Structure

The book is divided into 13 essays, each with their own important lessons and short anecdotes. Each essay’s title begins with “What you need to know about…” followed by the theme of that essay. The story that follows, sometimes in a convoluted in an indirect fashion, looks to draw attention to a certain teaching point Backman hopes to instill in his son. While these lessons might never be grasped by his son, but Backman hopes that one day, when he is mature enough, his son will appreciate the hardships and sacrifices he made.

The book jumps around from thought to thought without much continuity. Each section has one long form essay, followed by a series of short, self-contained anecdotes. The stories are told in the first-person by Backman himself, and addressed to his newborn son. He also often mentions his wife in a loving manner, but only...