Celebrate Father’s Day with these perfect dad-inspired reads!
No Wonder My Parents Drank: Tales of a Stand-Up Dad by Jay Mohr
From the Publisher: “No Wonder My Parents Drank reveals the details behind Mohr’s humiliating test-tube conception attempts and then recounts the trauma of not only having to keep this child alive, but having to spend time alone with him He waxes poetic about dirty diapers; spins theories on spanking; and mulls over the more hidden advantages of parenthood, like carpool lane access, carte blanche to use the ladies restroom, and an alibi for missing family dinners. Mohr describes, in painfully funny detail, the bizarre situations that all parents inevitably face but can never prepare for (such as when his kid discovered his dog’s rear end) as well as moments of pure joy like taking his son to his first baseball game. Mohr reports on the hilarious wisdom that his son, Jackson, has taught him–like why it’s fun to play Kissy Boy with the other boys at recess, how important sunscreen is for avoiding a sunborn, and how awesome it is to get a rainbow belt in karate.Riotously acerbic and refreshingly honest, No Wonder My Parents Drank casts the very funny Jay Mohr with an even funnier mini-me sidekick as a supporting character in a little comedic love story that every person who either is a parent or has a parent will find delightful.”
Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
From the Publisher: “In Dad is Fat, stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan, who’s best known for his legendary riffs on Hot Pockets, bacon, manatees, and McDonald’s, expresses all the joys and horrors of life with five young children–everything from cousins (“celebrities for little kids”) to toddlers’ communication skills (“they always sound like they have traveled by horseback for hours to deliver important news”), to the eating habits of four year olds (“there is no difference between a four year old eating a taco and throwing a taco on the floor”). Reminiscent of Bill Cosby’s Fatherhood, Dad is Fat is sharply observed, explosively funny, and a cry for help from a man who has realized he and his wife are outnumbered in their own home.”
Things My Son Needs to Know About the World by Frederick Backman
From the Publisher: “Things My Son Needs to Know About the World collects the personal dispatches from the front lines of one of the most daunting experiences any man can experience: fatherhood. As he conveys his profound awe at experiencing all the “firsts” that fill him with wonder and catch him completely unprepared, Fredrik Backman doesn’t shy away from revealing his own false steps and fatherly flaws, tackling issues both great and small, from masculinity and mid-life crises to practical jokes and poop. In between the sleep-deprived lows and wonderful highs, Backman takes a step back to share the true story of falling in love with a woman who is his complete opposite, and learning to live a life that revolves around the people you care about unconditionally. Alternating between humorous side notes and longer essays offering his son advice as he grows up and ventures out into the world, Backman relays the big and small lessons in life.”
The New Dad’s Playbook by Benjamin Watson
From the Publisher: “NFL superstar, commentator, activist, and dad lays out his step-by-step game plan from pre-season (preparing for fatherhood) to Superbowl (birth) to post-season (after the baby’s home), teaching men how to prepare to be the best possible partners and fathers they can be.”
Promise Me Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden
From the Publisher: “The former vice-president of the United States chronicles the difficult final year of his son’s battle with cancer, his efforts to balance his responsibilities to the country and his family, and the lessons he learned.”
Finding My Father: His Century Long Journey from WWI-Warsaw and My Quest to Follow by Deorah Tannen
From the Publisher: “A New York Times bestselling author traces her father’s life from turn-of-the-century Warsaw to bustling New York City in an intimate memoir about family, memory, and the stories we tell. Long before she was the acclaimed author of a groundbreaking book about women and men, and praised by Oliver Sacks as having “a novelist’s ear for the way people speak,” Deborah Tannen was a little girl who adored her father.”
Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secrets of French Cooking by Bill Buford
From the Publisher: “Bill Buford turns his inimitable attention from Italian cuisine to the food of France. Baffled by the language, but convinced that he can master the art of French cooking – or at least get to the bottom of why it is so revered – he begins what becomes a five-year odyssey by shadowing the esteemed French chef, Michel Richard, in Washington, D.C. But when Buford (quickly) realizes that a stage in France is necessary, he goes–this time with his wife and three-year-old twin sons in tow–to Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France. Studying at Institut Bocuse, cooking at the storied, Michelin-starred Mère Brazier, enduring the endless hours and exacting “rigeur” of the kitchen, Buford becomes a man obsessed with proving himself on the line, proving that he is worthy of the gastronomic secrets he’s learning, proving that French cooking actually derives from (mon dieu!) the Italian. With his signature humor, sense of adventure, and masterful ability to immerse himself, and us, in his surroundings, Bill Buford has written what is sure to be the food-lover’s book of the year.”
-Jessica, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian