Customer Reviews

LEGO: A Love Story

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't have any Lego bricks nor do I have any great desire to build anything with them, but I found this book both entertaining and enjoyable to read. The author's obvious enthusiasm for the subject shines though and draws one into the world of Lego, adult Lego builders, Lego history, and a bunch of interesting characters whose life revolves around Lego stuff.

Yes, at times, I thought some geekiness apparent in the telling of the story, yet an adult spending time building Lego gizmos does seem like a better way to spend time than, say, just sitting in front of a television set for three hours, doing nothing, while watching a bunch of rich guys throw a football around.

Anyway, this is a well-written book that, while not solving any of the world's problems, did make my life a little more enjoyable just in the reading.

Next time I am at a store with Lego sets, I am sure I will look at them in a new light. I might even buy one.

This book has a fantastic cover that initially drew me to it. The idea of an adult man reconnecting with a childhood love of building bricks was also fascinating.

It's billed as a memoir, or at least that was what I thought it was, and has elements of a "project memoir" wherein the author delves into a certain subject or theme with a goal in mind. In this case, Jonathan Bender wanted to research AFOLs (adult fan of LEGO) as well as become one himself.

But I would call LEGO: A Love Story more of a researched book than a memoir. Yes, Bender shares some of his personal experiences, and the story is told through his eyes as he joins LEGO conventions and tours the headquarters in Denmark and the U.S. headquarters in Connecticut, but in general it's a feature about AFOLs and the history and future of the LEGO company.

I did learn a lot about legos. First off, you never call them "legos." LEGO is the brand, and should only be used as an adjective as in "LEGO building blocks" or "LEGO kits," or in reference to the company itself. After reading 300 pages of correct usage, I'm probably a convert and will be annoyed by everyone else's incorrect use from here on out.

I think that this book would definitely appeal to adults who play with or collect LEGO, but also to anyone who remembers LEGO fondly from their childhood. Reading this book made me happy that my son's collection is steadily growing, and honestly makes me look forward to tackling bigger projects with him.

This book could definitely be a popular Father's Day gift -- from a grown son who remembered building LEGO with his dad, or to a new father who has the opportunity to legitimize his LEGO play once again. But then again, the whole idea behind LEGO: A Love Story is that LEGO can appeal to adults in a completely unique (and legitimate) way.

This book is an exploration of AFOL (Adult Fans of Lego) and their relationships with each other and the LEGO company. This storyline is meshed with the authors own exploration of LEGO as an adult and the struggles of his wife and himself to conceive a child. He neatly mirrors the issues of LEGO as a child's toy and LEGO as an adult interest with his own life.

The author, Jonathan Bender, travels to LEGO conventions, to the LEGO headquarters and to such places as Legoland in order to explore how adults relate to LEGO. He describes the politics behind the relationship of the Lego company to its' adult fans and the manner in which many adults acquire and use Lego. The book is sometimes very funny but also in some ways depressing and a little hard to understand if you are not a die hard Lego fan. For example, apparently when Lego changed the grey and brown brick colors to slightly different shades this created an outrage in the adult Lego community. I suppose that unless you are very invested in Lego, this seems rather hard to comprehend and a little dispiriting.

I had thought perhaps that my own son, 14 years old and a fan of Lego, might be interested in the book. However, it is really written for adults. There are some photos, but not many, and the book really would not appeal to kids as a good part of it is devoted to the authors relationship with his wife and their attempts to start a family.

Overall, an interesting book if you are an adult fan of Lego. I would not call myself an AFOL, although I have been known to play with my kids collection (especially Mindstorms), so I am not entirely neutral about Lego.

In summary, a good book about Lego for adults, if you have some interest in Lego yourself.

This book could have been so great. The subject matter is great, and the author is impassioned and engaging, keeping things moving along briskly even when he is recounting such inane details as ancillary sales figures from the mid-1990s for a spin-off of the main Lego toy line.

The problem is that Bender is a bit too close to the subject. He obviously loves Lego, but, more than that, he loves people who love Lego. He wants to join their clubs, go to their meetings, learn the secret handshake. He inserts himself in the narrative a bit too much, making it into something that I didn't expect. You see, the love story isn't a love story between a man and a brick. It is between a man and his childhood.

Why do grown adults love Lego? Is it the creativity? The ability to build almost anything? Sure. The book highlights some amazing Lego creations, and points to some websites that feature new wonders on a daily basis. It talks about the joy of pulling Lego bricks apart, the pain of searching for that one perfect piece that YOU JUST SAW 5 MINUTES AGO, the camaraderie of going to a Lego convention and talking shop with other people who are as passionate as you are about Lego. In a lot of ways, it's like any other hobby.

And that is where the book falls short. Bender adopts a tone that reminds me of a local newspaper's Weekend section, talking about an interesting subject but keeping it at the strictly "puff-piece" level. He reports the facts, gets lots of names written down, documents what he sees. But he never asks deeper questions. A Lego fan is mentioned as being something of an iconoclast for allowing the public to view his works in progress. There is controversy over weather the unwashed masses should be allowed more than a token admittance to a Lego convention since they "don't understand." A man fills basements full of bricks that he individually bags for resale online. An artist is reviled by the "Adult Fan of Lego" community for doing the most interesting Lego creation of all described in the book: Lego Auschwitz. There are great stories here, opportunities to dig deeper and really explore what appeals to people who make Lego such a large part of their lives.

Bender doesn't ever question anything(except the Lego Auschwitz, which he describes as "destroying his childhood"). It's clear why Bender doesn't ask any hard questions. He loves these people, he idolizes them. He wishes that he had begun his devotion to Lego much, much earlier so he wouldn't feel like such a late bloomer.

Still, the subject matter is really fascinating, and I love Lego as much as the next guy(though apparently not as much as these guys), so I was captivated from start to finish. But I left just feeling empty. It seems like a Wikipedia article might have more depth.

Also, every time Bender referred to Lego fans as "AFOL" I cringed and threw up a little in my mouth.

If Lego was ever a part of your life as a kid, and you have fond memories of playing with it, then you will likely enjoy this book. For me, as someone who used Lego almost exclusively as a kid and now has children who love Lego, this book was a great way to revisit that part of my past and further rekindle my interest in that amazing product.

I found the book to be an easy and enjoyable read--a lot of fun. I also learned a lot in the process.

The book chronicles the author's journey as he rediscovers his love for Lego, and as he learns the culture of an Adult Fan Of Lego (AFOL). The chapters recount his visits to AFOL conventions, museums, Legoland, and Lego's offices. Interspersed with these events are interesting bits of Lego history, facts, assorted tips (for example, the purchase of a bag of wheels at a Lego convention is considered a "sucker's buy"), and Lego and AFOL-related terms.

In good journalistic fashion he explains the origins of the modern-day AFOL culture, and looks into many of its facets, both good and not so good.

On top of this he gives us a window into his personal life, as he describes his efforts to resume building with Lego (and the results--with pictures!) and the effect this growing interest (addiction?) to Lego has on his personal and family life.

Definitely worth the read. When done, on your next visit to the store you may find yourself lingering in the Lego section of the toy aisle....

Just before my eldest child turned one, my husband and I were in a toy store looking for presents. He wanted to buy her LEGO bricks. After reading this book, I think Bender would understand.

Coming from the first generation of kids to play with LEGO, these plastic bricks have a romantic fascination for me. I'm not alone in this. Beginning from a vague interest in the world of AFOL (Adult Friends of LEGO), Bender explores the world of fans, collectors, and the LEGO corporation itself.

I was fascinated, the stories are great, the writing is wonderful, and I loved every minute of reading it. That the story of LEGO is a love story is exactly right. When people talk about LEGO they smile, remembering their own fun with it. Even if their bricks are forgotten in the back of a closet someplace, they remember, they love, and they smile.

Parallel with Bender's growing love of LEGO is another love story, that of his and his wife's efforts to have a child. This forms a subplot of the book, which is a nice counterpoint to the LEGO story.

Bender has a real gift for making the stories he tells interesting. I can't put my finger on how he does it, but the ordinary and extraordinary people whose stories he tells are all great. Everyone in my family who has seen me reading the book wants to read it. In my book-obsessed household, this is a first.

Early in LEGO: A Love Story, I found myself wondering about author Jonathan Bender's narrative. It is easy to grasp the themes of his book; exploration of the world of Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOL), from the conventions to the build challenges to the interesting people that make up the LEGO community; a well researched look inside LEGO, from the corporate headquarters to the LEGOLAND amusement parks; a personal odyssey as one person attempts to rekindle his love of LEGO and building with bricks while trying to build something more - a family. However, the early chapters seemed choppy. Bender's central idea within a chapter made sense, but he would include some passages that did not seem to fit. Suspect editing is how I rationalized the early chapters because once I started on the latter half of the book, it flowed much better and I was rewarded with a much better book. A book that rekindled my own fascination with LEGO bricks, love of building, and a need to share the LEGO experience with my own in-house LEGO builder, one whom has not succumbed to the Dark Ages (the period of time when a person does not play with LEGO bricks, usually starting at age 13. Many do not recover from this period and never build with LEGO bricks again.).

Contents: Acknowledgements; Back to School; I Need a Playroom; My First Con; Stealing from a Thief; Color Changes Everything; Brick Separation Anxiety; Pink Skulls; Everything a Princess Could Wish For; I Go On a Playdate; I Give My Wife a Beach House; The Stranger Side of Building; A Man and his Museum; It's Okay, I Work Here; Becoming a Brickmaster; Danish Rocky and a Real Star Wars Expert; A Guest in LEGO's House; Protectors of the Brand; Good Luck, Boys, That Thing is Heavy; Building Blind and the Dirty Brickster; Children Not Included; Kate the Builder; You Can Go Home Again; There is no "I" in LEGO; Miniland Dad; Epilogue; Index

The first half of LEGO: A Love Story is the author's reintroduction into the LEGO world; connecting with AFOL's, visiting LEGO conventions and museums, interviewing LEGO artists and master builders, and learning to build. It is a world not unlike others where adults gather around a common interest but this one includes the author's own feeble attempts at building. Thankfully, Jonathan Bender is not a master builder, there is a lot of comedy to mine from his early attempts and, unbelievably, he includes pictures of his early builds. Bender may not be proud of his horse, but at least he has the humility to include a picture of it. It is a testament to would-be LEGO builders everywhere that, yes, there is someone worse than you. However, once you gaze upon it, you cannot help but go looking for your long forgotten LEGO bricks; after all, *I* can build better than that. I think that is what drives the early chapters of the book, Bender is recalling his own childhood, and through him, the reader is as well. The common element of most childhoods is the LEGO brick.

The early chapters, while very good at moving the narrative along, seemed to lose focus on the overall message of a chapter; thoughts and anecdotes were inserted in apparently haphazard fashion. It is as if Bender did not want to leave any of his notes on the cutting room floor. However, that particular issue does not permeate the latter chapters. Tight editing and excellent insights result in a very enjoyable chronical of one person's immersion into LEGO.

While LEGO: A Love Story is, of course, focused on AFOL's, LEGO, and the building of a family, it is the interaction between LEGO and the AFOL's that provides valuable insight into any community outside of a corporation. Whether the community is involved in a particular software, hardware, car club, or whatever, it is fascinating to see how LEGO uses, ignores, promotes, and watches the fans of their product.

This book had the desired effect on one reader; the need to build something using LEGO bricks. Also, there will be some summer trips involving a certain museum in Ohio and a LEGO convention. It cannot be helped - this book will reawaken the child in you.

Disclosure:
Obtained from: Bookstore
Payment: Purchased

Okay, I confess I like books about subcultures of obsessed geeks - they appeal to my inner geekiness. So, this one had some natural appeal built in. It also had some appeal because of my 12-year old nephew who has been a rabid fan of Lego's since he was five. Through him, I've bought endless sets, help put them together, visited Legoland and Lego stores, and listened to him as he examined lego sets from Bionicles and Star Wars to Power Miners and NXT to decide where to best spend his allowance. So, I could picture him years from now as one of the Adult Fans of Lego (AFOL's) that Bender explores.

But, putting aside those appeals to try to give a more objective review - here's my thoughts on the ups and downs of the book.

- Bender does a great job of exploring all the various players and elements of this world - from those at the Lego company themselves to different types of designers and builders on to the cottage industry owners that have sprung up to feed the obsession.

- For me, the first part of the book, as he begins involving himself in the world of AFOL's and starting to build with Legos again, was the most interesting. Not that there aren't some highlights later on like visiting Lego HQ's or building with his Dad. But, occassionally later on he starts dipping off into explanations of creations and sets in a way that is probably best reserved for sharing only with others that have the same level of obsession, not the casual reader. (Those parts reminded me of listening to my nephew in the toy aisle - but taken to the nth degree.)

- The real gems of this book aren't as much his tale of becoming an AFOL - as the interesting characters he meets along the way and the insights he provides about their world - things like the horror of many AFOL's at how LEGO's changed their instructions, the debate between using only official Lego pieces or not, the aftermarket for Legos and different types of ways they compete.

Bottom Line: If you like Lego's, know someone obsessed with them or just want to explore an unusual subculture - you'll enjoy this read.

I had lego growing up, and I STILL have my 18 gallon tub of lego today. I have gotten it out and played with them all throughout my life too, even when I didn't have kids. This book appealed to me because it gave me confirmation that even as an adult I'm not alone in my love of lego.

The story itself is interspersed with lego factoids and photos, which is probably the main reason it held my attention the way it did. The story itself to me was almost secondary - although I found it charming and entertaining. The real power in this book is speaking directly to those of us who have a strong bond to lego, but may not have known about the whole lego world of adult fans out there.

This book did make me feel compelled to drag out my lego set and start building again. But that's ok because now I know I am not weird for wanting to still play with my lego sets, and if I happen to buy another couple sets for myself - I don't have to feel guilty for not being a kid. I can now say it's a hobby - so long as I don't overtake my whole house!

I was thrilled that this book came out just months after I started getting "into" LEGO again, this time as an adult. In the book, author Jonathan Bender decides to take up his former childhood hobby, while simultaneously encouraging his wife to become a fan. Bender spends about a year doing major research, including interviews with adult fans and a trip to view manufacturing in Denmark. He reports on his experiences in a humorous, self-deprecating tone. In other words, he's not a newbie know-it-all. He's someone who readily admits to not knowing much about the hobby, but being eager to learn.

While some might protest over this being written by someone without all the proper credentials, I enjoyed reading a book by a person coming back to LEGO as a former child fan and now a beginner, because that serves to capture the wonder and curiosity that someone new to a hobby has. It isn't assumed that the reader would (or even should) know everything. Instead, I was able to learn alongside the author.

What you won't get in this book are building tips, building plans, and the like. Instead, the tone is somewhat like a diary, as if you are following someone over about a year's time who is rediscovering an old love. Bender's enthusiasm of the topic is palpable. If you like LEGO, it will rub off on you.

Despite all the LEGO topics, there's also a side theme of him and his wife hoping for a baby. I don't want to say anything too critical since I really enjoyed the book overall, but I'm not sure the topics necessarily fit together. Trying to meld the two seems a little forced at times, and I'm unsure all LEGO fans will enthusiastically follow along with the tangent. It almost seems as if this topic could have been kept for a sequel about families sharing LEGO through the generations, rather than being in a book about adult fans of LEGO.

Overall, this is an entertaining and energetic look at not only the LEGO company, but also the adult fans who wish to be--and, it turns out, are--an accepted part of it.