Geek Parenting: What Joffrey, Jor-El, Maleficent, and the McFlys Teach Us about Raising a Family

by Stephen H. Segal, Valya Dudycz Lupescu

Overview

Get parenting advice from geeky pop culture icons like The Addams Family’s Morticia and Black Panther’s T’Chaka in 97 entertaining mini-essays for parents who want to teach their kids to stay strong—and conquer the world.

It takes a starship to raise a child. Or a time machine. Or a tribe of elves. Fortunately, Geek Parenting offers all that and more, with thoughtful mini-essays that reveal profound child-rearing advice (and mistakes) from the most beloved tales of geek culture. 

Nerds and norms alike can take counsel from some of the most iconic parent–child pairings found in pop culture: Whether you’re raising an Amazon princess, a Jedi Padawan, a brooding vampire, or a standard-issue human child, Geek Parenting helps you navigate the ion storms, alternate realities, and endless fetch quests that come with being a parent.

Includes parenting experts from across time and space, such as:

• Luke and Darth Vader from Star Wars
• Peter Parker and Aunt May from Spider-Man
• Joffrey and Cersei from Game of Thrones
• Frodo and Bilbo from Lord of the Rings
• Thor, Loki, and Odin from Thor
• Spock, Sarek, and Amanda from Star Trek: The Original Series
• Claudia and Lestat from The Interview with the Vampire
• Bruce Wayne and Alfred from Batman
• Buffy and Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Orpheus and Morpheus from The Sandman
• Paul Atreides and Lady Jessica from Dune
• Kal-El and Jor-El from Superman
  
• Diana and Hippolyta from Wonder Woman
• Alexander and Worf from Star Trek: The Next Generation

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594748707
Publisher:	Quirk Publishing
Publication date:	04/05/2016
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Valya Dudycz Lupescu is raising three delightfully geeky children. Her debut novel, The Silence of Trees (Wolfsword Press), reached the Amazon Top 10 in historical fiction in 2011. She is founding editor of the literary journal Conclave: A Journal of Character and co-creator of the comic book Sticks and Bones.
 
Stephen H. Segal is the child of geeky parents, an award-winning editor, designer, and writer, and former editor in chief of Philadelphia Weekly. His revamp of Weird Tales magazine won a Hugo Award in 2009; his book Geek Wisdom: The Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture was published by Quirk in 2011.

Editorial Reviews

Taken altogether or enjoyed piecemeal, universal themes of trust, love, communication, cultural traditions, and identity shine through to encourage parents, be they geek or otherwise, as they navigate the wonderful, terrifying, challenging realm of parenthood.”—ForeWord
 
“[Geek Parenting] made me want to look at my favorite fandoms again in a new light, not solely for the entertainment value, but for the deeper lessons that I could glean from them.”—Reading for Sanity

“…this happy little book makes us realize nerds have been in our pop-culture hearts all along, and that we are among them…. Geek Parenting is a golden ticket to the nerd zeitgeist.” –Pittsburgh City Paper

“Geek Parenting is a fantastic book for parents looking to raise children today, and has some fabulous examples from Geek culture that everyone can comprehend.”—BioGamer Girl

“Taken altogether or enjoyed piecemeal, universal themes of trust, love, communication, cultural traditions, and identity shine through to encourage parents, be they geek or otherwise, as they navigate the wonderful, terrifying, challenging realm of parenthood.”—Foreword Reviews
 
“Whatever your geek passion is, Geek Parenting shows you how to use it to really get through to your kid. The Force is with you. And it is strong.”—Metro

“Segal and Lupescu…draw some fascinating conclusions from unlikely sources. This is an enjoyable light read for parents with an interest in popular culture.”– Booklist 

“Geek Parenting is here to help you raise your kids with tips and tricks from some of the nerd-world's most beloved parent-child pairs.” –Washington Parent 

From the Publisher