Lisa Brennan-Jobs

A frank, smart and captivating memoir by the daughter of Apple founder Steve Jobs. Born on a farm and named in a field by her parents—artist Chrisann Brennan and Steve Jobs—Lisa Brennan-Jobs’s childhood unfolded in a rapidly changing Silicon Valley. When she was young, Lisa’s father was a mythical figure who was rarely present in her life. As she grew older, her father took an interest in her, ushering her into a new world of mansions, vacations, and private schools. His attention was thrilling, but he could also be cold, critical and unpredictable. When her relationship with her mother grew strained in high school, Lisa decided to move in with her father, hoping he’d become the parent she’d always wanted him to be. Small Fry is Lisa Brennan-Jobs’s poignant story of childhood and growing up. Scrappy, wise, and funny, young Lisa is an unforgettable guide, marveling at the particular magic of growing up in this family, in this place and time, while grappling with her feelings of illegitimacy and shame. Part portrait of a complex family, part love letter to California in the seventies and eighties, Small Fry is an enthralling story by an insightful new literary voice.

A Memoir

Small Fry

A NEW YORK TIMES AND NEW YORKER TOP 10 BOOK OF THE YEAR "Beautiful, literary, and devastating."--New York Times Book Review * "Revelatory."--Entertainment Weekly * "A masterly Silicon Valley gothic."--Vogue *"Mesmerizing, discomfiting reading... A book of no small literary skill."--New Yorker * "Extraordinary... An aching, exquisitely told story."--People * "The sleeper critical hit of the season."--Vulture A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR NPR, AMAZON, GQ, VOGUE (UK), BUSTLE, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, AND INDIGO Born on a farm and named in a field by her parents―artist Chrisann Brennan and Steve Jobs―Lisa Brennan-Jobs's childhood unfolded in a rapidly changing Silicon Valley. When she was young, Lisa's father was a mythical figure who was rarely present in her life. As she grew older, her father took an interest in her, ushering her into a new world of mansions, vacations, and private schools. His attention was thrilling, but he could also be cold, critical and unpredictable. When her relationship with her mother grew strained in high school, Lisa decided to move in with her father, hoping he'd become the parent she'd always wanted him to be. Part portrait of a complex family, part love letter to California in the seventies and eighties, Small Fry is a poignant coming-of-age story from one of our most exciting new literary voices. Praise for Small Fry "An intimate, richly drawn portrait... The reader of this exquisite memoir is left with a loving, forgiving remembrance and the lasting impression of a resilient, kindhearted and wise woman who is at peace with her past."--San Francisco Chronicle "A heartbreaking memoir, beautifully rendered...It's a love story for the father that she had, flaws and all... A wise, thoughtful, and ultimately loving portrayal of her father."--Seattle Times

Pamela Koh

This was more heartbreaking than I thought it would be. I've also never read memoirs with such beautiful prose. Easy read.

Katherine Yang

Insightful and honest. The review featured on the cover by Phillip Lopate calls it "clear-eyed" and "unsentimental", adjectives of which I was reminded each time I picked up the book. What a man; what a daughter.

Cristian Garcia

Un libro nostálgico. Lo leía en las mañanas mientras iba al trabajo en tren. Avanzaba rápido pero durante varias partes del día recordaba pasajes del libro. 
Sentí y vi un ángulo distinto en el cual un padre y una hija viven una relación que vi con mis amigos creciendo. De hecho, sentí que la historia era muy cercana y cotidiana. Era extraño pensar que el papá de la historia fuese Steve Jobs. Me gustó mucho la historia, aunque extrañe los años de adultez de Lisa.

Andy Sporring

linda

I've been wanting to read this book for a while now, especially after seeing it in bookstores and on Conor's Goodreads feed. I read Small Fry out of pure curiosity. I told myself that it would provide a good contrast to the Walter Isaacson biography I read a few months age. But really, reading this book was not far from a few hours spent on a tabloid. 

Despite his acumen, as a father, Steve Jobs was abusive at worst, absent at best. Maybe his business success came at the cost of interpersonal relationships. Lisa grew up in the Bay Area during the 80's with a single mother and distant father. She had to simultaneously straddle two very different worlds: as the daughter of one of the richest men in the world and a struggling artist who never had financial stability. As a reader, I could sense her incredible loneliness. 

Lisa writes about how her mother claimed that she could read palms to predict the future, when in fact, she claimed that ability to sustain herself and her daughter. "You needed the right stories. We needed to get to a radically different place from where we were. I didn’t know how else to get us there, besides stories. And anyway, the things I was saying—they were true.” Wealth doesn't always beget happiness. Resilience and hope do.

Ri Liu

A reminder to all the shitty men in your lives, that they will not always get the last word.

Queena Li

An emotional, worthwhile read. Read this book if you like: subtle family drama, vignettes of withholding people, This is Us, coming-of-age stories.

A frank, smart and captivating memoir by the daughter of Apple founder Steve Jobs. Born on a farm and named in a field by her parents—artist Chrisann Brennan and Steve Jobs—Lisa Brennan-Jobs’s childhood unfolded in a rapidly changing Silicon Valley. When she was young, Lisa’s father was a mythical figure who was rarely present in her life. As she grew older, her father took an interest in her, ushering her into a new world of mansions, vacations, and private schools. His attention was thrilling, but he could also be cold, critical and unpredictable. When her relationship with her mother grew strained in high school, Lisa decided to move in with her father, hoping he’d become the parent she’d always wanted him to be. Small Fry is Lisa Brennan-Jobs’s poignant story of a childhood spent between two imperfect but extraordinary homes. Scrappy, wise, and funny, young Lisa is an unforgettable guide through her parents' fascinating and disparate worlds. Part portrait of a complex family, part love letter to California in the seventies and eighties, Small Fry is an enthralling book by an insightful new literary voice.

Jennifer Hail

Honestly, reading this book was difficult at first because it made me sad…possibly because I related to some aspects from Lisa’s childhood, but maybe more so because getting a close-up view of Steve Jobs—the man I previously idolized—looked nothing like the products he’s famous for creating. I felt for Lisa through all of her frustrations and difficulties with her parents. The yearning for love and belonging from her father. The arguments with her mother. So, finally reaching the end felt like a relief. But after all of that, I would still recommend this book.

Emily

I'm still in awe of how honest and unbiased this memoir managed to be. Nothing was glorified or spun in the author (or her father's!) favor. People say Steve Jobs was a genius and therefore must be admired, and others say he was a terrible father and shouldn't be praised. Lisa Brennan-Jobs shows us how he was a little bit of both. How his genius and his communication skills acted inversely.

I would definitely recommend giving this one a go and seeing Jobs through a new lens, one not warped in any way.

Lisa Miller

The Gilmore Girls if Lorelei and Rory lived on the West Coast close to Rory's dad and without her grandparents close by. In other words f*cked up. While her mother wasn't a saint her dad, Steve Jobs, was a real prick.

Wiktoria Balcerak

It's a beautiful book. The author knows how to use her words to paint interesting pictures. It's definitely not a book about Steve Jobs, he's just one of the main characters but it's a book about growing up and understanding yourself and your parents' decisions.

Jeremy Cote

I thought this was a great book. Brennan-Jobs writes very well, and I found myself connected to her story as she grew up. This is a book about a young girl growing up, and it gave me an interesting perspective on childhood.

I highly recommend listening to her podcast conversation with Craig Mod for extra context.

Small Fry A Memoir

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