The Lunch-Box Chronicles: Notes from the Parenting Underground [Hardcover]

Marion Winik (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 1998

"For me, parenting is like dieting.  Every day, I wake up filled with resolve and good intentions, perfection in view, and every day I somehow stray from the path.  The difference is with dieting, I usually make it to lunch. . . ."

With the open and often hilarious voice we have come to expect from Marion Winik, here is a refreshing, insightful journey that takes us through the mishaps and serendipity, tumult and quiet, that make up daily life in raising a family.  
        When Winik's husband died in 1994, she was left not only with her grief, but also with the care of her two sons and with the task of rebuilding all their lives. Part memoir, part survival guide, The Lunch-Box Chronicles is a wholly engaging revelation of the philosophy of parenting that grew out of her experience, where boys (ages seven and nine) will be the boys they are, and a "good-enough mom" is actually good enough.
        Taking us from the morning scramble to get the boys off to school to the good-night kisses when (at last!) they are asleep, Winik takes on the difficult subjects of everyday life, from sex and drugs to what to make for dinner, all with
affection and insight, but with her laser-sharp humor and sense of irony firmly in place.  

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Take Erma Bombeck, add the obsessions of a single mother with two boys under the age of 10, lace with a mild streak of wildness, and you have Marion Winik, as companionable a writer as a crazed parent ever found." So says the New York Times Book Review about this hilarious look at child rearing from NPR commentator Marion Winik. With the candidness of Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions, Winik never shies from sharing her "Bad Mommy" moments, for as every parent knows (and as is evidenced by her extensive instructions on conquering a mean case of head lice), the reality of parenting is not all cherubic kids sporting footie pajamas. As with her other compelling memoirs, Telling and First Comes Love, Winik lets it all hang out--sharing with readers not only the trials and joys of raising kids alone, but also debating in frank, funny terms the varied questions of being nude in front of your children, dealing with a "blended" family, and teaching kids about avoiding drugs when you've used them yourself. Parents (and anyone who has parents of their own) will appreciate the poignancy, honesty, and familiarity of this laugh-out-loud tribute to the enterprise of raising children. --Brangien Davis

From Booklist

Columnist and NPR commentator Winik wrote about her unusual marriage in First Comes Love (1996). After her husband Tony's death from AIDS, she was left alone to parent their two young sons, and this painfully honest, frequently funny collection of essays is based on her experiences. It is loosely arranged to follow Winik's routine from the morning scramble to get her boys off to school to her fainthearted attempts to get some work done to her children's bedtime rituals; she also manages to address blended families, her past major walk on the wild side and how much of that she should communicate to her sons, holidays from hell, and other topics close to a mother's heart. This book is better sampled than read straight through, for some readers might feel that some of this material would interest only members of Winik's immediate family. But at her best, such as in "Bad Mommy Days," Winik brings together in winning fashion her decidedly nonmainstream attitude, laugh-out-loud humor, and refreshing candor. Joanne Wilkinson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 229 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon; 1ST edition (March 31, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375401563
• ISBN-13: 978-0375401565
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,325,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hysterically funny and true to real life., October 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lunch-Box Chronicles: Notes from the Parenting Underground (Paperback)

Marion Winik never ceases to amaze me with her candid and heroically revealing writing. She can evoke so many emotions about diving into that great big pool of love we call 'Family'. As a nanny, I have had so many Mothers ask me, "Am I doing this right"? And, "Do you think I'm a good Mom"? I try to stay neutral and tell them that it doesn't matter what I think, it matters what THEY think. Then I reccomend Marion's book and I always get VERY positive feedback about it. If you're a Mom; past, present or future, this book will make you feel a whole lot better about all that that entails. Your life won't be complete until you read it!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Know Any Children ..., February 14, 2002

By 

Karen S. Kennedy (Great Falls, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lunch-Box Chronicles: Notes from the Parenting Underground (Paperback)

... whether they're yours or someone's else's, this book is for you. This insightful book tells it like it is -- everything you ever wanted to know about raising children, straight from the heart. If you read this and don't shed a tear, you're missing a big piece of humanity.