Well, more or less now. First they try to get pregnant, making expeditions to the bookstore to case out the shelves of baby books; then there are the bouncy reflections on who is, after all, cut out to parent ("I don't know if, for example, Mozart actually had kids, but certainly there is no record of him ever leaving the office early to coach Peewee Soccer League"). Later comes the account of sibling rivalry between the newborn and the family dog, and why women make better moms than men. Babyhood manages to provoke thought about the important questions of when and why to have children, many of which are answered in the book's endearing details.

Review

… an innocuous collection of aimless anecdotes and observational shtick… -- Entertainment Weekly, Kristen Baldwin

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company; 1st edition (August 20, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688149790
• ISBN-13: 978-0688149796
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #284,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As a seasoned actor, writer, and stand-up comedian, Paul Reiser continues to add to his list of accomplishments. In addition to co-creating and starring in the critically acclaimed NBC series, "Mad About You," which garnered him Emmy, Golden Globe, American Comedy Award and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, his successes also include his book Couplehood, which sold over two million copies and reached the number one spot on The New York Times bestseller list and Babyhood, his follow-up book which features his trademark humorous take on the adventures of being a first-time father, which also made The New York Times bestseller list.

In 2003 Paul made his theatrical debut in Woody Allen's "Writer's Block." The evening of one-act comedies marked Mr. Allen's first time out as a director for the stage.

Born and raised in New York City, Reiser went to college at the State University of New York at Binghamton where he majored in Music - Piano and Composition. (He co-wrote "The Final Frontier" the theme song from "Mad About You" with Grammy-winning producer Don Was).

Remembered for notable performances in films such as "Diner," "Bye, Bye Love," "The Marrying Man," "Aliens," "One Night at McCool's" and "Beverly Hills Cop" ("I" and "II"), Reiser more recently starred in two original movies for Showtime "Strange Relations," opposite Julie Walters, and Chazz Palminteri's "Men vs. Women," opposite Joe Mantegna and Christine Lahti.

In the fall of 2005, his film project, "The Thing About My Folks" - also his first original screenplay - was released in theaters. The release date for the DVD is February 14th, 2006. Starring along with Reiser is Peter Falk, Olympia Dukakis and Elizabeth Perkins.

Through his company, Nuance Productions, Reiser is currently writing and producing pilots for Showtime, CBS and TV Land.

Mr. Reiser and his family live in Los Angeles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even the Book Jacket is Funny, October 2, 2002

By 

Virginia Lore "rumtussle" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Babyhood (Hardcover)

Paul Reiser wrote his own blurb on the inside of the book jacket for Parenthood, comparing his book with other parenting books. Other parenting books may tell you how to have a happy and healthy pregnancy, how to care for a newborn, and may give you first aid information you could use in an emergency, he says. In his book, though, you get to read about how tired he is plus there are some entertaining anecdotes about baby waste.

The book itself is painfully funny, perfectly capturing the sleepless nights and bewilderment of new parenthood. In the chapter called "Things to Worry About" Reiser lists all the myriad worries that come along when you bring a new baby home, for example that you could make him wave to someone who doesn't wave back, thus traumatizing him for life. In the chapter "I've Never Been This Tired, Ever" Reiser states that he'd do twenty years of diaper changes if you could guarantee him a solid eight hours of sleep a night for those twenty years. Not only do these phenomena have an effect on you as a parent, but also as a member of a couple, and Reiser perfectly describes the decimation a baby can wreak on a heretofore healthy relationship.

I read this book when my first child was two months old and literally laughed until tears rolled down my cheeks. I re-read it recently now that my oldest is 2 and I have another infant, and I find it just as apt. If you're a parent, don't miss it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know..., April 3, 2002

By 

Krista Jackson (Canandaigua, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Babyhood (Mass Market Paperback)

Paul Reiser encapsulates the experience of having your first child perfectly. My wife and I had a little boy 4 months ago and are going through, or have gone through, everything that Reiser describes in hilarious detail. I consider this to be one of the funniest books I have ever read. Reiser is particularily adept at pointing out the funny things that a new parent thinks about and is traumatized by. I laughed out loud until my stomach hurt when he described what the baby is thinking and would be saying if they could talk...mainly because I had the same ideas!! I think that is the essence of why this book is such a great read. It speaks to the everyday, normal person and their experiences. If you have, or about to have, or know someone who has, or is about to have their first child...you must read this book!!!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny!, December 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Babyhood (Hardcover)

My husband and I listened to the audio version on a long drive to see our son and daughter-in-law for Christmas. (They're expecting their first baby) We laughed out loud 'remembering when', and decided we had to get this book for them. I think the humor and truth will make them a little less nervous.