This is my first Gaiman, and it kept me reading. After the last page, however, i pretty sure this book isn't about Master Nobody. While he is a worthy hero, I think this book is about how we are connected to those who came before us. Not just immediate family, but others as well. Many folks contribute to who we are, and what we can achieve. And just like learning Algebra, we often are taught subjects that seem useless at the time. Until we have to confront monsters and such as that.

That concept is certainly championed in this book. That family is not necessarily blood relations. Most of the members of this Board are quite comfortable with that notion - we've made a lot of friends here. Some people have gotten married because of this Board and they now have families of their own.

Bod's family got him ready to face the world.

Thanks Maeve. you've inspired me to graze around the boards. I'm a geek, so not much of a friend-maker (i actually just rent most of my wife's friends), but this seems like a good place to listen to people who think for themselves instead of just parroting "what the teacher said".

Can you plz. tell me where "U & P" is? Also, would "Nap studies" be referring to flint knapping (which is making arrowheads, for the illiteratti) :-)

Most of the chatty stuff can be found in the World's End section of the Board. It's not as chatty as it used to be, but people do check in from time to time.

This is an excellent place to find free thinkers.

I believe the U stands for Unproductivity and the P stands for Procrastination. Naps have nothing to do with flint or arrowheads and much more to do with pillows and dreaming.

This book also conveys a message about "monster" being in the eye of the beholder - one person's monster is another's hero.

He does reflect Mowgli in that regard, naturally. Both have agency of their own, but are mostly windows to the world, be it the european supernatural or India's wildlife.