Prime Day
£4.31

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon Media EU S.à r.l..
Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will pre-order your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships and Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Lisa Brennan-Jobs
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Small Fry: Sunday Time's Best Memoirs of the Year Kindle Edition

by Lisa Brennan-Jobs (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 4,967 ratings

Vogue's Best Books of the Year, 2018
Sunday Times' Best Memoirs of the Year, 2018
A New York Times Book of the Year
New Yorker Book of the Year

A frank, smart and captivating memoir by the daughter of Apple founder Steve Jobs.


Born on a farm and named in a field by her parents - artist Chrisann Brennan and Steve Jobs - Lisa Brennan-Jobs's childhood unfolded in a rapidly changing Silicon Valley. When she was young, Lisa's father was a mythical figure who was rarely present in her life. As she grew older, her father took an interest in her, ushering her into a new world of mansions, holidays and private schools. His attention was thrilling, but he could also be cold, critical and unpredictable. When her relationship with her mother grew strained in high school, Lisa decided to move in with her father, hoping he'd become the parent she'd always wanted him to be.

Small Fry is Lisa Brennan-Jobs's poignant story of a childhood spent between two imperfect but extraordinary homes. Scrappy, wise and funny, young Lisa is an unforgettable guide through her parents' fascinating and disparate worlds. Part portrait of a complex family, part love letter to California in the seventies and eighties, Small Fry is an enthralling book by an insightful new literary voice.

Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    425 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grove Press UK
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    13 Sept. 2018
  6. File size
    1.8 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details
Popular highlights in this book
What are Popular highlights?
Previous page
  1. “They teach you how other people think, during your most productive years,” he said. “It kills creativity. Makes people into bozos.”
    Highlighted by 497 Kindle readers
  2. I see now that we were at cross-purposes. For him, I was a blot on a spectacular ascent, as our story did not fit with the narrative of greatness and virtue he might have wanted for himself. My existence ruined his streak. For me, it was the opposite: the closer I was to him, the less I would feel ashamed; he was part of the world, and he would accelerate me into the light.
    Highlighted by 376 Kindle readers
Next page

From the Publisher

3D of cover

Small Fry: A Memoir by Lisa Brennan-Jobs

Vogue's Best Books of the Year, 2018

Sunday Times' Best Memoirs of the Year, 2018

A New York Times Book of the Year

New Yorker Book of the Year

A frank, smart and captivating memoir by the daughter of Apple founder Steve Jobs.

This sincere and disquieting portrait reveals a complex father-daughter relationship. - Publishers Weekly

Childhood in Silicon valley

Sunday TIme Book of the Year

About the founder of Apple

Product description

Review

A gorgeous, compelling work of art and a dazzling coming-of-age story. This is a lovely, sweetly intimate portrait, a story told through the eyes of a daughter whose father struggled with his own origins - and who almost became the father she hoped he would be. -- Susan Cheever An epic, sharp coming-of-age story from the daughter of Steve Jobs...an exquisitely rendered story of family, love, and identity. Brennan-Jobs benefits from her father's story, but her prose doesn't require his spotlight to shine. * Kirkus Reviews * Here is a literary coming-of-age memoir of the highest order, the story of a child trying to find her place between two radically different parents, identities and worlds. Compassionate, wise and filled with finely-wrought detail, Small Fry is a wonder of a book, and Lisa Brennan-Jobs is a wonder of a writer. -- Jamie Quatro, author of FIRE SERMON As clear-eyed, amusing, honest, unsentimental and sad as any memoir I've read in years. No other book or film has captured Steve Jobs as distinctly as this one has. -- Phillip Lopate

From the Back Cover

A frank, smart and captivating memoir by the daughter of Apple founder Steve Jobs. Born on a farm and named in a field by her parents - artist Chrisann Brennan and Steve Jobs - Lisa Brennan-Jobs's childhood unfolded in a rapidly changing Silicon Valley. When she was young, Lisa's father was a mythical figure who was rarely present in her life. As she grew older, her father took an interest in her, ushering her into a new world of mansions, holidays and private schools. His attention was thrilling, but he could also be cold, critical and unpredictable. When her relationship with her mother grew strained in high school, Lisa decided to move in with her father, hoping he'd become the parent she'd always wanted him to be. Small Fry is Lisa Brennan-Jobs's poignant story of a childhood spent between two imperfect but extraordinary homes. Scrappy, wise and funny, young Lisa is an unforgettable guide through her parents' fascinating and disparate worlds. Part portrait of a complex family, part love letter to California in the seventies and eighties, Small Fry is an enthralling book by an insightful new literary voice.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07DCYSGH6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grove Press UK
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 13 Sept. 2018
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Main
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.8 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 425 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1611859263
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 4,967 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Lisa Brennan-Jobs

Lisa Brennan-Jobs

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4,967 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book wonderfully written, with one review noting how the author skillfully weaves snippets together. They appreciate its thought-provoking nature, with one customer highlighting its insight into the mind of a young girl.

Select to learn more

Writing qualityThought provoking
6 customers mention ‘Writing quality’6 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one noting its literary depth and another highlighting how the author skillfully weaves snippets together.

"...Strange, quirky, entertaining and well written...." Read more

"Lisa Brennan is a remarkable writer whose trajectory of thought and narrative arc is never predictable...." Read more

"I really liked this book. The author is ingenious in weaving snippets of her childhood together into something so moving and coherent...." Read more

"So very well written, such honesty, well worth a read" Read more

4 customers mention ‘Thought provoking’4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, with one customer noting it provides insight into the mind of a young girl.

"This is an enormously thought provoking and interesting book – the recollections of Steve Jobs’ eldest daughter...." Read more

"...It's thought provoking and non judgmental, written from the perspective of a real person growing up." Read more

"Raw, honest. Lovely perspectives and the feeling of seeing through the eyes of the person ." Read more

"Insight into the mind of a young girl...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Susan Glazier
    5.0 out of 5 stars An enormously thought provoking and interesting book - well written
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 November 2018
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    This is an enormously thought provoking and interesting book – the recollections of Steve Jobs’ eldest daughter. Steve Jobs had a notorious manipulative and explosive side to his character. After denying that Lisa Brennan-Jobs was his daughter for many years (and only paying a pittance in child maintenance) he did finally acknowledge that she was his. Nevertheless, he still implied to her that she needed to earn a place in his “family”, and used that to manipulate and control her. Lisa went from prepubescent to puberty to young adult trying to please him. In late teens she finally managed to break away with minimal contact until a few years later when he was ill and eventually dying. At this late stage, Steve apologised to her and expressed his regrets. It’s a sad story with Lisa’s longing for a warm and supportive father at the heart of it. Steve obviously had many (probably repressed) longings himself which seemed to manifest in manipulating people in his personal life and undermining them to keep them near him, with him in control. We see from this account of Steve’s private life that he also deprived himself of both physical and emotional nourishment. Nevertheless, Lisa survived; she was a spirited and obviously gifted child who was eventually able to successfully follow her own ambitions and desires. Now she sees her childhood experiences in a positive light. Her writing is accomplished. The first chapter hooked me in and I had to keep reading. The prose is wonderfully vivid and detailed. It's a good book!
    14 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly absorbing memoir
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2019
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Lisa Brennan is a remarkable writer whose trajectory of thought and narrative arc is never predictable. Often surprising, at times shocking, always engaging.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Claire Zee
    5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful book, reads like a poem
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 May 2020
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    I really liked this book. The author is ingenious in weaving snippets of her childhood together into something so moving and coherent. The style is fluid and has literary depth. I find it so hard to be so deeply plugged into a book as an adult but this one is an exception. It's thought provoking and non judgmental, written from the perspective of a real person growing up.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Abstract
    3.0 out of 5 stars Elusive
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 June 2019
    Very well written. The focus on the author's relationship with her parents made it (for me) feel a bit claustrophobic and one-dimensional. I know the temptation to focus on her famous father must have been strong. And, he sounds so weird! But I'm sure Lisa's life must have been full of other things besides the family dynamics, and I'd have liked to hear more about some of them, precisely because she writes so well.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • M. Lambert
    5.0 out of 5 stars Insight into the mind of a young girl.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 November 2018
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    I found this to be a fascinating book. Strange, quirky, entertaining and well written. I was rooting for Lisa as she went through her trials and tribulations with “Steve” (as she called him) her dad. She writes about him with obvious love and affection but regardless he comes across as a bit of a dick.
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Neal McQuaid
    4.0 out of 5 stars Raw, honest.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 November 2018
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Raw, honest. Lovely perspectives and the feeling of seeing through the eyes of the person .
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • None
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent quality
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2024
    Format: Paperback
    It's an earnest story written by a true writer. In this autobiographical novel Brennan-Jobs tactfully answers the question "What was it like being Steve Job's, first-born daughter?", and "What was Jobs like as a person?" A truly relatable account of the understated issues of dysfunction, abandonment and empowerment.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Mr D.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I have read in a year
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 February 2019
    Verified Purchase
    So very well written, such honesty, well worth a read
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • msot
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bellísima colección de memorias que retratan el lado no visible del creador de Apple
    Reviewed in Spain on 28 May 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Una colección de memorias contadas de una forma muy amena y fresca. Disfruté muchísimo de este libro y del modo en que describe sus vivencias y a su padre desde la mirada de niña (luego adulta) que lo retrata de la manera más humana jamás conocida de él...con defectos de toda índole, momentos de grandeza y egolatría máxima y momentos de hombre minúsculo, torpe... Sin rencores ni ornamentos, un relato concreto y descriptivo de recuerdos y vivencias muy humanas.
    Si tienes nociones claras de inglés, se puede leer perfectamente porque no usa conceptos demasiado intrincados, difíciles de interpretar en nuestra lengua.
    Report
  • Azlee
    5.0 out of 5 stars moving and insightful
    Reviewed in Germany on 20 June 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this book and was Mesmerized by the way LBJ described her life growing up with Steve Jobs as a father. Very touching how at his impending demise he did finally admit his neglect and cruelty. Not a bit voyeuristic but an essential truth.
    Report
  • David Kopec
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Poignant Emotional Journey with some Baggage
    Reviewed in the United States on 9 September 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Lisa Brennan-Jobs is a good writer: quick-witted, poignant, and observational. Her style reminds me of her aunt’s (Mona Simpson) novels. This is no surprise, since she mentions her in Small Fry as an inspiration. Also of note, is that her aunt has written a fictionalized account of the same period in Lisa’s life as is largely covered by Small Fry. I read that novel, A Regular Guy, when I was a teenager. In fact, I’ve been reading books about Steve Jobs for about two decades now. Like many readers, Steve Jobs is the reason I picked up Small Fry, but Lisa’s journey resonated with me almost as much as the moments about her father.

    When you become interested in a historical figure and start watching and reading about them, there’s a cast of characters—their family, their friends—that you’re introduced to along the way. My first exposure to Lisa came through the 1999 film Pirates of Silicon Valley, in which the story of her relationship with her father plays prominently. By the time I had read The Second Coming of Steve Jobs by Alan Deutschman the following year, to me she was an important sidenote—his initial denial of paternity of her following her birth, a significant blemish, for an otherwise heroic figure. The deeper you go in a canon (and there is a Steve Jobs canon—at least fifteen books), the more you become interested in those peripheral characters. And somewhere along the way I became interested in Lisa’s story.

    Lisa’s story is intertwined with that of her mother, Chrisann Brennan, Jobs’s high school girlfriend, first love, and financial dependent for a large portion of Lisa’s life. She wrote a memoir a few years ago, The Bite in the Apple. So, in actuality we have three books—A Regular Guy, The Bite in the Apple, and Little Fry—which overlap very significantly in the period and relationships that they capture. Each comes from a different perspective, and I think it was likely important to Lisa that she recapture her own narrative through this memoir. It’s not only a chance to correct the record, but also can provide some kind of closure.

    Ostensibly this is more than a memoir about her relationship with her father. It’s a memoir about growing up with that as a backdrop, but I frankly found the first half of the book pretty slow. That’s probably because there’s less of her father in the first half, and the parts with her father were the parts that interested me the most.

    Lisa has a tendency to write about events that occurred to her 30 years+ ago in great levels of detail. Levels of detail so great (exact words, imagery, and small happenings) that one has to conclude she either has a photographic memory, or is remembering things in the most dramatic way to suit her narrative. The Bite in the Apple also suffers from this flaw—overly exact ancient memories that cause the reader to question the veracity of their content. It is of course possible that both mother and daughter have incredible memories, but it’s also possible that there’s a little bit of dramatic license in their accounts.

    Small Fry is emotionally powerful. The story is dramatic enough that even readers more interested in Lisa’s emotional journey than Steve Jobs will get something out of it. Ultimately, as most memoirs by definition tend to be, it’s also one-sided. The low points with her father seem awful, and the high points seem agreeable and fascinating but dulled. Mona Simpson and Laurene Powell Jobs (Steve Jobs’s widow) have put out a statement questioning Lisa’s harsh treatment of her father. I think, in wanting to recapture her narrative, Lisa did have something of an agenda in writing this book, even if she’s not willing to admit it to herself in its pages. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not a good book, that doesn’t take you on a meaningful emotional journey, and further develop your understanding of Steve Jobs.
    Report
  • Tak Yamamoto
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing relationship
    Reviewed in Japan on 26 February 2019
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Amazing relation between Steve Jobs and his daughter.
    Report
  • Daniele Renaud
    5.0 out of 5 stars A surprisingly intense autobiography
    Reviewed in France on 27 October 2020
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    The author has written a perceptive, painful book about so many missed opportunities for father and herself to become close, discover each other , avoiding harsh judgements...Steve Jobs was certainly a most complex and tortuous human being, pulling and pushing others continuously, giving sometimes, taking often and we can only be amazed at his daughter Lisa surviving such emotional mayhem. Her mother despite deep psychological turmoil, remained there for her, through the ups and downs of everyday life, providing emotional support , and a lasting relationship flawed as it might have been.
    Despite all Lisa pulled through - an inner strength she inherited from her father no doubt.
    Thank you for an impressive portrait of humanity.
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report