Customer Reviews

Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family: 101 Incredible Stories about Our Funny, Quirky, Lovable & "Dysfunctional" Families (Chicken Soup for the Soul (Quality Paper))

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I wrote "A Daughter Moves Back Home" in Chicken Soup for the Soul, All in the Family. I state this up front so the reader can put my review in perspective.

I write this not because the book needs a positive review, although it is an excellent book with a wide variety of moving and powerful stories. I write it because I want potential readers to know that the cover promotion, in my opinion, is not the best description of what is inside. The cover states, "101 Incredible Stories about Our Funny, Quirky, Lovable & 'Dysfunctional' Families."

There are funny, quirky, lovable stories about families, but the majority are about survival, growth, redemption, fortitude, compassion, and kindness. They give insights into the amazing resiliency of the American family. The word "Dysfunctional", even with quotation marks around it, detracts from what most of the storytellers are trying to achieve: sharing with readers the pain, the beauty, and the love within their gloriously diverse families.

The writers of Chicken Soup for the Soul must be peeking in my windows and taking notes. Every member of my family, and then some, are in this deliciously funny book. Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family contains 101 well-written and memorable stories, from the Happy Horrible Holidays (who hasn't had a few of those?) to the Family Secrets (it made me feel like I was a fly on the wall), to Eccentrics are Us (it's nice to know there are other families just as crazy as mine). I recommend taking this book home with you on your next family get-together and reading the stories aloud. You'll have the relatives rolling off the couch, and pointing fingers at one another.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family is a fun read, and well worth the purchase price.

This is a fascinating selection of family stories. Each contributor made me feel their story. A number of family member's quirks sounded very familiar to me. I'm sure it will to many readers. It is a sometimes funny, sometimes touching collection of stories. I love this Chicken Soup For The Soul book!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family held up to the formula that has been used from the start. Authors submitted their personal stories that range in emotions and are real/applicable to our lives. I wanted to pick my top ten stories and highlight, but all of the stories are good, just in various ways. Reading this book was like sitting down with acquantances and made privvy to some of the funniest, crazy, whacky and lovable family members ever known. I enjoyed this light hearted and easy read.

Doesn't everyone believe they came from a weird,crazy, or funny family? Aren't they all dysFUNctional in some weird way? Well, some of these stories were not all that crazy. I was looking for hilarious (kind of like my own) due to the publicity on this particular book. And a few stories met those standards. But not enough crazy stories to merit being in this particular Chicken Soup book. Maybe a different one, but not quite measuring up to the hype of this one. I think sometimes the regular contributors of stories are lacking the spark they need. Maybe need some new authors.

Everyone has stories about their families. Some are funny and some are sad. You can learn a lot about people who share their stories about their family life. It is an interesting book and I would recommend it to all those who are fans of Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

I love reading chicken soup for the soul books and you can not beat amazon.com prices on these books with free shipping

Something about the Chicken Soup for the Soul books has always appealed to me. I love that I can pick them up and read a story whenever my kids give me a few minutes to myself. The stories are short and always true stories from people like you and me.

The newest Chicken Soup for the Soul book is called "All in the Family." It has 101 incredible stories about family moments that will make you laugh, some of them I dropped the book I was laughing so hard. It is basically a book that I am sure we could all write and have experienced, but it is nice to see it happens in other families! I thought I was the only one with a Crazy Aunt?

I haven't read the whole book yet, but the stories I have read have been great. My favorite story is "Merry Christmas, I broke into your house!" Yeah the stories are that good, think America's Funniest Home Videos meets a book! The stories really are though short (about 3-4 pages each) and sweet and really make you appreciate your own family no matter how crazy they are! Oh and best of all is that the stories are organized into chapters including: Eccentrics Are Us, In-Laws and Outlaws, Family Vacations and Reunions, Forgiveness, Thanks for the Memories, Putting the Fun in Dysfunctional, Family Secrets, Happy Horrible Holidays, Reunited, Brothers and Sisters, and Parents and Kids.

This book truly does touch one deeply on all levels-and brings home the fact that our families, no matter how quirky or dysfunctional they may be, mean the world to us.

This is a compilation to read during the Holidays, and you will laugh, cry, and hug the ones you love a little closer after reading these heartwarming, touching stories.

The best "Chicken Soup" book yet--highly recommend it!!

Story vignettes are like hors d'oeuvres. They pique your interest, but they're not very filling. The anecdotes found in Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family are palatable because they are taken from real-life families, but due to their brevity they fail to leave a lasting impression. Editor Susan M. Heim does an admirable job sifting through thousands of submissions to arrive at the 101 included entries, but the limitations of the Chicken Soup framework produce superficial, glossy tidbits instead of deeply resonating personal accounts.

The stories while divided into sections such as vacations, holidays and in-laws tend to blend together due to a lack of significant detail. The tales are quickly forgotten since many are based on worn-out cliches - the insufferable mother-in-law, the inept father, the doting grandmother. While some delve into serious issues like abandonment, alcoholism and mental illness, most unwittingly reach a tidy conclusion within two to three pages. These easily portrayed resolutions are likely to create a disconnect for the majority of the book's audience.

Yet there are a few that rise to the occasion of providing substance in a condensed format. In "Right from Wrong," author Michael T. Smith states: "I learned a lot from my dad. I learned how not to treat my wife. I learned to give my children love and attention. Dad didn't teach by example. He taught by making me aware of what is wrong." A mental burden is revealed in Marijoyce Porcelli's "Grandma's Beads:" "Somehow [Grandma] let go of that frigid, bitter persona that was her usual self and talked, really talked. Unfortunately, these pleasant lulls didn't last long." The struggle to reconnect with an estranged son is depicted in Marsha D. Teeling's "A Tiny Piece of Paper:" "Why does [my son] hate me? I see him with his children, and I know that at least he is breaking the cycle because he is a loving, caring father."

Some humorous moments deserve a mention. April Knight's family arrives in the Ozarks only to attend the wrong reunion in "Who Are All These Strange People?" Melanie Adams Hardy learns a whole new vocabulary while riding in "Grandma Lillie's Red Cadillac." Mimi Greenwood Knight deals with a husband whose mouth lacks an off switch in "What Did You Say?" While all the mischievous Ben Kennedy has to say is the key phrase: "That Did It!" to cause his little brother to take off running and screaming.

Overall, this is a book for a location where reading options are limited such as a doctor's waiting room or an airport gift shop. It's a good time killer when there's nothing better to read.