With a dispassionate but tender eye, Thompson captures the ache, fizz, yearning and frustration of being the father of adolescent boys—and of adolescence itself, observed and remembered.

—Michael Chabon

“An honest account of raising creative, rebellious boys who happen to love skateboarding. Having been through the fire of raising a few free-thinking boys myself, I found Kickflip Boys to be fun, moving, raw and relatable. ”
— Tony Hawk
“Unexpectedly moving ... Kickflip Boys is a relatable, warts-and-all story of a family sticking together and, once in a while, soaring alongside one another. Nobody in this memoir is perfect, which is what makes it so great. ”
— Elisabeth Egan, Glamour (top 10 books of 2018)

“I was immensely moved by Kickflip Boys. Thompson has shaped a tender, tough, powerful memoir out of his love for his growing sons and his bewilderment about how to be their father. How do we carry the weight of what we inherit, and how do we grapple with our own, flawed, younger selves as we navigate parenthood? With courage and tenacity, Thompson looks squarely at his own fears and culpability. This is a profoundly honest book and a true achievement.” —Dani Shapiro

“Kickflip Boys is a provocative and inspiring memoir that delves into the hopes and fears of parents as much as it delves into the hopes and fears of the children they are striving to raise. It is about the paths we choose, and our search for the answers to the gnarly Life Questions that burden us all. And, yes, it is about skateboarding. Which is the key—for the resilient Thompson family—to happiness and joy and harmony.” —Garth Stein

"What a riveting, touching, and painful read! My stomach was in knots page after page. KICKFLIP BOYS makes you think about parenting, nature vs. nurture, and how fast it all goes, the good times and the bad. I felt deeply for Thompson and his family throughout, and was - and am - rooting for them." —Maria Semple

“Kickflip Boys is such a openhearted book, one which so perfectly manages to balance tenderness and wildness at the same time. It's an amazing chronicle of parenthood, but what makes it so striking, so beautiful, is how well Thompson not only understands the struggles of parenting, but also the strangeness of adolescence. It's the kind of empathetic, and funny, story that requires the best kind of writer to pull it off, and Thompson nails it.” —Kevin Wilson

“Thompson’s remarkably honest account of fatherhood presents a scary, funny, and reflective read all at once.” —Library Journal (starred review)