Books written by celebrities, especially celebrity memoirs, are often surrounded by immediate attention and a little controversy just because of the author. Rules for a Knight by Ethan Hawke is one example of a celebrity book, but one written as a letter of advice by a knight to his children. The main character, Thomas, writes to his four children—Mary-Rose, Lemuel, Cvenild, and Idamay—about his journey as a squire to a knight and the life lessons he’s learned through the years, expressing some regret for not being fully present in their lives. Thomas describes this ‘letter’ as a way to counteract that. 

Each chapter begins with a picture of a different type of bird, with a list of the birds being placed at the end of the book. It’s explained in the editor’s note that this detail was included because the Hawke family was made of ornithologists (hawkers), historically. Additionally, each chapter is focused on a virtue, some explanation to that virtue, and a personal story from Thomas’ life that reflects the virtue. 

Thomas starts out as a squire, apprenticing under his grandfather who was a respected knight and teaches Thomas many of the virtues in this book. It also not only features a poem but a song that is given as a quick excerpt in the middle of the book but is written out in its full, multi-page entirety towards the end of the book. 

Thomas touches on several different subjects, including the importance of humility, equality (he writes about gender equality in length as he addresses his three daughters), and even how to cope with death. He uses the example of his grandfather’s death, but he also connects it to how his own children might mourn him. 

The anecdotes are arranged chronologically, but it’s still more of a series of morals and life lessons than a story. But Thomas’ children aren’t the only ones that can benefit from these stories. The format of brief stories and thoughtful commentary and metaphors can be a little repetitive, but while it’s short (a little less than 200 pages), it’s a good book to read a little of, every day—especially because it can act as several standalones strung together in a book, connected by just its characters. For readers looking for something short, fictional, and medieval to get a little bit of thought-provoking reading in every day, Rules for a Knight might be the book of advice needed.