When an author admits in his introduction that people will find his work "presumptuous. Or pretentious," and then continues to not only write it, publish it, but make three editions of it, I assume that they lack essential self-awareness. "Lessons for a Tara Dactyl" is really something that should have been kept privately, or, at most, as a blog. This is not a book, reference, or anything anyone outside of this man's family ever has to read. I'm just glad it was short, because his posturing had me constantly checking my progress on my Kindle.



The advice included is hit or miss, and the hits are things anyone could tell you or figure out on their own. The rest is either completely hypocritical or lacking in self-awareness (i.e. "no one is special or entitled to anything!" but "don't take 'no' for an answer; you deserve a good seat!"). The chapter on "privilege," especially one that is presumably supposed to be addressed to a baby, makes me want to cry. Why not set her up with her own neo-feminism blog now? A funny dinosaur-based username probably won't be around forever.