No Biking in the House Without a Helmet

By: Melissa Fay Greene

Narrated by: Coleen Marlo

Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

When the two-time National Book Award finalist Melissa Fay Greene confided to friends that she and her husband planned to adopt a four-year-old boy from Bulgaria to add to their four children at home, the news threatened to place her, she writes, "among the greats: the Kennedys, the McCaughey septuplets, the von Trapp family singers, and perhaps even Mrs. Feodor Vassilyev, who, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, gave birth to 69 children in eighteenth-century Russia." Greene is best known for her books on the civil rights movement and the African HIV/AIDS pandemic. But Melissa and her husband have also pursued a more private vocation: parenthood.

,p>When the number of children hit nine, Greene took a break from reporting. She trained her journalist's eye upon events at home. Fisseha was riding a bike down the basement stairs; out on the porch, a squirrel was sitting on Jesse's head; vulgar posters had erupted on bedroom walls; the insult niftam (the Amharic word for "snot") had led to fistfights; and four non-native-English-speaking teenage boys were researching, on Mom's computer, the subject of "saxing." "At first I thought one of our trombone players was considering a change of instrument," writes Greene. "Then I remembered: they can’t spell." Using the tools of her trade, she uncovered the true subject of the "saxing" investigation, inspiring the chapter "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, but Couldn’t Spell." A celebration of parenthood; an ingathering of children, through birth and out of loss and bereavement; a relishing of moments hilarious and enlightening---No Biking in the House Without a Helmet is a loving portrait of a unique twenty first-century family as it wobbles between disaster and joy.

©2011 Melissa Fay Greene (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"An upbeat chronicle of a life that has been lived on the bright side of the road, its ruts beveled by naked love." (Kirkus)

Heartwarming

Any additional comments?

The author shared the joys and the agonies of mothering nine children, five of them adopted as children from other countries. I learned what it's like to raise so many children and felt like a relative slacker with only three children. I also learned about other countries and cultures and adoption. The book is heartwarming, funny, and fast-paced. It's a great listen.

Great story of family changes

I enjoyed and laughed at this witty and thought-provoking autobiography from Greene. As a parent, including of a son born and adopted in Ethiopia, it is always a wonderful thing to see how other parents deal with the trials and joys of parenting in general and raising adopted children in particular. I feel a little that I should feel "guilty" at only have a family with 2 children, after reading about this family of 9. I especially admire Greene's honesty, not just crowing about the child who excels at sports or academics, but describing the difficulties with the kids who do not excel at certain things, or who break rules and refuse to admit their guilt, or who get in endless battles with their siblings. It seems honest and the mother's admission that she couldn't handle some of these things alone brings out my sympathies.

With a title like this, how can you go wrong?

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! With so many people viewing children as a burden, this story treats them as the precious gifts they are. It is hilarious, heartwarming, and makes your heart break for the children who do not receive the little things we westerners so often take for granted

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of the children. I felt like I got to know them as though they were part of my family - warts and all

What about Coleen Marlo’s performance did you like?

Her ability to insert whit, humor, and even funny animal sounds... all without sounding like a 3rd grade teacher.. top notch!

Any additional comments?

This book was an incredible look at an unconvential typical American family... The title caught my eye, and the book itself did not disappoint. If you are thinking of adoption, or are interested at all in the subject of large families, this book is perfect.

Different than expected but better

The beginning was different than expected with the post-adoption thing but as I thought about it, I think it’s to be expected. Everything isn’t going to be all sunshine and rainbows but you figure out each other’s quirks and work with it. I loved this book.