How to Build a Fire - by Erin Bried (Paperback)

About the Book

From baiting a fish hook to tying a necktie, "How to Build a Fire" offers a rare glimpse into the hearts and minds of grandfathers by sharing their practical skills and sweet stories on how to be stronger, smarter, richer, and happier.

Book Synopsis

Chock-full of how-to tips and sage advice from America's grandfathers, this is a handy guide to life

As members of the Greatest Generation, our grandfathers were not only defined by the Depression but also by their heroic service to the country in World War II. Courageous, responsible, and involved, they understand sacrifice, hard work, and how to do whatever is necessary to take care of their loved ones. They also know how to have a rollicking good time.

Sensible, fun, and inspiring, How to Build a Fire offers a rare glimpse into the hearts and minds of grandfathers near and far by sharing their practical skills and sweet stories on how to be stronger, smarter, richer, and happier. Inside are more than one hundred essential step-by-step tips for fixing, leading, prospering, playing, and hosting, including how to

- buck up and be brave in the face of adversity
- play hard and break in a baseball mitt
- bait a hook and catch a big fish
- look dapper and tie a perfect tie
- get a raise and earn more
- write a love letter and ignite romance
- change a flat tire and save the day
- stand up and give a sparkling toast
- play the harmonica and make your own music

Loaded with charming illustrations, good humor, and warm nostalgia, How to Build a Fire is the perfect handbook for guys or gals of any age. The first of its kind, this collection of our grandfathers' hard-earned wisdom will help you build confidence and get back to what's really important in life.

Review Quotes

"Erin Bried can build a fire, thanks to grandpa."--USA Today

"A step-by-step guide to (almost) everything the hard-working, self-sufficient Greatest Generation learned about life and living."--Chicago Tribune

"Don't pass up How to Build a Fire...it's [full of] knowledge our grandfathers seem to possess in abundance - life skills that made them such stand-up guys."--The Houston Chronicle

"How To Build a Fire is fascinating, humbling and humorous."--The Chicago Sun-Times

"Erin Bried can help you nail certain tasks."--The New York Daily News

"How to Build a Fire is a succinct life-skills book filled with humor and wisdom...useful for both men and women....It's a quick, useful guide with a touch of nostalgia."--Library Journal

"How to Build a Fire takes readers back to basics by championing more than 100 practical life skills. All of them are guaranteed for life, but are especially valuable during an economic recession."--Book Page

"How to Build a Fire offers sound advice on manual jobs and also gives lessons on more subtle skills."--Boston Globe

"How to Build a Fire makes a lovely stocking stuffer by a roaring fire."--SELF magazine

"Our elders could still teach us a lot--and you'll find it all in How to Build a Fire by Erin Bried. It demystifies stuff like making ice cream (yay!) and playing dominoes. Your kids will think you're the coolest."--Parenting magazine

"Although her book touches on the sacrifices of the "Greatest Generation," Bried's How to Build a Fire is a companion piece to Tom Brokaw's 1998 book. The former newscaster's book lauds the efforts of the people who grew up during the Depression and saved the world by winning World War II. Bried's book acknowledges those efforts - eight of the 10 grandfathers served in the war - but she lets them teach lessons big and small."--Stockton Record

"How to Build a Fire is a practical guide to all those things you always meant to learn, from breaking in a baseball mitt to writing a love letter -- and being a role model for your kids."--St Petersburg Times

"How many times have you wished your grandfather were still around to give you some priceless advice?"--Tulsa World

"...Fun to read. More importantly, it's the perfect gift, birthday or otherwise, for grandchildren of any age, or even their parents! After all, you can only learn just so much on the Internet."--Monterey County Herald

"If How to Build a Fire is anything like How to Sew a Button, then it will be a great gift for any young adult in your life, male or female. Because honestly, we should all know how to sew on a button and build a fire. Just in case..."--Frederick News Post

About the Author

Erin Bried is a senior staff writer at SELF magazine and author of How to Sew a Button: And Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew, How to Build a Fire: And Other Handy Things Your Grandfather Knew and How to Rock Your Baby: And Other Timeless Tips for Modern Moms. She's appeared on Today, Better TV, and National Public Radio and in magazines and newspapers nationwide. She lives with her baby daughter and her better half in Brooklyn, New York, where she plays peek-a-boo, sings off-key lullabies, and reads bedtime stories every night.