Cheaper by the Dozen

I'm sure that many of you haven't read this novel. A really bad comedy was made from the story several years ago, so you may at least recognize the title.

To skip to the good stuff, let's just borrow Wikipedia's summary section on the book itself:

"Cheaper by the Dozen is a biographical book written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey that tells the story of time and motion study and efficiency experts Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth, and their twelve children. The book focuses on the many years the family resided in Montclair, New Jersey. It was adapted to film by Twentieth Century Fox in 1950.

The title comes from one of Frank Sr.'s favorite jokes: it often happened that when he and his family were out driving and stopped at a red light, a pedestrian would ask, "Hey, Mister! How come you got so many kids?" Gilbreth would pretend to ponder the question carefully, and then, just as the light turned green, would say, "Well, they come cheaper by the dozen, you know," and drive off.

In real life, the Gilbreths' second eldest child, Mary, died of diphtheria at age six. The book does not explicitly explain the absence of Mary Gilbreth; it was not until the sequel, Belles on Their Toes, was published that her death is mentioned in a footnote.

Belles on Their Toes, published in 1950, outlines the family's adventures after Frank Sr.'s death in 1924. Belles on Their Toes was also made into a movie, starring Jeanne Crain and Myrna Loy, in 1952. This film focuses on the lives of Mrs. Gilbreth and her children."

Essentially, Frank Gilbreth's life work is to increase efficiency both in businesses and in his own family. He eliminates unnecessary steps or movements to maximize profits. The allure of the novel is that Frank took his work home, and used the same logic in managing his twelve children.

This book is a gimmick. The only reason anyone should ever care to read it is because for some reason that escapes me, we are interested with couples that have more children than they can afford to support. Beyond this, expect some funny anecdotes and interesting perspectives on an abnormal upbringing.

Not only did I have to read this, but I had to read it popcorn style with my entire class out loud in the eight grade. I think of it like our teacher's way of proving that we COULD read, rather than challenging us with anything interesting.

Now if you like reading about children growing up in unique situations told in a darkly humorous narrative voices, here's the book you should be reading:

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. McCourt is brilliant. There's more to his writing than the writing itself, unlike what one of my favorite UMass professors refers to as "beach novels". Read this book before you die. There is a sequel to the memoir, 'Tis, but it isn't as good. It's excellent, but not brilliant like Angela's Ashes.


Join me next time for the next text of my academic career: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.