Rating: 
Summary: Mixed feelings
Review: It really was a pleasure to read about the extravagant affection and regard that Ben Stein has for his son, and the anecdotes were enjoyable and heartwarming. I have never read a book that conveys such feelings so effectively, and for that I am very glad I took the time to read it.I can't say I agree with some of Ben's parenting philosophy -- the unlimited indulgence of his son's desire to shop seems unwise. Ben defends this practice fairly eloquently, but I am still of the mind that _all_ vices are destructive in some way. Giving a vice free rein because it is not as dangerous as some others can still have undesirable consequences. But this is a minor issue, really, so I only subtract 1/4 star from five stars for that! More importantly for me, I was left feeling confused about the relationship between Mr. Stein and his wife. He does make a point of saying that parenting is a job best done by a mother and a father, but the rest of the book is spent describing ! ! very long stretches of time that he spends alone with his son. His wife is simply not an active character in this book, which is otherwise populated with about twenty other characters who are actually given dialog, and action, and intent. There was a situation involving a woman and her son that seemed downright creepy to me (a situation from which I literally would have run away). Admittedly, I have never lived a life of fame in which characters like this appear in my life, but it seemed like an unstable situation that, for his son's benefit, would have been better avoided. Maybe something just got lost in the transliteration of this event, so I'll just leave my comments at that. Despite the absence of his wife as a character in the book, it _is_ quite clearly described as a book about a father and a son, so I give the book four stars overall.
Rating:
Summary: A good book for soon to be dads to read
Review: This is a good book to read for men who are or who will be dads. It highlights the importance of being a good dad, especially being a good dad, and role model, for a son. I did not like Stein's constant patting himself on the back for his being a good dad - that was his responsibility when he adopted Tommy. Nonetheless, a good read. One think Ben Stein needed to do for Tommy, which I did not pick up on, was to be a good husband to Tommy's mom.
Rating: 
Summary: A Skewed Vision Of Fatherhood
Review: While I truly admire Ben Stein, and have no doubt how much he loves his son, his description of his life with Tommy and his Mom seems awfully shallow. Nannies? Houses on both Malibu Beach and up in the canyons? Parents who seem to never see each other, even though they are married? Not a lifestyle (or description of family life) that many Americans of average means could understand, let alone empathize with. Ben Stein writes from an incredibly privleged perspective. I respect his intellect enough to believe he knows this, but after reading "Tommy & Me," I'm not sure.
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