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Dan Gets a Minivan: Life at the Intersection of Dude and Dad
A coming-of-middle-age tale told with warmth and wit, Dan Gets a Minivan provides the one thing every parent really needs: comic relief. Whether you're a dude, a dad, or someone who's married to either, fasten your seat belt and prepare to crack up.
The least hip citizen of Brooklyn, Dan Zevin has a working wife, two small children, a mother who visits each week to "help," and an obese Labrador mutt who prefers to be driven rather than walked. How he got to this point is a bit of a blur. There was a wedding, and then there was a puppy. A home was purchased in New England. A wife was promoted and transferred to New York. A town house. A new baby boy. A new baby girl. A stay-at-home dad was born. A prescription for Xanax was filled. Gray hairs appeared; gray hairs fell out. Six years passed in six seconds. And then came the minivan.
Dan Zevin, master of Seinfeld-ian nothingness, is trying his best to make the transition from couplehood to familyhood. Acclimating to the adult-oriented lifestyle has never been his strong suit, and this slice-of-midlife story chronicles the whole hilarious journey - from instituting date night to joining Costco; from touring Disneyland to recovering from knee surgery; from losing ambition to gaining perspective. Where it's all heading is anyone's guess, but, for Dan, suburbia's calling - and his minivan has GPS.
The least hip citizen of Brooklyn, Dan Zevin has a working wife, two small children, a mother who visits each week to "help," and an obese Labrador mutt who prefers to be driven rather than walked. How he got to this point is a bit of a blur. There was a wedding, and then there was a puppy. A home was purchased in New England. A wife was promoted and transferred to New York. A town house. A new baby boy. A new baby girl. A stay-at-home dad was born. A prescription for Xanax was filled. Gray hairs appeared; gray hairs fell out. Six years passed in six seconds. And then came the minivan.
Dan Zevin, master of Seinfeld-ian nothingness, is trying his best to make the transition from couplehood to familyhood. Acclimating to the adult-oriented lifestyle has never been his strong suit, and this slice-of-midlife story chronicles the whole hilarious journey - from instituting date night to joining Costco; from touring Disneyland to recovering from knee surgery; from losing ambition to gaining perspective. Where it's all heading is anyone's guess, but, for Dan, suburbia's calling - and his minivan has GPS.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published May 22, 2012
13 people are currently reading
1015 people want to read
About the author
Dan Zevin
22 books30 followersDan Zevin is a Thurber Prize-winning humorist. His books include Dan Gets a Minivan and The Day I Turned Uncool, which were both optioned by Adam Sandler. Dan has been an award-winning humor columnist for the New York Times, a comic commentator for NPR, and a contributor to print or digital editions of The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Rolling Stone, Salon, Real Simple, Parents, and The Wall Street Journal. He lives with his family in Westchester, NY, and teaches comic writing at Sarah Lawrence College.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
July 8, 2013
This is the third book in the trilogy of "cool dad" audiobooks I picked up around Father's Day. In some ways, it was the best one (i.e. it was funny -- unlike Dad or Alive: Confessions of an Unexpected Stay-at-Home Dad, which was never, ever funny -- but it was also a bit more substantial than Jim Gaffigan's book of transcribed stand-up routines).
But... it isn't really a dad book. He barely talks about his kids and I'm not quite clear on how many he has or, like, their names. Instead he writes about aging into being a dork (but I'm pretty sure he was never that cool anyway, few authors of humorous-tell-it-like-it-is "Guides to Life" are, if Dave Barry, Patrick Rothfuss, John Scalzi, etc. are any barometer). He doesn't write about being a father, but he can write a funny essay about finding a nanny. It wasn't really what I look for in a book like this, but I liked it.
The definitive dad book must be out there somewhere... I refuse to cede further ground to Paul Reiser.
But... it isn't really a dad book. He barely talks about his kids and I'm not quite clear on how many he has or, like, their names. Instead he writes about aging into being a dork (but I'm pretty sure he was never that cool anyway, few authors of humorous-tell-it-like-it-is "Guides to Life" are, if Dave Barry, Patrick Rothfuss, John Scalzi, etc. are any barometer). He doesn't write about being a father, but he can write a funny essay about finding a nanny. It wasn't really what I look for in a book like this, but I liked it.
The definitive dad book must be out there somewhere... I refuse to cede further ground to Paul Reiser.
September 14, 2016
I thought the first three chapters were funny, but then the writing style got a bit boring. The humor was kind of for a specific audience: urban "want to be cool" parents. It was hard for me to relate to that. I ended up skimming the last few chapters just to get to the end. A disappointing read.
September 23, 2021
Very Dave Barry-ish, which is a good thing. Makes me want to read his other books now.
October 22, 2012
Many humorous moments but still not as consistently funny as Dave Barry
August 26, 2013
right before i read this book, i read something that said, "dan zevin is like the seinfeld of memoirists. he doesn't write about anything, but he's funny!" & i was like, "oh no." i am not a seinfeld fan. in the sixth grade, this kid that i really hated announced that his favorite TV show was "seinfeld" (& his favorite comic was "mother goose & grimm") & i was like, "anything this toolbag likes can't possibly be worth anything,"& that was that. no seinfeld for me. so i was a bit nervous about this book.
but it wound up being pretty enjoyable! zevin is a stay-at-home writer turned stay-at-home dad & his writing is a serious step up from the average "i'm gonna write some funny essays about parenthood" writing. i know, because i have read practically all of them. it's also interesting to get a dad's-eye view of parenthood. i liked his acknowledgement that all dads have to do is basically breathe & remain semi-conscious in the presence of their children & everyone praises their parenting abilities, while mothers are held to such a crazy standard.
i also liked the way that there were little jokes sprinkled throughout the book that the reader would only get if they'd read the previous chapters. this isn't technically a memoir, because there isn't really a narrative, so a person could conceivably just read the book in whatever order they like. but obsessives like me, who must read all books cover-to-cover & in the correct order, are rewarded by witty little call-backs here & there.
A+++ would read this author again.
sorry, i've been taking care of ramona for seven hours now & my brain is half-melted.
but it wound up being pretty enjoyable! zevin is a stay-at-home writer turned stay-at-home dad & his writing is a serious step up from the average "i'm gonna write some funny essays about parenthood" writing. i know, because i have read practically all of them. it's also interesting to get a dad's-eye view of parenthood. i liked his acknowledgement that all dads have to do is basically breathe & remain semi-conscious in the presence of their children & everyone praises their parenting abilities, while mothers are held to such a crazy standard.
i also liked the way that there were little jokes sprinkled throughout the book that the reader would only get if they'd read the previous chapters. this isn't technically a memoir, because there isn't really a narrative, so a person could conceivably just read the book in whatever order they like. but obsessives like me, who must read all books cover-to-cover & in the correct order, are rewarded by witty little call-backs here & there.
A+++ would read this author again.
sorry, i've been taking care of ramona for seven hours now & my brain is half-melted.
May 28, 2013
I am not a man.
I am not married.
I do not have children.
I do not own a minivan.
I do not live in Brooklyn.
And yet. And yet, I find this to be quite possibly the funniest book that I have read in a long while.
Zevin's sense of humor simply resonates with me. He possesses that style of observance unique to intelligent people, followed-up by zingers that many would not recognize.
I particularly enjoyed the section about speaking at a College commencement and the section chronicling taking young children to Disneyland. Hysterical.
I hope that his dad is successful in talking him into buying a Papyrus, because then I can go and get my book signed there.
I am not married.
I do not have children.
I do not own a minivan.
I do not live in Brooklyn.
And yet. And yet, I find this to be quite possibly the funniest book that I have read in a long while.
Zevin's sense of humor simply resonates with me. He possesses that style of observance unique to intelligent people, followed-up by zingers that many would not recognize.
I particularly enjoyed the section about speaking at a College commencement and the section chronicling taking young children to Disneyland. Hysterical.
I hope that his dad is successful in talking him into buying a Papyrus, because then I can go and get my book signed there.
June 5, 2012
Good - not great. Funniest chapter was "Limping" about his recovery from ACL surgery.
July 19, 2012
When life is on fast-forward from singledom to coupledom to parentdom with a crash course in survivaldom, you have to roll with the punches. In Dan Zevin's case, he rolls his way into the ultimate "collapsible-seating, DVD-playing, GPS-touting, satellite radio-jamming" driving machine. And life as he knows it is about to go from driveway to highway.
"When life deals you a minivan, you might as well enjoy the ride."
Chock full of laugh out loud moments and completely irreverent humor, this social commentary of a life/dog/children/job juggling dad will have you in stitches. As if growing up isn't bad enough, growing up while being a responsible adult is a whole different ball game. Zevin's hilarious account of life after marriage and children won’t let you go once you turn the first page. Not only does he tackle the inevitable poop in the bathtub (soup ladle solution, who knew?), he doesn't shy away from the Statistical Analysis of Child-Rearing versus Sh!t-Giving (diagrammed) or filling out a Lower Extremity Rehabilitation Journal while on Percocet (journaled). Zevin lays it all out in pure, unadulterated comedy that is so close to the truth, it hurts. Laughing, that is.
DAN GETS A MINIVAN is a definite must-read for your summer reading list, and one that will be enjoyed by dudes, chicks, couples, parents and parents-to-be, future suburbanites, and especially all the aloof hipster dads at the playground.
Read more of this review and my interview with the author, Dan Zevin, in TheLoopNY, http://theloopny.com/blog/breaking-ne...
"When life deals you a minivan, you might as well enjoy the ride."
Chock full of laugh out loud moments and completely irreverent humor, this social commentary of a life/dog/children/job juggling dad will have you in stitches. As if growing up isn't bad enough, growing up while being a responsible adult is a whole different ball game. Zevin's hilarious account of life after marriage and children won’t let you go once you turn the first page. Not only does he tackle the inevitable poop in the bathtub (soup ladle solution, who knew?), he doesn't shy away from the Statistical Analysis of Child-Rearing versus Sh!t-Giving (diagrammed) or filling out a Lower Extremity Rehabilitation Journal while on Percocet (journaled). Zevin lays it all out in pure, unadulterated comedy that is so close to the truth, it hurts. Laughing, that is.
DAN GETS A MINIVAN is a definite must-read for your summer reading list, and one that will be enjoyed by dudes, chicks, couples, parents and parents-to-be, future suburbanites, and especially all the aloof hipster dads at the playground.
Read more of this review and my interview with the author, Dan Zevin, in TheLoopNY, http://theloopny.com/blog/breaking-ne...
December 12, 2014
Zevin is a humorist with archetypal dude reactions to fatherhood, family life, his parents, and getting a minivan. His book represents the kind of easy, accessible humor that father-dudes immediately understand because they, too, have gone from onetime hipster to some schmoe driving a minivan. Losing your cool isnt attractive, but it happens to all of us. If it happened to Bill Cosby (who went from playing Alexander Scott to Dr. Cliff Huxtable), its going to happen to YOU. Zevin succeeds, though you can really sense the Eau de Weary stench coming off him. One chapter is all about going to court to fight a dog-walking ordinance violation. Conversations revolve around the mundaneness of airline reward miles, sojourns to discount grocery chains, Disney. And thats life at the intersection of dude and dad. Life gets sad, mundane, and much more tame.
Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.
Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.
May 16, 2012
“Dan gets a Minivan” by Dan Zevin, published by Scribner.
Category – Memoir/Comedy
Dan Zevin and his wife are living in Brooklyn with their two small children. Dan and his wife met in college and had a wonderful courtship that finally led to marriage and children, and a dog named Chloe, who prefers riding to walking.
Dan is a stay at home Dad while his wife commutes to downtown New York to her job. They have always preferred Brooklyn to the Suburbs because everything was close, museums, parks, restaurants, and other cultural stimuli.
They never had a need for transportation but after six years Dan purchases a minivan. The minivan awakens Dan to adulthood. He now truly becomes the father of his children. He now joins the ranks of the married with children.
Dan’s journey includes the finding of babysitters, date nights, visits from his mother, and the learning of how to shop at Costco from his father.
A funny story that each of us can find ourselves in throughout the book. A very easy read that gives the reader an escape from more serious reading.
Category – Memoir/Comedy
Dan Zevin and his wife are living in Brooklyn with their two small children. Dan and his wife met in college and had a wonderful courtship that finally led to marriage and children, and a dog named Chloe, who prefers riding to walking.
Dan is a stay at home Dad while his wife commutes to downtown New York to her job. They have always preferred Brooklyn to the Suburbs because everything was close, museums, parks, restaurants, and other cultural stimuli.
They never had a need for transportation but after six years Dan purchases a minivan. The minivan awakens Dan to adulthood. He now truly becomes the father of his children. He now joins the ranks of the married with children.
Dan’s journey includes the finding of babysitters, date nights, visits from his mother, and the learning of how to shop at Costco from his father.
A funny story that each of us can find ourselves in throughout the book. A very easy read that gives the reader an escape from more serious reading.
January 16, 2013
Dan Zevin gives an entertaining and somewhat unique perspective of being a stay-at-home dad. His writing is funny and his stories are upbeat. I wavered between 3 or 4 stars and if possible I would've given 3.5 stars. I liked his writing although it seemed like the end of the book was leading up to something that never exactly clearly manifested.
I'm pretty critical of New York-centered people. New York is not the only city in the country. If you live outside the city you can still live a happy, intelligent, cultured, 'cool kid' lifestyle. New Yorkers tend to forget this. The author makes some concession to this idea by tooling with the thought and eventually moving from Hipster Brooklyn to the suburbs of Hipster Brooklyn. Don't worry, even the suburbs are equipped with Starbucks for him to work on his screenplay (no really).
I'm pretty critical of New York-centered people. New York is not the only city in the country. If you live outside the city you can still live a happy, intelligent, cultured, 'cool kid' lifestyle. New Yorkers tend to forget this. The author makes some concession to this idea by tooling with the thought and eventually moving from Hipster Brooklyn to the suburbs of Hipster Brooklyn. Don't worry, even the suburbs are equipped with Starbucks for him to work on his screenplay (no really).
December 1, 2014
This is a really cute and humorous novel, taking a look at the lives of aging hipster parents. New Yorkers to the bone, Dan and his wife never thought they would leave the city. After years of trying to fit their two children into their city sized lives and town home, the are now ready to embrace many of the acts of parenting they once may have found beneath them. I loved the bits about Dan's new empire on wheels, his minivan, and his soliloquies to new Hipster Dads. The family even rents a home in the suburbs during the summer, rather than spend the expense of adding central air to their New York home. I laughed when Dan spoke about his father as a provider and his unique experiences at Cost-Co, and found Dan to be a relatable narrator. This was definitely a good read, even if your not a male or a parent - a funny light read to pass the time.
August 6, 2012
This book has nothing to do with my life. Really -- this guy lives in Brooklyn, works from home in the web business, has kids, is around forty, is unathletic, buys a bigger vehicle so he can fit his kids, and dreams of moving to the suburbs. He writes about bringing his kids to play in Carroll Park and looking for part-time nannies. Really nothing like me at all.
I felt like the rock musicians in the 80s who saw This is Spinal Tap for the first time. You come out of it thinking, haha, that was really funny! After a little while -- it's funny because it's true! Then eventually, oh my god, it's true. Then it's just, oh. god.
I felt like the rock musicians in the 80s who saw This is Spinal Tap for the first time. You come out of it thinking, haha, that was really funny! After a little while -- it's funny because it's true! Then eventually, oh my god, it's true. Then it's just, oh. god.
September 14, 2013
This was a quick, easy breezy read. The author has a very conversational style and writes in a way that is entertaining and funny without making the last line of every chapter a punchline.
Each new chapter starts with a title page with a van at the bottom; it took me a few chapters to realize the van was moving forward with each chapter - a fun extra touch (and a reason why I still prefer actual books over e-books when possible).
Find all my reviews at:
http://readingatrandom.blogspot.com/2...
Each new chapter starts with a title page with a van at the bottom; it took me a few chapters to realize the van was moving forward with each chapter - a fun extra touch (and a reason why I still prefer actual books over e-books when possible).
Find all my reviews at:
http://readingatrandom.blogspot.com/2...
June 28, 2012
Dan Zevin enters the parenthood years. I really enjoyed this book, and found myself laughing out loud while reading it, particularly in the minivan, courtroom, and date night chapters. While not as relatable as his last book "The Day I Turned Uncool" due to the author's Brooklyn address and stay-at-home dad status, I enjoyed his perspective on being a dad to two kids almost the same age as my own. A short quick read that addresses a different topic relating to the transition from dude to dad with every chapter.
August 25, 2012
Essays about fatherhood, in the vein of Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood. Zevin is a freelance writer who decides to be a stay-at-home dad. Not much new territory here, though "Semi Guitar Hero" was pretty funny. Turned off a little by how often he mentions his former writing gigs, and by the overblown blurbing (not his fault) comparing him to the very funny Dave Barry. He captures the competitive mom scene very well.
May 13, 2013
Some of the shtick in here dates back to Erma Bombeck, but about halfway through something clicked and I started liking the self that Zevin portrays. On the other hand, he has the kind of problems that really only afflict stay-at-home dads married to wealthy professionals who can afford nice minivans, nannies, gym memberships, and summer-long vacation house rentals. It's hard to work up much sympathy, especially when you just spent the weekend with your kid screaming at you because you are Not the Mommy.
August 1, 2014
Some pretty funny moments in this compilation of stories of a stay-at-home Dad, adjusting to getting older. The author's unique voice made the tales fun to listen to.
However, there were some entries which were repetitious (Aloof Hipster Dad, Dear Lower Extremity or something like that - I listened on audio and can't look it up, and continuous mention of a blog) and after awhile I just found them annoying.
But, for the most part the stories were enjoyable, funny and let me have a peek into the author's day to day adventures of trying to cope, just like the rest of us.
However, there were some entries which were repetitious (Aloof Hipster Dad, Dear Lower Extremity or something like that - I listened on audio and can't look it up, and continuous mention of a blog) and after awhile I just found them annoying.
But, for the most part the stories were enjoyable, funny and let me have a peek into the author's day to day adventures of trying to cope, just like the rest of us.
July 18, 2012
I thought this book was very entertaining. The author is compared to Dave Barry and David Sedaris, both of whom I really enjoy. Although, I would say he is a mixture of the two. He has the more subtle humor of David Sedaris, without all the major dysfunction, and the funny observations on boring life and parenthood of Dave Barry.
I greatly look forward to reading his other books, and hope he will write more!
Recommend it!
I greatly look forward to reading his other books, and hope he will write more!
Recommend it!
September 19, 2012
A humorist who is now a stay at home Dad, Dan Zevin's book of essays describe how life changes after kids. Although some are better than others, this is a fun read, and easy to pick up if you don't have a lot of time. He definitely speaks to the universal struggles of raising young kids without being too sentimental. I think he could have gotten into some of the more hilarious antics of his kids, though.
December 13, 2012
What a find. I came across this while browsing through some Amazon book ads. The cover grabbed me. Interesting design. Anyway, Mr. Zevin's sense of humor is a cross between Dave Barry's ludicrous-everyday-existence observations and Jim Brewer's my-wife-life-kids-and-family-are-nutballs details. Not every chapter is a winner, as he does try different styles to keep the reader's interest. But the winners? Oh my gosh, they're so-funny-I-doubled-over winners. Gotta read the rest of his books...
February 17, 2013
This book is lucky it got two stars. It was pretty much everything that annoys me about New York writers...they think they're hipsters, and they think that they have the ability to give anecdotes about parenting, but they really don't know anything beyond upper-middle class New York parenting, which means that they don't really know much of anything. I guess if you live in Manhattan, you might like this book. Everyone else ought to stay away.
October 10, 2013
A fun book which had me chuckling a few times during the read, especially the hipster dad at the playground.
The writing style flows well and it's easy to identify with Dan and his total acceptance of the change his life has undergone with the birth of his kids. It does suffer a little too much from "Dad is an idiot" but it also has some tender moments and a fun dynamic with his wife.
Nothing deep or profound, but fun.
The writing style flows well and it's easy to identify with Dan and his total acceptance of the change his life has undergone with the birth of his kids. It does suffer a little too much from "Dad is an idiot" but it also has some tender moments and a fun dynamic with his wife.
Nothing deep or profound, but fun.
October 20, 2013
I wasn't sure I was going to read this, but once I picked it up, I read it happily all the way through. Sometimes I think the pieces are a little too long, like he could've hit his point sooner, but for the most part, I really liked the depth he went to in each piece. They seemed heartfelt instead of just going for the laugh. Also, when his kids grow up and read this, they're going to be given a real gift...seeing how much he loves them.
November 12, 2013
I quite enjoyed this. I actually listened to it as an audiobook, and I really dislike audiobooks. Listened while on a long drive, (returning from Florida in our new minivan) and it held my attention. As a part-time and wannabe stay-at-home dad, lots of the stories I found funny and very relevant. It definitely has something of a New York-centric bent to it, but its fairly clear that it is going to from the beginning.
March 17, 2014
Ok. I relate to this guy way too much. I too had a minivan. I'm also from New Jersey. I too spent many days at the playground with hipster aloof dads. I also wore a baby backpack. I'm also a writer and I like to think I'm a funny guy (walterbowne.com) so there were many times I'm laughing at loud. The stuff about his mother was funny. It definitely deserved to be on the list for best humor from last year. Well done.
November 25, 2012
Somewhere between liked and really liked. Author is witty, anecdotes are funny. Just a little bit too much of a culture clash between Brooklyn and the NoDak for me to have a belly laugh experience. For example--not being able to find a parking spot by a restaurant on a date night is not something I ever think about. Love the title though :)
July 26, 2013
I always like these Dave Barry / Irma Bombeck type books, funny takes on everyday events. We all have little stories like this, but very few have the talent or time or inclination to put them down on paper. Some people can tell you about a crazy little thing that happened to them or a personal "aha!" moment and have you giggling or laughing until you cry. Dan Zevin is one of them.
November 7, 2013
cute; not terribly great.
I probably would have enjoyed this more if I lived in Brooklyn or was Jewish, but it did occasionally make me laugh out loud.
best quote:
I probably would have enjoyed this more if I lived in Brooklyn or was Jewish, but it did occasionally make me laugh out loud.
best quote:
When it’s Pete’s turn to share, here’s all he says: “We spent the first few years trying to fit the kids into our lives, so now it’s our turn to fit into theirs.”
I find this sentence profound.
April 9, 2016
A humorist attempting to write humor. How original. It wasn't funny, at all. I didn't laugh at any point during his random ramblings about daddy hood and privileged life sketches. A whole chapter was devoted to reading excerpts from his post acl surgery diary. What's the point? didn't bother finishing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews