I really hope I was not the only person who felt offended while
reading this book. This is a rare thing that happens for me, and
only happened once (Wetlands, Charlotte Roche) before.
I had read so many good things about Go The F*** To Sleep that,
even though I don't have children, I just had to give it a read.
First I read the book and felt like I missed something, and then I
listened to the audiobook. The only redeeming quality for the story
is the fact that Samuel L. Jackson does the reading for the
audiobook and the contrasts between his voice, the story, and the
music that's going on in the background is priceless.
The story is about a child who, obviously, won't go to sleep and
will go to any means to stay up-ask for water, another story, to go
to the bathroom, etc. Irritating to new parents, no doubt, though
I'm sure not all kids are like this (and don't even try to say they
are-I've heard stories, don't get me wrong!).
While I appreciated the audiobook to some extent, the story just
didn't do it for me. Yes, I've been around kids who don't want to
go to bed at night-so don't think that I don't know what it feels
like-but this story isn't for everyone. Not everyone feels the urge
to swear at their kids and go crazy because their kid won't go to
sleep. Not everyone "gets" the same one-dimensional type of humor
that is this book. Not everyone finds the over-usage of f***
hilarious. I sure didn't.
Personally, I didn't see it as a refreshing read, as so many have
touted it to be, I saw it as offensive and something I wouldn't
want my (nonexistent) children to accidentally find. If anything,
the story could've made its rounds as an email complete with
pictures, and maybe an audio attached-as a story book (which is at
least $10), and something you'd only laugh at once during the
initial read, it seems like a cash-cow.
I'm sure it would be a great read for some parents, but honestly,
past the first few pages, the gimmick gets old and it's just too
repetitive. There may have been a huge hype going over the book
when it first came out, but, as I said, it's a quick way for the
authors to make money, and both the language and content will not
be for every set of new parents.