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Lisa Brennan-Jobs to Publish Memoir of Her Childhood With Steve Jobs and Chrisann Brennan

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Grove Press this week announced that Lisa Brennan-Jobs, the eldest daughter of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and artist Chrisann Brennan, is working on a memoir about her childhood spent between two imperfect but extraordinary parents. The news was first reported by the Associated Press.

lisa-brennan-jobs.jpg
Lisa Brennan-Jobs and Steve Jobs via BHW​

In the book, titled Small Fry, Brennan-Jobs recounts how Jobs was "rarely present" in the early years of her life, as he denied paternity. As she grew older, however, Jobs began to show an interest in her and apologized for his behavior.

The memoir's description notes that Jobs ushered his daughter into a "new world of mansions, vacations, and private schools." Brennan-Jobs was "thrilled" to receive attention from her father, but he could be "cold, critical and unpredictable" at times, echoing stories about his management style at Apple:
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.
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Brennan-Jobs, 39, graduated from Harvard University in 2000 and is now a professional writer. Jobs named the Apple Lisa, released one year before the original Macintosh, after her. She has three half-siblings, including Reed Jobs, Erin Jobs, and Eve Jobs, from Jobs's later marriage to Laurene Powell.

Small Fry is scheduled for release in September, according to the Associated Press and a listing on the HarperCollins Canada website.

Article Link: Lisa Brennan-Jobs to Publish Memoir of Her Childhood With Steve Jobs and Chrisann Brennan
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/03/16/lisa-brennan-jobs-writing-memoir-small-fry/
TL24 said:
Is it just me or does that look like Tom Cruise?
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Do you mean that picture of Steve or the pics of Lisa? I do see how her smile resembles that of Tom Cruise.

I think I might actually read this book. I’ve always been curious about how she was affected by such rejection so early in life and then a sudden acceptance. I had a similar cadence in my life with my dad because he came back from the Vietnam War a bit conflicted about having brought a child into a world he now loathed. As with Lisa, all’s well that ends well, but I am sorry she lost Steve well before she should have.
 
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Will.O.Bie said:
Most brilliant minds are "cold, critical, and unpredictable." I'm glad they had a relationship later on as daughters need their fathers to show them how men should treat them.
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I don't think that's necessarily true, it's just the image we're familiar with and thus what we notice. There are plenty of brilliant people out there who aren't jackasses or cold people inside, but that's not as newsworthy as the maverick genius stereotype.
 
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I wonder if this will also become a movie with Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, and Ripley Sobo?
 
My wife and I both have horrible fathers. If you're going to get a woman pregnant, you need to be prepared to put your life on hold. I couldn't imagine any scenario where I would abandon my daughter. Fathers who do this are *******s. There is no sugar coating it. We need to stop saying "But they're really successful, etc so it's okay." It is never okay. It is completely unacceptable, full stop.
 
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macduke said:
My wife and I both have horrible fathers. If you're going to get a woman pregnant, you need to be prepared to put your life on hold. I couldn't imagine any scenario where I would abandon my daughter. Fathers who do this are *******s. There is no sugar coating it. We need to stop saying "But they're really successful, etc so it's okay." It is never okay. It is completely unacceptable, full stop.
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I agree. Totally inexcusable.
 
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macduke said:
My wife and I both have horrible fathers. If you're going to get a woman pregnant, you need to be prepared to put your life on hold. I couldn't imagine any scenario where I would abandon my daughter. Fathers who do this are *******s. There is no sugar coating it. We need to stop saying "But they're really successful, etc so it's okay." It is never okay. It is completely unacceptable, full stop.
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Right on! No excuses. Thank you...
 
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macduke said:
My wife and I both have horrible fathers. If you're going to get a woman pregnant, you need to be prepared to put your life on hold. I couldn't imagine any scenario where I would abandon my daughter. Fathers who do this are *******s. There is no sugar coating it. We need to stop saying "But they're really successful, etc so it's okay." It is never okay. It is completely unacceptable, full stop.
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You can search far and wide for stories about Steve being a nice guy and not find any. This isn't an excuse for his legendary jerkatude, but does show how he treated his daughter for so many years as consistent with his attitude towards nearly everyone else with whom he came in contact.
 
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macduke said:
My wife and I both have horrible fathers. If you're going to get a woman pregnant, you need to be prepared to put your life on hold. I couldn't imagine any scenario where I would abandon my daughter. Fathers who do this are *******s. There is no sugar coating it. We need to stop saying "But they're really successful, etc so it's okay." It is never okay. It is completely unacceptable, full stop.
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I understand your emotions on this one, but as someone whose father was absent as a kid, I disagree. I’m glad I was raised by people who did so out of choice, than by someone who was coerced into being a dad out of a misplaced sense of “duty” or whatever. (And I think my dad’s a great guy, for what it’s worth)

People are complex, situations are complex, relationships are complex, lives are complex. Trying to hit everyone with simple “no exceptions” rules is not a recipe for a happy society.
 
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Most of these type of books tend to *Embellish* the truth quite a bit in order to make them more interesting and sell better.
However, I will still get this book and read it and hopefully enjoy it.:apple::)
 
I believe Steve was estranged from his birth parents as well. It probably affected his parenting.

Apple should get one of Steve’s kids to at least figurehead Apple (maybe during the keynotes). It could represent a new era for them.


GrumpyMom said:
Do you mean that picture of Steve or the pics of Lisa? I do see how her smile resembles that of Tom Cruise.

I think I might actually read this book. I’ve always been curious about how she was affected by such rejection so early in life and then a sudden acceptance. I had a similar cadence in my life with my dad because he came back from the Vietnam War a bit conflicted about having brought a child into a world he now loathed. As with Lisa, all’s well that ends well, but I am sorry she lost Steve well before she should have.
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macduke said:
My wife and I both have horrible fathers. If you're going to get a woman pregnant, you need to be prepared to put your life on hold. I couldn't imagine any scenario where I would abandon my daughter. Fathers who do this are *******s. There is no sugar coating it. We need to stop saying "But they're really successful, etc so it's okay." It is never okay. It is completely unacceptable, full stop.
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Gets the guest speaker platform out, hands the mic to Duke. Preach it, brother.

I wish her the very best in life.
 
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Kabeyun said:
Fine to sympathize with Lisa, although I don’t know if she’s looking for sympathy. But let’s not pile on with a character assassination of a man we’ve never met involving details we don’t know. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
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It’s her life and she can talk about it if she chooses. Also it’s her father so she knows more about his character than any of us.
 
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How much do I need to read if he was "rarely present"? What are the other aspects of her life that would compel someone to read about her?
 
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I'm going to refrain from calling this an attempt to cash in because:
1. She probably doesn't need the money
2. She's actually an accomplished writer
 
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