Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

A book everyone should read

Customer Rating:

This is a true story based on the life of Mark 'E' Everett, the man behind alt rock band Eels and is an absolutely beautiful read. The book follows his life from early childhood up to the present day, giving real insight into his personal life and the stories behind his albums, which invariably intertwine. This isn't your run-of-the-mill rock star biography about a troubled teen that pours out his anger and frustrations through his music and then finds fame. Instead, it's a dark, frank, humorous, sad, yet ultimately positive story about how difficult life and the music industry can be and how E has had to deal with both. His sincere honesty and genuine descriptions of the tragedies he has been confronted with during his life, and how he's dealt with them, really provoke an emotional reaction that I've not experienced from reading other books. It's difficult to express quite how tragic E's life has been, yet he manages to adopt a positive point of view that yes, it's been tough, but you know what, this means I'm really living my life and these trials are sent to make me stronger. The book really makes you think about how lucky you are and also about how to deal with and look at the positives of even the worst experiences. Eels fans will no doubt love 'Things the Grandchildren Should Know'; however I wasn't a huge Eels fan before reading this book and don't be put off if you're not familiar with his music. It really doesn't matter; however during or after reading the book, it's difficult not to listen to some of the songs that he talks about. My appreciation for Eels and E as a person have increased quite considerably since reading the book and now I'm a huge convert.

Simply ther best

Customer Rating:

I agree with the reviewers who say that this is the best rock biography ever written, but it is much more than that. Although E's family was clearly an unusual and pretty dysfunctional one, the story he tells about growing up in suburban America makes great reading even if he had never become a rock star and even if he hadn't had a famous quantum physicist father who invented the idea of parallel universes. It really ought to be made into a movie! Anyone who is interested in what America was like in the 1960s and 1970s will enjoy it even if they have never heard of Eels. It's certainly different from The Wonder Years.

Great even without the music	Customer Rating:
I don't agree with reviewers who say you need to be an Eels fan to enjoy this book. I barely knew Eels at all, and I came to the book because of my interest in quantum physics and Mark Everett's father (see, for example, In Search of Schrodinger's Cat). I found it to be a terrific read full of insights about growing up in America. And THEN I bought a couple of Eels albums, which are also great.

you need to buy this!

Customer Rating:

hands down the best book i have ever read in my life. a must have for any eels fan, this book will put you through every emotion possible, i am generally a very detached person but i had a tear in my eye when he writes about his sister and mother's death. if your not into emotional stuff dont be put off by that, this book made me laugh loads as it is full of witty antidotes which had me laughing out loud, this book adds even more meaning to all his songs and you understand where lyrics came from and what was going on in his life when he wrote them. It was such a great experience to hear "the chet" (eels guitarist) read out parts of the book when i went to see them live at the Birmingham town hall. A must have, i rate this very highly!!! (eels rock)

One of the best books I've ever read	Customer Rating:
He's always been one of the most honest lyricists and his writing here is no different. Unflinchingly blunt about the personal tragedies in his life and the seemingly countless misfortunes he has witnessed, he somehow weaves them all into a life-affirming and at times, blackly comic memoir. I love his music, his live shows are mesmerising and now I'm a fan of his book.