3 Stars

The best comedians can lend a sense of camaraderie, relating to the audience with funny anecdotes of shared experiences, commiserating in mutual exasperation and frustration.

I wouldn’t personally know, but Gaffigan surely excels here in talking about all things parenting and reveling in its exhausting rewarding glory. ( )

I used to think that the only way I would raise children would be if I could be the Dad. After reading Gaffigan's amusing but horrifying anecdotes, I'm not even sure about that. I rather play the role of Eccentric Aunt...

Comedian Jim Gaffigan and his wife Jeannie raise five children in a two-bedroom apartment New York City. Reads quickly, with bursts of chuckles and cackles. Healthy and refreshing attitude towards raising a large family. Dusted with corny jokes throughout. ( )

Jim Gaffigan is my favorite comedian! I love that he is clean for the most part (could have done without a few swear words in the book), and I really love that he has five kids! He is so spot on in his observations, and since having kids is apparently taboo these days, I really appreciated his humorous approach to the subject. And I don't even have kids yet! Also, thought it was great that his family resides in a two bedroom apartment... proving that you don't have to be a welfare recipient to live small, and in fact, can even be happy and content without each child having their own bedroom! This book just made me like him more. ( )

Comedian Jim Gaffigan shares what he's learned about parenting in his time so far as a dad of 5 kids, living in NYC, in a 2-bedroom apartment. There is plenty of opportunity to see the humor in that situation.

While a lot of what he deals with doesn't really relate to me (I have 2 kids in a 3-bedroom house in rural Indiana), it's still a fun read. It's basically a series of essays with a range of topics from pregnancy to playdates to the sheer noise involved with having a house full of kids.

I've liked Jim Gaffigan's comedy for quite a few years, and I think that seeing a lot of his stand-up helped with the enjoyment of the book. Make sure you read the Foreward with Gaffigan's "audience member" voice in mind, for example. I wouldn't say you have to have seen his stand-up to appreciate the book, but if you haven't, you should just check him out anyway. ( )

This is the second time this year I have picked up a book by a comedian I like and gotten more than I bargained for. With Chris Hardwick, instead of just a lot of clever yuks sprinkled liberally with profanity, I got a self-help book that was actually pretty good. As I've never read a self-help book before (although maybe some of the religious books I've read could be considered self-help...I like to think of them as spiritual guidance), I don't have a lot to compare it to, but it worked for me.

What book was this review about again? Oh, yes. Dad is Fat. I watched a DVD of one of Jim Gaffigan's stand-up acts earlier this year and was delighted to find another comedian to add to my list of comedic loves. This guy makes me giggle. So, after reading two books on Chinese medicine for my recent nonfiction selections, I thought I needed a break for a laugh (no offense, Chinese herbal medicine practitioners, but you're not that funny. You're not funny at all, but I did find your books very informative. So, thank you.)and picked up this one for my morning reading.

And there are lots of laughs. Gaffigan is a funny guy. He's also the father of 5 children, and every chapter in this book turned out to be related to parenting. ("Did you read the dust jacket?" one might ask. No, I didn't. I rarely do, so just pipe down) I have no children. I have a dog. One dog. So while I can't really relate to most of what he's talking about in this book, I can still laugh. I have nieces and nephews; I work in a library that has lots of kids' programs. I can properly identify a child when I see one. So the book was still funny to me. I may also come out of this with a bit more empathy for the parents who come into the library with kids that occasionally go into berserker rages about leaving the train table or not getting to press the wheelchair accessible door opener button because someone beat them to it. (I'm telling you, people with kids, as an outsider looking in-get one of these buttons for your doors at home and your kids will stay occupied for hours. Of course, you'll have to replace the buttons every few months, due to the excessive force used on them, but it might just be worth it)

So, anyway, even though I don't have my own children, Gaffigan could still make me laugh about the trials and tribulations of parenting, and I think that's pretty good. This is a quick fun read that will give you a lift. ( )