LEGO: A Love Story

Jonathan Bender

Wiley, May 14, 2010 - Sports & Recreation - 288 pages

An adult LEGO fan's dual quest: to build with bricks and build a familyThere are 62 LEGO bricks for every person in the world, and at age 30, Jonathan Bender realized that he didn't have a single one of them. While reconsidering his childhood dream of becoming a master model builder for The LEGO Group, he discovers the men and women who are skewing the averages with collections of hundreds of thousands of LEGO bricks. What is it about the ubiquitous, brightly colored toys that makes them so hard for everyone to put down?In search of answers and adventure, Jonathan Bender sets out to explore the quirky world of adult fans of LEGO (AFOLs) while becoming a builder himself. As he participates in challenges at fan conventions, searches for the largest private collection in the United States, and visits LEGO headquarters (where he was allowed into the top secret set vault), he finds his LEGO journey twinned with a second creative endeavorto have a child. His two worlds intertwine as he awaits the outcome: Will he win a build competition or bring a new fan of LEGO into the world? Like every really good love story, this one has surprisesand a happy ending. Explores the world of adult fans of LEGO, from rediscovering the childhood joys of building with LEGO to evaluating LEGO's place in culture and art Takes an inside look at LEGO conventions, community taboos, and build challenges and goes behind-the-scenes at LEGO headquarters and LEGOLAND Tells a warm and personal story about the attempt to build with LEGO and build a familyWhether you're an avid LEGO freak or a onetime fan who now shares LEGO bricks with your children, this book will appeal to the inner builder in you and reignite a love for all things LEGO.

What people are saying

Review: LEGO: A Love Story

User Review  - Erik Langenfeld - Goodreads

Lego a love story is a pretty modern book about Legos. If you absolutely love Legos this book is for you. Personally I love Legos but this book to me was not what I was expecting. I thought it was not ...

Review: LEGO: A Love Story

User Review  - Martin - Goodreads

This is a very unusual combination of autobiography, documentary, and anecdote. Personally, I found it really enjoyable, but it would be hard to recommend to someone who couldn't empathise with ...

About the author

Jonathan Bender is a freelance features writer; his work has appeared in Time Out New York, Women's Health, CNN.com, ESPN.com, and the Kansas City Star. This is his first book. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with his wife, Kate, and has significantly more than the 62 LEGO bricks that exist for every man, woman, and child in the world today.

Bibliographic information

• Title: LEGO: A Love Story
• Author: Jonathan Bender
• Publisher: Wiley, 2010
• ISBN: 0470909048, 9780470909041
• Length: 288 pages
• Subjects: ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES / Toy Animals; ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES / Toys; Biography & Autobiography / Editors, Journalists, Publishers; Crafts & Hobbies / General; Crafts & Hobbies / Models; Sports & Recreation / General