How to Be a Family

by Dan Kois
How to Be a Family cover
Good Books rating 4.17
Travel and Adventure
Technical:
  • ID: 2031
  • Added: 2025-10-11
  • Updated: 2025-10-11
  • ISBN: 9780316552622
  • Publisher: Little, Brown
  • Published: 2019-09-17
  • Reviews: 3

In this heartwarming and humorous memoir, Dan Kois, a Slate editor, takes his family on a year-long journey around the world to break free from their busy, distracted lives and find a new way to be a family. From New Zealand to the Netherlands, Costa Rica, and small-town Kansas, the Kois family experiences diverse cultures and lifestyles, interviewing locals and experts to understand what makes families thrive. The book is a blend of personal anecdotes, cultural insights, and a quest for connection, offering readers a unique perspective on family dynamics and the universal search for happiness together. How to Be a Family is not just a travelogue but a deeply personal exploration of family life. Dan Kois shares the challenges and joys of raising children in a fast-paced world, blending his journalistic skills with his family's adventures. The memoir is filled with wit, empathy, and a touch of whining, making it a relatable and engaging read for anyone who has ever wondered if the grass is greener on the other side of the world.

Reviews
Los Angeles Times · 2121-01-22
insightful 4.50

The reviewer finds the memoir insightful and timely, highlighting the family's methodical approach to travel.

This memoir chronicles the Kois family's year-long journey across four countries, exploring themes of family, travel, and personal growth. The reviewer praises the book's insightfulness and its unexpected relevance to current times.

Quick quotes

    But in Kois' telling the family methodically spends three months apiece in Costa Rica, New Zealand, Kansas and the Netherlands.

    Insightful as it is, the book is also a strangely timely pitch for personal risk.

    The fractious, loving Kois family goes in search of other places on the map that might offer them the life they desire.

Outside Online · 1919-09-06
balanced 4.00

The reviewer appreciates the book's unvarnished perspective on family travel.

This memoir offers a candid look at family travel, presenting both the joys and challenges of exploring the world with children. The reviewer values the honest portrayal of the Kois family's experiences.

Quick quotes

    'How to Be a Family' and 'Uncharted' give unvarnished views of family travel from two very different perspectives.

    The fractious, loving Kois family goes in search of other places on the map that might offer them the life they desire.

    A hilarious and honest book about how wherever you (and your kids) go, there you (and their screens) are.

3boys3billionbooks.com · 1919-08-22
enjoyable 4.00

The reviewer enjoyed the book from start to finish but admits it may not significantly change their parenting approach.

This memoir follows the Kois family as they travel the world, seeking new experiences and perspectives on family life. The reviewer found the book engaging and heartfelt, though it didn't revolutionize their parenting strategies.

Quick quotes

    I enjoyed this one from beginning to end, and was actually kind of sad when it was over.

    Will it greatly change the way I parent? Probably not.

    The fractious, loving Kois' go in search of other places on the map that might offer them the life they desire.

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