Title: Cheaper By the Dozen
Authors: Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and
Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography
About
the book…
First published in 1948, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine
Gilbreth Carey share their memories of growing up in a household of twelve
children with their father, Frank Bunker Gilbreth, a man famous for his
contributions to motion study and the scientific management field.
This book
was made into a movie by the same name in 1950 starring Clifton Webb and Myrna
Loy as Frank and Lillian Gilbreth.
What I think…
I really have
nothing negative to say about this book. I like that it reads like a novel and that
it has just the right amount of love and humor in it while still capturing the
reality of things. The illustrations also carry a certain charm that only adds to
the book.
It’s interesting to read about both Frank and Lillian Gilbreth and
the way their work extended into the home, as well as the way their children
felt about it.
There are two parts that stand out as being my favorites. One
is in chapter 10 when Frank decides to film all the children getting their
tonsils out as part of his research into how motion study could reduce time in
certain surgeries and let’s just say things don’t go quite as well as they
should. The second part, is about their summer
adventures in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where they owned two lighthouses.
To
sum it all up…
A comically heartwarming book honoring a father and his work.
If you want a delightful biography about family this is the one to choose. ♥
