Matthew Logelin

In the course of 27 hours author Matthew Logelin goes from being the new dad of a premature baby to a widower and sole caretaker of his newborn daughter. This memoir documents his success in raising his daughter through her first year, and his mixed results in dealing with the grief of losing his beloved wife. The author's style and voice are very direct, astonishing even, in the honesty and ability of relating his pain and inner feelings of losing the person who was his entire world... show more until his daughter was born. The misery he feels could easily overwhelm anyone but he needs to provide Maddy with all the love, care and financial support of two parents. It's a tough read in sections but there's also joy as Matt takes to Fatherhood like a fish to water and Maddy thrives in their milestones together.
As unthinkable as his situation is, Matt never lets the memoir wallow in sentimentality. The book reverberates with Matt's acute observations of how society views single fathers, dry humor, frequent profanity, and unique sense of irony about the position he finds himself in. Written in part to capture memories of Liz, Maddy's amazing mom, the book is a testament to resilience, love, and hope.
"Two Kisses for Maddy" was reissued in 2021 under a new title, "Fatherhood," as a tie-in to the motion picture loosely adapted from the book. The new paperback editions feature a discussion between Matt and the movie's star, Kevin Hart, a new epilogue that explains how the book was written and catches up with Matt and Maddy in 2019, 14 pages of photos, and reading group guide questions. show less

In the course of 27 hours author Matthew Logelin goes from being the new dad of a premature baby to a widower and sole caretaker of his newborn daughter. This memoir documents his success in raising his daughter through her first year, and his mixed results in dealing with the grief of losing his beloved wife. The author's style and voice are very direct, astonishing even, in the honesty and ability of relating his pain and inner feelings of losing the person who was his entire world... show more until his daughter was born. The misery he feels could easily overwhelm anyone but he needs to provide Maddy with all the love, care and financial support of two parents. It's a tough read in sections but there's also joy as Matt takes to Fatherhood like a fish to water and Maddy thrives in their milestones together.
As unthinkable as his situation is, Matt never lets the memoir wallow in sentimentality. The book reverberates with Matt's acute observations of how society views single fathers, dry humor, frequent profanity, and unique sense of irony about the position he finds himself in. Written in part to capture memories of Liz, Maddy's amazing mom, the book is a testament to resilience, love, and hope.
This book was originally published in 2011 as "Two Kisses for Maddy." This new edition is a tie-in to the motion picture, "Fatherhood," loosely adapted from the book. It features a discussion between Matt and the movie's star, Kevin Hart, a new epilogue that explains how the book was written and catches up with Matt and Maddy in 2019, 14 pages of photos, and reading group guide questions. show less

Matt and Liz were high school sweethearts. They married and traveled the world together before buying the house they always dreamed of. They were so happy, and so in love, they decided it was the perfect time to start their family. Soon, they found out they were expecting a baby girl. Liz's pregnancy was difficult and she was hospitalized at 30 weeks for the safety of their baby. After 3 weeks of bedrest, the doctors made the decision that it would be safer for the baby to be born show more immediately as her heart rate was decreasing. To Matthew and Liz's great delight, she came into the world with a hearty cry - the hallmark of a healthy baby. Due to her prematurity, baby Madeline was taken to the NICU for evaluation, while Liz was taken to her postpartum room.

Because of her surgery, Liz is unable to visit baby Maddy in the NICU, but Matthew brings her pictures. The day after the birth, however, just hours before she is able to go see baby Maddy, Liz's healthy suddenly declines. Within a short amount of time, Liz dies - a clot in her leg has traveled to her lungs and caused a pulmonary embolism.

The shock, grief, and devastation hits Matt like a freight train. The happiest day in his life is followed by the saddest day in his life. His memoir is a detailed account of the grief filled days following the loss of his beloved wife.

This book was so heart wrenching, I was literally bawling through much of the book. At 30 years old, most do not expect a loss such as this, especially in such a vibrant woman. However, Matt, even in his deepest, darkest sadness, determines that he will be the best father he can be to Maddy. And he is. I cannot imagine being in his situation, and I admire him greatly for his bravery and determination.

I highly recommend this book - yes, it is a tearjerker, but it is very inspirational as well. show less

Two Kisses for Maddy is the story of Matthew’s life with and without his wife Liz: how they met, fell in love and got married, had a baby, and then how he became a single parent to a premature baby girl twenty-seven hours after her birth when Liz died. To say that her death was tragic seems unnecessary, but the juxtaposition of new the baby’s life and the new mother’s death are enough to make anyone cry.

Matthew Logelin puts his experiences down into writing with a raw and blunt show more emotion; cursing the tragedy, mourning his loss and loving his new daughter. I appreciated the open honesty of his writing – that he didn’t tame his thoughts for the paper. His writing is sometimes in your face, letting fly freely with the swear words, but he does it in such a way that it doesn’t feel forced or over-the-top. This is a man expressing his horror at losing his wife – if there was ever a time to swear I think this would be it.

He writes about his experiences being out in public with his newborn baby, and how almost everyone asked him where his daughter’s mother was – as if he were a kidnapper. I was appalled to think of how much that constant questioning must have hurt. I think it does reflect some of the lingering gender stereotypes within our culture. Right or wrong, people expect to see newborn babies with a couple or with a mother, not out with their daddies. I would like to think that these attitudes will continue to change for the better as time goes by.

Two Kisses for Maddy is a touching, heartbreaking story that you will want to read all in one sitting. I applaud Matthew for sharing his experiences with the world and revealing the depth of his loss.

Matthew Logelin has created The Liz Logelin Foundation to help other widows and widowers with small children. For more information about his story (and to see some cute photos of Maddy) visit his blog. show less