What will I learn about: the deeply flawed, human side of tech visionary Steve Jobs through the unvarnished, firsthand perspective of his firstborn daughter?

Discover the deeply flawed, human side of tech visionary Steve Jobs through the unvarnished, firsthand perspective of his firstborn daughter.

What will I learn about: Learn how Steve Jobs's turbulent teenage romance with Chrisann Brennan coincided with the early days of Apple and resulted in a highly contested, unintentional pregnancy?

Learn how Steve Jobs's turbulent teenage romance with Chrisann Brennan coincided with the early days of Apple and resulted in a highly contested, unintentional pregnancy.

What will I learn about: the stark contrast between Jobs's rising public success and his private refusal to admit paternity, which he fiercely denied until days before Apple's lucrative IPO?

Understand the stark contrast between Jobs's rising public success and his private refusal to admit paternity, which he fiercely denied until days before Apple's lucrative IPO.

What will I learn about: why Lisa's childhood was painfully torn between her mother's poverty-stricken, explosive household and the distant, semi-mystical wealth of her famous father?

Find out why Lisa's childhood was painfully torn between her mother's poverty-stricken, explosive household and the distant, semi-mystical wealth of her famous father.

What will I learn about: Explore Lisa's difficult journey to integrate into Jobs's new family after a dramatic school intervention forced her to move in with the multi-millionaire at age thirteen?

Explore Lisa's difficult journey to integrate into Jobs's new family after a dramatic school intervention forced her to move in with the multi-millionaire at age thirteen.

Small Fry

A captivating memoir by the daughter of Apple founder Steve Jobs

Lisa Brennan-Jobs

★ 4.2 / 5(55 ratings)

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Categories:

Biography & Memoir

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Did you know that one of Apple’s most pivotal early computers was named after a daughter Steve Jobs spent years publicly denying was his?
💡Have you ever wondered what it was like to grow up in the shadow of a tech genius who was a visionary to the world but a cold, unpredictable enigma at home?
💡Are you curious about the reality of a Silicon Valley childhood where world-changing innovation lived side-by-side with deep personal neglect and family secrets?

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Key Takeaways from Small Fry

✓Discover the deeply flawed, human side of tech visionary Steve Jobs through the unvarnished, firsthand perspective of his firstborn daughter.
✓Learn how Steve Jobs's turbulent teenage romance with Chrisann Brennan coincided with the early days of Apple and resulted in a highly contested, unintentional pregnancy.
✓Understand the stark contrast between Jobs's rising public success and his private refusal to admit paternity, which he fiercely denied until days before Apple's lucrative IPO.
✓Find out why Lisa's childhood was painfully torn between her mother's poverty-stricken, explosive household and the distant, semi-mystical wealth of her famous father.
✓Explore Lisa's difficult journey to integrate into Jobs's new family after a dramatic school intervention forced her to move in with the multi-millionaire at age thirteen.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Small Fry

Mind Map

Small Fry

Parents' Early History+

Birth & Paternity Battle+

Childhood with Mother+

Living with Steve's Family+

College & Estrangement+

Truth & Final Reconciliation+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8

How did Steve Jobs initially react to Lisa's birth and the subsequent paternity lawsuit?

A. He immediately embraced his role as a father but refused to pay child support.
B. He denied paternity even after a DNA test, but hastily settled the case just before Apple went public.
C. He fought for full custody because he believed Chrisann was unfit to be a mother.
D. He admitted paternity privately but asked Chrisann to keep it a secret from the press.

Question 2 of 8

What event prompted thirteen-year-old Lisa to move in with Steve Jobs and his new family?

A. Steve won a lengthy custody battle against Chrisann.
B. Lisa was accepted into a prestigious high school near Steve's house.
C. Chrisann's volatile behavior led school officials to threaten calling social services.
D. Steve offered to pay for Lisa's college tuition if she lived with him.

Question 3 of 8

How did Lisa approach her relationship with Steve after moving into his home?

A. She constantly rebelled against his strict rules and frequently ran away.
B. She tried diligently to please him by doing chores and excelling in school, though he remained cold and critical.
C. She demanded expensive gifts and special treatment to compensate for his previous absence.
D. She bonded quickly with him over their shared passion for technology and computer design.

Question 4 of 8

How did Steve Jobs view Lisa's acceptance into Harvard University?

A. He was incredibly proud and bragged about it to his colleagues at Apple.
B. He was dismissive, as he believed college was for people without creative vision and felt she had no marketable skills.
C. He saw it as an opportunity to finally collaborate with her on educational software.
D. He was relieved because it meant he no longer had to financially support her.

Question 5 of 8

What caused the severe rift between Lisa and Steve the summer before her senior year at Harvard?

A. Lisa published an article criticizing Apple's business practices.
B. Lisa dropped out of Harvard to move back in with her mother.
C. Lisa refused to attend a circus with Steve's family because she wanted to spend time with her mother.
D. Lisa demanded that Steve publicly acknowledge her in his Time magazine interview.

Question 6 of 8

After Steve Jobs stopped paying for Lisa's Harvard tuition, who stepped in to pay for her final year?

A. Her mother, Chrisann, using her welfare reimbursements.
B. Steve Wozniak, out of sympathy for Lisa's situation.
C. Bono, after meeting Lisa during a yachting trip.
D. Steve's neighbors, Kevin and Dorothy, who also took her in.

Question 7 of 8

How did Lisa finally get confirmation that the 'Lisa' computer was named after her?

A. She found an old journal of Steve's while packing up her room.
B. Steve's wife, Laurene, secretly told Lisa the truth.
C. The musician Bono asked Steve about it during a visit, and Steve admitted it.
D. Steve announced it during a keynote presentation for Apple.

Question 8 of 8

What was Steve Jobs's attitude toward Lisa in the years leading up to his death?

A. He remained emotionally distant and refused to see her.
B. He became more emotionally open, crying and apologizing for not spending enough time with her.
C. He demanded she return the money he spent on her Harvard tuition.
D. He legally disowned her to ensure his new family received his entire fortune.

Small Fry — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
2Lisa’s parents’ on-and-off romance ended after years with an unintended pregnancy.
3Steve Jobs missed Lisa’s birth and refused to ever acknowledge being her father.
4Lisa idolized her father and moved in after life with her mother became unbearable for her.
5Lisa tried, with minimal success, to fit into Steve’s new family life.
6Lisa hoped getting into Harvard would elevate her in her father’s eyes and offer escape from his criticism of her.
7Steve and Lisa stopped talking after she refused a circus outing with him and Laurene together.
8Lisa long doubted whether Steve truly cared about her, but she eventually learned his real feelings indeed.

Small Fry Summary & Overview

Small Fry (2018) is a candid and intimate memoir, tracing the author’s life from her birth to the death of her father, Steve Jobs. Beyond giving readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Apple’s founder, the book offers an incisive portrait of a Californian childhood.