When I'm Dead All This Will Be Yours: Joe Teller -- A Portrait By His Kid, by Teller, Blast Books, 2000, 142pp.

This is the book all good parents deserve to have their kids write: a loving history of how they grew up, met and started a family. When written as well as this, the story belies the dictum that happy families are all alike. P was moved to buy me Teller's book after my review of Penn's Sock.

There are many color plates (must have been expensive to produce) of good paintings by Joe and Irene. They met at art class, but never tried to sell their work. Joe also drew, and failed to sell, some cartoons, which are included. Joe's youth is brought to life by going over the letters sent when he was hobo-ing around the US. I liked his account of "working" on the roof of a hotel in Alaska. The boss finds him dozing up there, and after a brief bit of regret that he cannot do the same thing, leaves him to carry on.

A very sweet read, and quickly over.

As for my own parents, I have been collecting video diary material of family stories. I hope to get more, and make a DVD for the kids. Of course, anyone can have a final say with technology...