Small Fry
By Lisa Brennan-Jobs
Published 2018
Read May 2019
This is a memoir by the daughter of Steve Jobs which this reader read for a book club discussion. Absent that reason, this reader likely would not have read it nor finished it if she started it. The goals of the author weren’t entirely clear. Certainly, this reader learned about the details of the relationship between Steve Job and her mother—involved in their early twenties until the mother conceives; Jobs doesn’t acknowledge paternity; mother raises daughter alone; mother gets some help from Jobs when she has no money. We also learn about Jobs relationship with his daughter—does sort of admit paternity but doesn’t accept a role as a father or much of a provider; allows her to live in his house occasionally but provides little for her even then; excludes her when he has a new family with a new woman in his life. In many ways it’s a book about Steve Jobs more than anything else. The author sometimes almost takes the role of defender and other times details his poor treatment of her. This reader doesn’t feel like she learned all that much about the author herself aside from the fact that her father was Steve Jobs. So, if you are looking for a tell-all about how Steve Jobs treated his daughter and her mother, this book provides some of that. If you are looking for insights on the outcome of such a childhood, this reader isn’t sure you will find it here. This reader certainly wishes the author all the best in the future; she certainly had a sad start.
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