My Dad Is a Freak

by Thomas Bell

Overview

This is a memoir detailing one man's serendipitous journey from bachelorhood to parenthood. After his latest girlfriend becomes his wife, and his wife becomes pregnant, Tom finds himself a first time father at nearly 50 years old. Over the years, he has shown only a passing interest in his nieces and nephews, and has never touched someone else's poo. Now, with an eight month-old baby and two toddlers, he wracks his brain for any useful cross-over skills accumulated from a half-century of single life.

"MY DAD IS A FREAK" is the conclusion that each of his children will inevitably arrive at, in their own good time, despite his best efforts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781477453643
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	05/10/2012
Pages:	220
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Tom Bell previously held positions as the publisher, editor, and delivery supervisor of the Colonial Woods Lantern. This one-sheet neighborhood newspaper topped achieved a print run of 47 copies per week at its peak. Mr. Bell was 13 years old at the time.

Editorial Reviews

In Bell's debut memoir, a late-blooming dad humorously discusses the angst, joys and mysteries of fatherhood. Bell surmises that his youngsters will inevitably conclude that he behaved in wild, irrational ways while raising them, but it's conjecture often belied by the scenarios he recounts. His speculation is probably linked to the excessive self-examination to which many parents are prone. In fact, his accounts of hospital childbirth, spousal budget conversations and diaper changing seem normal, even mundane, as does his fix for the family's pet-ownership dilemma: "adopting" backyard squirrels or grasshoppers. The writing is overlaid with a tone of sarcasm, particularly during descriptions of PTA meetings. Furthermore, the author's creative wordplay goes beyond the usual cute chapter titles. The wit here is found in many observational comparisons, such as the suggestion that industrial copy machines can't hold a candle to a baby's fascination with peek-a-boo's repetition. The book's best moments come when sharp language, sarcasm and creativity combine, as when Bell tweaks a preschool game's rules to gain more sleep because such inventions are "incorruptible, unverifiable and non-negotiable." Transferring bachelor skills to fatherhood is an amusing enough pursuit, although even more compelling is the understated purpose behind Bell's writing: It's a tool to help him deal with his own childhood issues. The intelligence of the writing suggests that Bell is aware of the uncouthness in focusing on "subject matter [that] is nauseatingly droll coming from anyone except yourself." Yet the book's compactness and ample wit will likely find traction with some parents and converted bachelors. Sometimes mundane but often creative and comical.

Kirkus Reviews