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Dad Is Fat
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Humor (2013)Jim Gaffigan never imagined he would have his own kids.
Though he grew up in a large Irish-Catholic family, Jim was satisfied with the nomadic, nocturnal life of a standup comedian, and was content to be "that weird uncle who lives in an apartment by himself in New York that everyone in the family speculates about." But all that changed when he married and found out his wife, Jeannie "is someone who gets pregnant looking at babies."
Five kids later, the comedian whose riffs on everything from Hot Pockets to Jesus have scored millions of hits on YouTube, started to tweet about the mistakes and victories of his life as a dad. Those tweets struck such a chord that he soon passed the million followers mark. But it turns out 140 characters are not enough to express all the joys and horrors of life with five kids, so hes' now sharing it all in Dad Is Fat.
From new parents to empty nesters to Jim's twenty-something fans, everyone will recognize their own families in these hilarious takes on everything from cousins ("celebrities for little kids") to growing up in a big family ("I always assumed my father had six children so he could have a sufficient lawn crew") to changing diapers in the middle of the night ("like The Hurt Locker but much more dangerous") to bedtime (aka "Negotiating with Terrorists").
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.
Though he grew up in a large Irish-Catholic family, Jim was satisfied with the nomadic, nocturnal life of a standup comedian, and was content to be "that weird uncle who lives in an apartment by himself in New York that everyone in the family speculates about." But all that changed when he married and found out his wife, Jeannie "is someone who gets pregnant looking at babies."
Five kids later, the comedian whose riffs on everything from Hot Pockets to Jesus have scored millions of hits on YouTube, started to tweet about the mistakes and victories of his life as a dad. Those tweets struck such a chord that he soon passed the million followers mark. But it turns out 140 characters are not enough to express all the joys and horrors of life with five kids, so hes' now sharing it all in Dad Is Fat.
From new parents to empty nesters to Jim's twenty-something fans, everyone will recognize their own families in these hilarious takes on everything from cousins ("celebrities for little kids") to growing up in a big family ("I always assumed my father had six children so he could have a sufficient lawn crew") to changing diapers in the middle of the night ("like The Hurt Locker but much more dangerous") to bedtime (aka "Negotiating with Terrorists").
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.
275 pages, Hardcover
First published May 7, 2013
2320 people are currently reading
55504 people want to read
About the author
Jim Gaffigan
14 books864 followersJim Gaffigan was born in Elgin, Illinois, and raised in Chesterton, Indiana. He attended La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. He is the youngest of six children and often jokes about growing up in a large family. He attended Purdue University for one year, where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. He graduated from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business in 1988. After graduating, Gaffigan moved to NYC to work in advertising, taking improv classes at night. His comedy career began when a friend bet him to do stand-up.
He is married to actress Jeannie Noth, with whom he has two daughters, Marre and Katie Louise, and three sons, Jack, Michael, and Patrick. The family of seven live in a two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Gaffigan has stated on stage, and elsewhere, that he is Catholic.
Portion from
He is married to actress Jeannie Noth, with whom he has two daughters, Marre and Katie Louise, and three sons, Jack, Michael, and Patrick. The family of seven live in a two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Gaffigan has stated on stage, and elsewhere, that he is Catholic.
Portion from
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,285 reviews
July 9, 2019
This is a really amusing book about an insane man who decided to have five children in a two-bedroom apartment in New York City. It's kind of like Dave Barry except it's still funny post-1993. I am giving it three stars because it is essentially a bunch of 2-minute standup routines strung together; nevertheless, I think the bit about the millions of pictures we take of our kids is suitable for framing. My daughter is just over a year old and I would conservatively estimate that my computer currently holds more than 10,000 pictures of her, plus videos. I have them backed up on two hard drives but still haven't deleted them to free up space, just in case. So my computer sometimes has to think for three minutes when I open Chrome, because of 9,000 pictures I will never look at.
On the other hand, it used to be pictures of the cat. So, progress.
UPDATE!
I "read" this again as an audiobook while driving across country from visiting family in Chicago to, yes, NYC, where I relocated with my family a year after I first read Dad Is Fat. Now that I am also an insane man raising kids (though only two) in a two-bedroom apartment in New York City, I can confirm that this is all, as the kids say, Highly Relatable Content.
On the other hand, it used to be pictures of the cat. So, progress.
UPDATE!
I "read" this again as an audiobook while driving across country from visiting family in Chicago to, yes, NYC, where I relocated with my family a year after I first read Dad Is Fat. Now that I am also an insane man raising kids (though only two) in a two-bedroom apartment in New York City, I can confirm that this is all, as the kids say, Highly Relatable Content.
February 4, 2014
Hmm, where to come down on this book.
Jim Gaffigan is a really funny stand-up, and he doesn't sound like anybody else. Okay, he talks about food all the time, but who cares? His newish special, Mr. Universe, is on Netflix, and I can't recommend it enough.
The book is readable for the childless. Like myself. And there are still some laughs. Unlike a lot of parenting-type books, Gaffigan doesn't present his kids as unassailable. He makes fun of them. In a kind way, but still. And though he questions himself, anyone who spends this much time observing and doing things for his kids must be doing at least a decent job. I think if you take your kids to the park, you can probably make fun of them in a book for being dumb when they are first born.
The book is mostly centered around the decision to have 5 kids and raise them in Manhattan, and the only piece that comes off kind of defensive is one where Gaffigan expresses that he's tired of people asking if he and his wife are done having kids as this is a private matter. A fact with which I take umbrage.
To really solidify some feelings, I thought I would present the opposite perspective, a non-famous guy who lives in pretty much the opposite of Manhattan, unmarried, no kids, and skin that can tan. So here are some of the things brought up in the book and just what I think of them, in general:
Home Births: Weird. But whatever. It's your house. Just don't tell me I'm sitting in the exact spot where the placenta "splashed down" because I really don't know how to react to that information. I don't tell people how often I urinate in the sink. And also please don't explain to me how this is less distressful for the baby. This is like you explaining to me what makes a caterpillar happy. You can't possibly know, nor are we even certain that a caterpillar is capable of being happy.
Raising Kids in the City: I come off like a big fat harrumph here, but I'm a little opposed to this idea in general. Because where do the rest of us get to go and have grown-up fun? I like that some things are for grown-ups. There was a time when families moved to the suburbs. And look what you made there. It sucks. You should all have to fix the suburbs before you're allowed back.
Family Bed: A friend introduced me to this concept years ago. Basically, everyone is welcome to sleep in the same bed. Kids and parents. Dog piled. Maybe with a dog if that's a family member, I guess. I'm less opposed to the idea of everyone sleeping in the same bed because of some kind of family values situation and more opposed to it because of the value of sleep. I've woken up in a pile of small strangers before, and this is not an experience I care to replicate.
Let Me Tell You About How UH-MAZING My Spouse Is: Well, why? Are you trying to set me up with your wife? Am I supposed to agree with you and then take on a campaign of wooing your wife away from you now that I've seen the light? I just don't get it. A lot of people spend a lot of time online letting the rest of us know how much they appreciate their spouses. But not in super-specific ways. Just with words like "wonderful." How about you just tell your spouse about it? Or buy a thesaurus? And "Amazing" will be in the A's as opposed to the Uh's.
Having 5 Children: Yeah, I have to say that I'm opposed to this. I know it's sort of a personal choice. But it's sort of not. Let's put it this way: As selfish as it is for me to want to be first in line at the Donut shop every time I go, it is equally selfish for parents to create a large number of humans who will be in front of me at the Donut shop. I'm not saying that I'm right to want to be first. I think we can all agree that this is selfish. I'm just trying to make the point that having a large number of kids and saying that this has no effect on the larger world is just patently false.
Gaffigan made a point about how each of his children has made him happier, but I think that there is no way to really know if you would have been equally happy with fewer children as the same amount of time passed. Maybe it's baby number five, but maybe it's three babies combined with career milestones and a strong marriage.
I also think that Gaffigan is a rare person who makes enough money to adequately provide for such a large family and also seems committed to spending a lot of time with them. So maybe it's the right number for him. But I think that people should take a more carefully examined look at the right number for them, because for many a person 5 is too many. 1 is too many.
Citing overpopulation and all that is somewhat crazy, so I won't go there. But I think we can all agree that the world is not under-populated. Humans, so much about us is biologically designed to pass on our genes through children. To create as many children as possible. To have sex and create life. This is some very old mojo and accounts for SO much human behavior (the way people try to impress each other, the way people act at bars, the acoustic guitar, "baby fever"). That said, I think what makes a person a person is the ability to recognize those mandates set by outdated biology and to deny them.
For the most part, we DO make strides to get away from those sorts of things. This is why we have things like equal rights. I can't not hire a guy missing a leg because he's missing a leg, even though there's a reptilian part of my brain telling me that this person is an imperfect biological specimen. Diet. Exercise. Medication. We do a lot of stuff to deny those things that are lodged in our brains, or to hold them off until evolution catches up.
But babies, babies are the one thing that we still categorize as magical, and if you were to criticize someone having a baby you would look like a complete shit.
It sounds like a conspiracy nut typing, but procreation is so caught up in the whirlwind mixture of biology, economy, and religion that it's inexorable.
There will never be a day in human history where we can look at ourselves and ask, "Is it necessary to have children and why?"
I know, you're thinking I'm a lonely depressed loser by now. Which I totally am. But nonetheless, I think that if you can't honestly ask the question about the larger impact of humanity, what the universe would be short of if humanity were to decrease into non-existence, then I have to think that you're a person driven by biology, religion, or economy in a way that's harmful. You have to be able to ask the question, at the very least.
I really and truly believe that what makes us human is the ability to recognize and deny those forces now and then. Okay, not always. Sometimes I would really like to drive a rad car. And nobody wants to hang out with a complete nihilist. Believe me, if I'm 3 beers in the last thing I want to talk about is how religion has shaped the western economy.
But if I'm 3 beers in, I MIGHT be just about ready to ask you what the hell the point of 5 kids could possibly be.
Jim Gaffigan is a really funny stand-up, and he doesn't sound like anybody else. Okay, he talks about food all the time, but who cares? His newish special, Mr. Universe, is on Netflix, and I can't recommend it enough.
The book is readable for the childless. Like myself. And there are still some laughs. Unlike a lot of parenting-type books, Gaffigan doesn't present his kids as unassailable. He makes fun of them. In a kind way, but still. And though he questions himself, anyone who spends this much time observing and doing things for his kids must be doing at least a decent job. I think if you take your kids to the park, you can probably make fun of them in a book for being dumb when they are first born.
The book is mostly centered around the decision to have 5 kids and raise them in Manhattan, and the only piece that comes off kind of defensive is one where Gaffigan expresses that he's tired of people asking if he and his wife are done having kids as this is a private matter. A fact with which I take umbrage.
To really solidify some feelings, I thought I would present the opposite perspective, a non-famous guy who lives in pretty much the opposite of Manhattan, unmarried, no kids, and skin that can tan. So here are some of the things brought up in the book and just what I think of them, in general:
Home Births: Weird. But whatever. It's your house. Just don't tell me I'm sitting in the exact spot where the placenta "splashed down" because I really don't know how to react to that information. I don't tell people how often I urinate in the sink. And also please don't explain to me how this is less distressful for the baby. This is like you explaining to me what makes a caterpillar happy. You can't possibly know, nor are we even certain that a caterpillar is capable of being happy.
Raising Kids in the City: I come off like a big fat harrumph here, but I'm a little opposed to this idea in general. Because where do the rest of us get to go and have grown-up fun? I like that some things are for grown-ups. There was a time when families moved to the suburbs. And look what you made there. It sucks. You should all have to fix the suburbs before you're allowed back.
Family Bed: A friend introduced me to this concept years ago. Basically, everyone is welcome to sleep in the same bed. Kids and parents. Dog piled. Maybe with a dog if that's a family member, I guess. I'm less opposed to the idea of everyone sleeping in the same bed because of some kind of family values situation and more opposed to it because of the value of sleep. I've woken up in a pile of small strangers before, and this is not an experience I care to replicate.
Let Me Tell You About How UH-MAZING My Spouse Is: Well, why? Are you trying to set me up with your wife? Am I supposed to agree with you and then take on a campaign of wooing your wife away from you now that I've seen the light? I just don't get it. A lot of people spend a lot of time online letting the rest of us know how much they appreciate their spouses. But not in super-specific ways. Just with words like "wonderful." How about you just tell your spouse about it? Or buy a thesaurus? And "Amazing" will be in the A's as opposed to the Uh's.
Having 5 Children: Yeah, I have to say that I'm opposed to this. I know it's sort of a personal choice. But it's sort of not. Let's put it this way: As selfish as it is for me to want to be first in line at the Donut shop every time I go, it is equally selfish for parents to create a large number of humans who will be in front of me at the Donut shop. I'm not saying that I'm right to want to be first. I think we can all agree that this is selfish. I'm just trying to make the point that having a large number of kids and saying that this has no effect on the larger world is just patently false.
Gaffigan made a point about how each of his children has made him happier, but I think that there is no way to really know if you would have been equally happy with fewer children as the same amount of time passed. Maybe it's baby number five, but maybe it's three babies combined with career milestones and a strong marriage.
I also think that Gaffigan is a rare person who makes enough money to adequately provide for such a large family and also seems committed to spending a lot of time with them. So maybe it's the right number for him. But I think that people should take a more carefully examined look at the right number for them, because for many a person 5 is too many. 1 is too many.
Citing overpopulation and all that is somewhat crazy, so I won't go there. But I think we can all agree that the world is not under-populated. Humans, so much about us is biologically designed to pass on our genes through children. To create as many children as possible. To have sex and create life. This is some very old mojo and accounts for SO much human behavior (the way people try to impress each other, the way people act at bars, the acoustic guitar, "baby fever"). That said, I think what makes a person a person is the ability to recognize those mandates set by outdated biology and to deny them.
For the most part, we DO make strides to get away from those sorts of things. This is why we have things like equal rights. I can't not hire a guy missing a leg because he's missing a leg, even though there's a reptilian part of my brain telling me that this person is an imperfect biological specimen. Diet. Exercise. Medication. We do a lot of stuff to deny those things that are lodged in our brains, or to hold them off until evolution catches up.
But babies, babies are the one thing that we still categorize as magical, and if you were to criticize someone having a baby you would look like a complete shit.
It sounds like a conspiracy nut typing, but procreation is so caught up in the whirlwind mixture of biology, economy, and religion that it's inexorable.
There will never be a day in human history where we can look at ourselves and ask, "Is it necessary to have children and why?"
I know, you're thinking I'm a lonely depressed loser by now. Which I totally am. But nonetheless, I think that if you can't honestly ask the question about the larger impact of humanity, what the universe would be short of if humanity were to decrease into non-existence, then I have to think that you're a person driven by biology, religion, or economy in a way that's harmful. You have to be able to ask the question, at the very least.
I really and truly believe that what makes us human is the ability to recognize and deny those forces now and then. Okay, not always. Sometimes I would really like to drive a rad car. And nobody wants to hang out with a complete nihilist. Believe me, if I'm 3 beers in the last thing I want to talk about is how religion has shaped the western economy.
But if I'm 3 beers in, I MIGHT be just about ready to ask you what the hell the point of 5 kids could possibly be.
July 29, 2013
Did you know Jim Gaffigan has five kids? He has five kids. Five kids. He must be crazy. Wow five kids. Wow in a tiny NYC apartment. Did you know that you don't sleep much when you have five kids? Did you know it is hard to go anywhere with five kids? Wow he must be crazy or something to have five kids. Did he mention he has five kids?
If you made it through that then you should thank me because I basically just gave you the experience and gist of reading this book but saved you the trouble of actually reading it. You're welcome.
If you made it through that then you should thank me because I basically just gave you the experience and gist of reading this book but saved you the trouble of actually reading it. You're welcome.
June 19, 2017
This book may not appeal to everyone, but if you have kids, it should appeal to you!
Gaffigan says what every parent is thinking, but is afraid to say out loud. As a parent of a two year old and a five year old, not only did it feel like he was speaking directly to me, I wondered if he was following me around and taking notes - 95% of this book happens to me almost daily!
I did hear that some people didn’t care for it and there are a few reasons I think this might be:
• Gaffigan is very goofy and sarcastic. If you do not like this sort of thing, you may not like this. If you do, come on in and stay a while!
• Even if you do like goofy sarcasm, it may get a bit too much. Most stand up acts are 60 minutes at most. This book will take 3 to 5 hours to read. You may need to pace yourself to avoid getting tired of it.
• For this particular book, if you are not a parent or have no experience with kids, it may not be your thing. Try Food: A Love Story instead. But, if you don’t like food either, I’ve got nothing for you.
• Gaffigan prides himself on avoiding raunch in his comedy. Not that he is a goody two shoes, or if you enjoy raunchy comedy I am calling you a filthy pervert, but I can see how some may want a little more edge to their comedy than you will get with Gaffigan.
My final note as someone who has only been a father for a few years: I read many parenting guides. Many of them were very helpful. But, now that I have read this, Dad Is Fat may have been all that I needed!
Gaffigan says what every parent is thinking, but is afraid to say out loud. As a parent of a two year old and a five year old, not only did it feel like he was speaking directly to me, I wondered if he was following me around and taking notes - 95% of this book happens to me almost daily!
I did hear that some people didn’t care for it and there are a few reasons I think this might be:
• Gaffigan is very goofy and sarcastic. If you do not like this sort of thing, you may not like this. If you do, come on in and stay a while!
• Even if you do like goofy sarcasm, it may get a bit too much. Most stand up acts are 60 minutes at most. This book will take 3 to 5 hours to read. You may need to pace yourself to avoid getting tired of it.
• For this particular book, if you are not a parent or have no experience with kids, it may not be your thing. Try Food: A Love Story instead. But, if you don’t like food either, I’ve got nothing for you.
• Gaffigan prides himself on avoiding raunch in his comedy. Not that he is a goody two shoes, or if you enjoy raunchy comedy I am calling you a filthy pervert, but I can see how some may want a little more edge to their comedy than you will get with Gaffigan.
My final note as someone who has only been a father for a few years: I read many parenting guides. Many of them were very helpful. But, now that I have read this, Dad Is Fat may have been all that I needed!
September 17, 2015
Humor has always figured prominently in my life.
I had a painful and awkward adolescence and my salvation was Monty Python, Mad Magazine, the National Lampoon, the Marx Brothers and my comedy albums (I know I’m probably leaving lots of stuff out). Humor was a lifeline and kept me sane (Ha!).
It still is today. I try to inject some humor into my writing, especially the graphic novel reviews and I try to bring some humor to my day-to-day living.
My son likes Gaffigan’s take on food, especially Hot Pockets and bacon, so when we bought him an Ipod, one of the first things he downloaded, was Gaffigan’s King Baby. He has some medical issues and occasionally we have to drive to Boston for special treatment or check-ins. Much of trip is through North Eastern Pennsylvania (I refuse to take I95) and aside from my son endlessly googling for Chinese buffets (“Dad there’s a Chinese Buffet in Squirrelballs, if you take the next exit, we can be there in twenty minutes”), we listened to Jim Gaffigan in order to lighten our journey.
It helped tremendously.
Thanks, Mr. Gaffigan! And I bought your booksecond hand as a show of my appreciation.
Gaffigan has five kids and this is not only a source of his humor but something he gets remarks about all the time ("Why so many kids?"), which is as discourteous, as asking a childless couple when they’re going to have children; something Gaffigan also addresses in his book.
Gaffigan brings the funny to his story about going large family-wise, but somehow, I felt that this would have been a better experience on audio book than via the written word, but maybe that’s just me.
This was a buddy read with the lovely and wonderful, Mrs. Jeff.
I had a painful and awkward adolescence and my salvation was Monty Python, Mad Magazine, the National Lampoon, the Marx Brothers and my comedy albums (I know I’m probably leaving lots of stuff out). Humor was a lifeline and kept me sane (Ha!).
It still is today. I try to inject some humor into my writing, especially the graphic novel reviews and I try to bring some humor to my day-to-day living.
My son likes Gaffigan’s take on food, especially Hot Pockets and bacon, so when we bought him an Ipod, one of the first things he downloaded, was Gaffigan’s King Baby. He has some medical issues and occasionally we have to drive to Boston for special treatment or check-ins. Much of trip is through North Eastern Pennsylvania (I refuse to take I95) and aside from my son endlessly googling for Chinese buffets (“Dad there’s a Chinese Buffet in Squirrelballs, if you take the next exit, we can be there in twenty minutes”), we listened to Jim Gaffigan in order to lighten our journey.
It helped tremendously.
Thanks, Mr. Gaffigan! And I bought your book
Gaffigan has five kids and this is not only a source of his humor but something he gets remarks about all the time ("Why so many kids?"), which is as discourteous, as asking a childless couple when they’re going to have children; something Gaffigan also addresses in his book.
Gaffigan brings the funny to his story about going large family-wise, but somehow, I felt that this would have been a better experience on audio book than via the written word, but maybe that’s just me.
This was a buddy read with the lovely and wonderful, Mrs. Jeff.
October 21, 2021
3.5 stars
Jim Gaffigan
Jim Gaffigan is a comedian, actor, and author. Jim and his wife Jeannie have five small children, and raising them is a challenge. It's also a rich source of humor, which Jim shares in this book.
Jim Gaffigan and his wife Jeannie
Jim Gaffigan with his wife and children
Jim and his family live in a two-bedroom apartment on the 5th floor of a New York City walk-up (no elevator). So Jim would really like you to buy this book so he can afford to move to a bigger place. LOL
New York walk up
Many of the observations in this book come from Jim's comedy specials, so if you've seen those, you're familiar with his humor - which is clean and family friendly. Jim talks and writes a lot about his children and explains: "My blurbs about my children.....are meant to be funny, silly, and hopefully insightful. I enjoy finding the humor in parenting."
Jim Gaffigan comedy special
Rather than a traditional review I'll give some examples of Jim's stories. Just picture the comic saying this stuff.....
- Having five children has really made me appreciate the more important things in life: the sublime state of being alone. Of course now I'm never alone.
Jim is never alone
- I have children like I have male pattern baldness; it's an incurable condition. Symptoms include: constant fatigue, inability to sleep, and of course extreme sleep disruption.
- When I was single I was a loner by choice....the thought of a roommate to a single me was absurd. Now I have many roommates: I have an 8-year-old, a 6-year-old, a 3-year-old, a 1-year-old, and I don't think I've even met the other one yet. Ten years ago I could barely get a date and now my apartment is crawling with babies. It's like I left some peanut butter out overnight.
- As a dad you're Vice President. You are part of the executive branch of the family but you are the partner with the weaker authority. In your children's eyes you mostly fulfill a ceremonial role of attending pageants and ordering pizza. Jeannie is Bill Clinton and I am Al Gore.....I'm the dork reminding them to turn off the lights.
That'll be one large supreme pizza and one large cheese pizza...….
- When your baby is born.....the masses of family and friends want to be assured the mother is okay and get information on the baby. For some reason it's really important for the people to know how much the baby weighs. "How much does she weigh?" That seems rude. She's not even a day old and people seem obsessed with my daughter's weight. She was nine pounds but I told my friends she was 8 pounds, 16 ounces, because it sounded thinner.
- Giving a newborn clothes makes no sense at all. Newborns can't dress themselves and they never go out. I've been around five newborns and not one of them has asked "Tonight I'm meeting some friends for sushi. Can you help pick out an outfit?"
- What's really stupid is baby versions of adult shoes. My brother-in-law Patrick bought our then 3-month-old Jack tiny Timberland hiking boots. Our baby couldn't walk, let alone hike. Patrick explained that the boots would be cute. Cute yes, but only because they're ironic. A baby wearing construction worker boots that weigh more than he does is mean. It's like giving a blind person a microscope.
- Toddlerhood is one of my favorite periods of childhood development....not only because you can finally enter them in beauty pageants. All healthy babies eventually walk....[and].....I guess walking IS impressive after ten months of just lying around. Actually they don't immediately walk or even toddle. They cruise or hold themselves up with furniture in search of the hardest and sharpest surface to bang their head on. When they finally let go and take a few steps it's more like a stumble or a stagger, like they are a drunken old man or a zombie extra from the Walking Dead.
- I'm ashamed how often I lie to my children. Maybe they aren't all lies.....some of it's acting. You act excited to read a story for the 500th time. You act impressed someone went to the bathroom on the toilet. The excitement I show to some of my children's scribbles should get me a Golden Globe nomination.
- I'm not a man with many hobbies besides eating, sleeping, watching an occasional football game, and of course eating. I just like spending time with my children, although I'm always amazed at how little I have in common with them. My 6-year-old son Jack actually doesn't like mashed potatoes. Yes, mashed potatoes, one of the greatest things on earth. The ice cream of potatoes. Of course he loves french fries, hash browns, and baked potatoes. But mashed potatoes might as well be sewer sludge. "EWWWWW ....mashed potatoes."
- Little kids simply have bad taste in everything. Little kids taste in clothing is baffling. if you ask a 3-year-old boy to pick something out to wear to the park the outfit will definitely clash and most likely not include pants. "Okay, why don't we wear pants AND a shirt instead of goggles and a hat."
Kids dress themselves in quirky outfits
- Walking in NYC alone is great....[lots of interesting sights and sounds]. But when you add a couple of kids and a stroller, walking becomes a vastly different experience. Strolling a kid down a sidewalk seems like it would be easy except that a stroller is the Bermuda Triangle of kids shoes. You can't stroll a kid half a block before they only have one shoe on. You have no idea when or how they got it off or how you missed it being flung away. Then there are the kids that are walking with you.....I try to wrangle my brood off deathtraps like treeguards, stoops, ramps, and poles - and try to prevent them from getting too close to the curb where giant trucks and mindless cyclists are inches away from plowing them over.
- The subway is a fast and economical way to get around. But from the moment the turnstile smacks your kid in the head, til the time your child terrifies you by almost falling in the gap between the platform and the train, to the kid inevitably licking the subway pole that 800 million filthy hands have touched, to almost missing your stop because it's too crowded to get off, to carrying the stroller up three flights of subway stairs.....this form of transportation becomes more of a treacherous pilgrimage than a way of getting from point A to point B.
Taking kids on subways is nerve wracking
- Recently on a warm sunny day, I found myself preparing to singlehandedly take all five of my kids to the park. It is probably easier to land a quadruple jump in ice skating than to get my five children to depart our house in a timely manner. When you have little kids you can't just say 'come on, let's go' and walk out the door. You must always add 'find the shoe time' to your calculation of estimated time of departure. If it's winter and there are hats, gloves, scarves, and mittens involved.....just forget it. You might as well just stay in. it will be the spring thaw by the time you get them bundled.
- I'm getting fat. Luckily my gut is intentional. I'm actually preparing for a big role. Sure, it's a cinnamon roll but I want there to be room for it. Okay, fine I could lose some weight but I'm not gonna hide behind some lame excuse. My paunch is no one's fault but my kids. Have you seen what a six year old wants to eat...."For dinner get me a mac and cheese, a handful of pretzels and a half a cupcake." They don't actually ask for half a cupcake but half a cupcake is all they'll actually eat. What are you supposed to do with the other half of the cupcake..... or half a plate of french fries they leave in a restaurant. This is why being a parent is the opposite of the Jenny Craig diet. I can just see the pitch. "I gained 20 pounds just eating small portions of my children's leftovers."
- Last summer I took my family to Disneyworld. What I forgot was that Orlando in August is roughly the same temperature as the surface of the sun. What I also didn't realize is that going to Disney as an adult is like standing in line at the DMV. The only real difference is at the DMV you leave with a driver's licence. It's amazing how much money it costs to be uncomfortable all day and listen to your children whine and complain. Disney is not a vacation. To me the term Disney vacation is equivalent to the term Chuck E. Cheese fine dining.
- Last summer I had four chldren and I noticed there were only three Eskimo Pies left in the freezer for dessert. The first thought that came to me was "Well looks like I'm eating three Eskimo Pies. In spite of my lack of parental instincts, in the end i did the right thing. i only ate one. That way the four of them could split the other two evenly. How else are they gonna learn math?
"Dad is Fat" is 288 pages long. So if these excerpts amused you, there's plenty more where they came from. People with children might appreciate the humor a bit more than childless readers....but I think anyone would get a laugh from the book.
Recommended to readers who like funny books.
You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/
April 21, 2015
Hahaha! Jim Gaffigan is funny. This was a very amusing audiobook.
Dad is Fat is a collection of comic essays about what it's like to be a parent to five kids. That's not a typo -- Jim and his wife have FIVE children. I can't imagine having five kids. My parents had three kids and I thought that was nuts.
Gaffigan had me giggling from the very beginning, in which he told a story of a vacation he and his wife took before they had children. They went to the Grand Canyon with another couple who had a newborn, and it was a disaster. The whole trip revolved around the baby's naps, and Gaffigan didn't understand why the parents were so obsessed about the sleeping baby. Of course, now Gaffigan knows better.
Some other favorite stories were about what it's like living in New York with five kids, the challenge of getting five kids to bed in a two-bedroom apartment, and why Gaffigan has surrendered to eating fast food while traveling ("You win, McDonald's").
He also had a poignant essay about people who ask him inappropriate questions about his five kids, sometimes ending with, "Are you done yet?" He says family is a very personal topic, and related such rudeness to those who pester childless couples. You never know if someone has been struggling with infertility, and asking intrusive questions can be upsetting. It was a thoughtful essay in a book filled with humorous anecdotes, and I was glad it was there.
I had read Gaffigan's other book, Food: A Love Story, which was also amusing, but I thought I would have enjoyed it more listening to him perform it. So I decided to listen to the Fat Dad book, and it was a good call. Being a comedian, Gaffigan has great timing and funny voices, and I frequently laughed out loud.
I would recommend this book to parents, but I think even people who aren't parents would enjoy it. Case in point: I don't have kids and I thought this was very funny. I have so many nieces and nephews and friends with children that I could appreciate Gaffigan's stories.
Meanwhile, I think I'll take his advice and avoid any trips to the Grand Canyon with parents who have a newborn.
Favorite Quotes
"When I was growing up, I always assumed my father had six children so he could have a sufficient lawn crew. Every Saturday, my dad would have me and all my siblings out doing yard work, landscaping and what seemed like arbitrarily excavating our yard. He would say things like, 'Today I'd like to move this hill.' At best, it felt like torture. At worst, it felt like slavery."
"When I first became a father, I remember thinking that my ultimate goal was to just not make the same mistakes that my father made. Then I was comforted by the thought that there was no way I would be able to afford all that booze. My father may not have been the best dad, but without the comparison to him, I would probably feel even guiltier, so in a way he made me a better dad."
"I do remember that when I was single, I was a loner by choice. I ate alone, went to movies alone, and even spent time by myself alone. The thought of a roommate to the single me was absurd. Now I have many roommates. I have an 8-year-old, a 6-year-old, a 3-year-old, a 1-year-old, and I don't think I've met the other one yet. Hey, there are five of them! Five kids may seem overwhelming to you, but how do you think I feel? Ten years ago, I could barely get a date, and now my apartment is literally crawling with babies. It's like I left some peanut butter out overnight."
Dad is Fat is a collection of comic essays about what it's like to be a parent to five kids. That's not a typo -- Jim and his wife have FIVE children. I can't imagine having five kids. My parents had three kids and I thought that was nuts.
Gaffigan had me giggling from the very beginning, in which he told a story of a vacation he and his wife took before they had children. They went to the Grand Canyon with another couple who had a newborn, and it was a disaster. The whole trip revolved around the baby's naps, and Gaffigan didn't understand why the parents were so obsessed about the sleeping baby. Of course, now Gaffigan knows better.
Some other favorite stories were about what it's like living in New York with five kids, the challenge of getting five kids to bed in a two-bedroom apartment, and why Gaffigan has surrendered to eating fast food while traveling ("You win, McDonald's").
He also had a poignant essay about people who ask him inappropriate questions about his five kids, sometimes ending with, "Are you done yet?" He says family is a very personal topic, and related such rudeness to those who pester childless couples. You never know if someone has been struggling with infertility, and asking intrusive questions can be upsetting. It was a thoughtful essay in a book filled with humorous anecdotes, and I was glad it was there.
I had read Gaffigan's other book, Food: A Love Story, which was also amusing, but I thought I would have enjoyed it more listening to him perform it. So I decided to listen to the Fat Dad book, and it was a good call. Being a comedian, Gaffigan has great timing and funny voices, and I frequently laughed out loud.
I would recommend this book to parents, but I think even people who aren't parents would enjoy it. Case in point: I don't have kids and I thought this was very funny. I have so many nieces and nephews and friends with children that I could appreciate Gaffigan's stories.
Meanwhile, I think I'll take his advice and avoid any trips to the Grand Canyon with parents who have a newborn.
Favorite Quotes
"When I was growing up, I always assumed my father had six children so he could have a sufficient lawn crew. Every Saturday, my dad would have me and all my siblings out doing yard work, landscaping and what seemed like arbitrarily excavating our yard. He would say things like, 'Today I'd like to move this hill.' At best, it felt like torture. At worst, it felt like slavery."
"When I first became a father, I remember thinking that my ultimate goal was to just not make the same mistakes that my father made. Then I was comforted by the thought that there was no way I would be able to afford all that booze. My father may not have been the best dad, but without the comparison to him, I would probably feel even guiltier, so in a way he made me a better dad."
"I do remember that when I was single, I was a loner by choice. I ate alone, went to movies alone, and even spent time by myself alone. The thought of a roommate to the single me was absurd. Now I have many roommates. I have an 8-year-old, a 6-year-old, a 3-year-old, a 1-year-old, and I don't think I've met the other one yet. Hey, there are five of them! Five kids may seem overwhelming to you, but how do you think I feel? Ten years ago, I could barely get a date, and now my apartment is literally crawling with babies. It's like I left some peanut butter out overnight."
August 4, 2013
I had to give this book 5 stars because #1: Jim Gaffigan is hilarious, #2: the only way to survive parenting is through humor and #3: I swear this was the book I WAS GOING TO WRITE ON PARENTING but from a mom's point of view and minus a few chapters and the title! Seriously almost every thought/chapter in his book was something that was so right on target and funny because it is so true and was probably something I thought at the time! If you are a mom or a dad you have to read this! If you do not have kids, don;t bother, you won't get most of it...I listened to this on audio which made all the difference I am sure as he reads it himself so it was like listening to his stand up act - so very funny - reading it may not have the same effect! Seriously I want to share quotes from the whole book, but I just googled a few to share with you - you have to read it yourself. Here are a few favorites:
Parents who want to be considered cool, give it up. Even if you put your three-year-old in a fedora, we all know you are still getting barfed on and wiping noses and butts like the rest of us. (p. 31)
My love of lollipops is not about eating them; it’s about how quiet they make children … If you ever take your kids to a situation where they must be quiet, bring lollipops. They’re like flavored muzzles. (p. 219)
One more-
Every year after Jeannie has her annual baby, I receive congratulations from friends and family. There’s always one per- son who says, “Oh, you just had a baby. Yeah, we just got a puppy.” What? In no other situation could you compare a human to an animal and people would actually be okay with it. You could never say, “Oh, you just got married? Yeah, I used to have a pig. Does your new wife like to roll around in mud, too? My pig loved that.”
Of course, the dog-and-baby comparison is nothing new. Dog owners are sincere and mean no insult. Their dog is their “baby.” But, of course, a dog is not a baby. It’s a dog. I also understand some people prefer dogs to babies. We are raising our children in New York City, which is not the most popular place to have children. If you hear someone cooing, “Oh, how cute!” on the street in NYC, you better look down, because they are going to be referring to a dog.
It’s a good thing babies have no idea how often they are compared to dogs. I would think that would be pretty insulting to the babies. Let me be clear. I love all animals. I love to pet them. I love to eat them. I’m an all-around animal lover, but besides the drooling and whimpering, your dog is not that similar to a baby. Take the smells, for instance. Babies are the two extremes on the spectrum of smell. They either smell like heaven filled with lollipops or like a microwaved cesspool. The cleanest of clean dogs still smells like a dog.
Allow me to list a few other differences:
1. Dogs come when you call their name.
2. The absence of birth control does not lead to pet owner- ship.
3. You don’t have to worry about your dog ever becoming addicted to meth.
4. You do not have to save so your dog can go to college and then find out after they graduate that they want to be an actor.
5. If someone is pushing a baby in a stroller, they are prob- ably a parent or a caregiver. If someone is pushing a dog in a stroller, they are probably insane.
Parents who want to be considered cool, give it up. Even if you put your three-year-old in a fedora, we all know you are still getting barfed on and wiping noses and butts like the rest of us. (p. 31)
My love of lollipops is not about eating them; it’s about how quiet they make children … If you ever take your kids to a situation where they must be quiet, bring lollipops. They’re like flavored muzzles. (p. 219)
One more-
Every year after Jeannie has her annual baby, I receive congratulations from friends and family. There’s always one per- son who says, “Oh, you just had a baby. Yeah, we just got a puppy.” What? In no other situation could you compare a human to an animal and people would actually be okay with it. You could never say, “Oh, you just got married? Yeah, I used to have a pig. Does your new wife like to roll around in mud, too? My pig loved that.”
Of course, the dog-and-baby comparison is nothing new. Dog owners are sincere and mean no insult. Their dog is their “baby.” But, of course, a dog is not a baby. It’s a dog. I also understand some people prefer dogs to babies. We are raising our children in New York City, which is not the most popular place to have children. If you hear someone cooing, “Oh, how cute!” on the street in NYC, you better look down, because they are going to be referring to a dog.
It’s a good thing babies have no idea how often they are compared to dogs. I would think that would be pretty insulting to the babies. Let me be clear. I love all animals. I love to pet them. I love to eat them. I’m an all-around animal lover, but besides the drooling and whimpering, your dog is not that similar to a baby. Take the smells, for instance. Babies are the two extremes on the spectrum of smell. They either smell like heaven filled with lollipops or like a microwaved cesspool. The cleanest of clean dogs still smells like a dog.
Allow me to list a few other differences:
1. Dogs come when you call their name.
2. The absence of birth control does not lead to pet owner- ship.
3. You don’t have to worry about your dog ever becoming addicted to meth.
4. You do not have to save so your dog can go to college and then find out after they graduate that they want to be an actor.
5. If someone is pushing a baby in a stroller, they are prob- ably a parent or a caregiver. If someone is pushing a dog in a stroller, they are probably insane.
March 21, 2017
I absolutely LOVE Jim Gaffigan. He makes me laugh so hard and I always feel good after watching him on stand up, or reading his books.
I really hope he writes more books. I'm in!
5*****
I really hope he writes more books. I'm in!
5*****
July 18, 2016
After recently reading Jim Gaffigan's gastronomically good read Food: A Love Story, I decided to go on a mini Gaffigan binge.
As you might guess from the title, Dad Is Fat is about Gaffigan's home life and the travails of becoming a parent. It follows chronologically from him and his wife as a free-and-easy, no-kids couple to having five children all crammed into a tiny apartment.
I related to the no-kids couple, I laughed at some of the parenthood ridiculousness and I enjoyed every part of this book. I just didn't love it. I hoped for hilarity, but got more subtle ha-has instead.
Here's a sampling:
“Whenever one of my children says, 'Goodnight, Daddy,' I always think to myself, 'You don't mean that.”
“I used to wonder why I had hair on my legs, but now I know it's for my toddler sons and daughters to pull themselves up off the ground with as I scream in pain.”
“Look, you lost a tooth. Congratulations. Enjoy looking like a hillbilly. Here’s a dollar...”
“I don't know what's more exhausting about parenting: the getting up early, or acting like you know what you're doing.”
Yeah, there are a lot of one-liners. He is a stand-up comedian after all. However, Gaffigan does a nice job of setting up and exploring his topic, at least a little better than just tossing off zingers. No, this won't replace the What To Expect... series for folks looking to bone up on childrearing, but did you really think that's what you'd find between the pages of a book with this title?
Rating: 3.5
As you might guess from the title, Dad Is Fat is about Gaffigan's home life and the travails of becoming a parent. It follows chronologically from him and his wife as a free-and-easy, no-kids couple to having five children all crammed into a tiny apartment.
I related to the no-kids couple, I laughed at some of the parenthood ridiculousness and I enjoyed every part of this book. I just didn't love it. I hoped for hilarity, but got more subtle ha-has instead.
Here's a sampling:
“Whenever one of my children says, 'Goodnight, Daddy,' I always think to myself, 'You don't mean that.”
“I used to wonder why I had hair on my legs, but now I know it's for my toddler sons and daughters to pull themselves up off the ground with as I scream in pain.”
“Look, you lost a tooth. Congratulations. Enjoy looking like a hillbilly. Here’s a dollar...”
“I don't know what's more exhausting about parenting: the getting up early, or acting like you know what you're doing.”
Yeah, there are a lot of one-liners. He is a stand-up comedian after all. However, Gaffigan does a nice job of setting up and exploring his topic, at least a little better than just tossing off zingers. No, this won't replace the What To Expect... series for folks looking to bone up on childrearing, but did you really think that's what you'd find between the pages of a book with this title?
Rating: 3.5
June 18, 2015
I listened to the audiobook and everything about this was excellent! :D
November 15, 2013
Some funny parts, but sheesh, if I wanted to hear some middle-aged man complain about his five kids I could just go to my brother's house.
December 22, 2014
It's simple: If you like Jim Gaffigan's work, you'll like this book -- especially if you get the audio version, because he reads it himself.
If you aren't familiar with his comedy, please stop living such a needlessly sad life and check out one of his albums. I recommend "King Baby" (an escalator that's not working "is like having a dead butler") and "Mr. Universe" ("If you want to know what it's like to have a fourth kid, just imagine you're drowning, and then someone hands you a baby"). Actually, all his albums are good; I just like these best.
So check out his comedy, and then read his book. (Or listen to it.) Or read his book, and like it enough to want to listen to his comedy. I'm not the boss of you. Unless I am, in which case I order you to read his book and listen to his comedy. At the same time. Just to really mess with your head.
But I digress. What I enjoyed most about this book was that, yes, okay, it's yet another parenting book about how holy CRAP is this parenting gig tough; but it's way funnier than most. And Gaffigan never once acts as if children have been foisted on him. (I hate it when men do that.) He has admitted in interviews that if he's on the road, the first day alone is kind of nice, but after that he really misses his family. He talks in this book about how and why he travels a lot with them.
And I love how cognizant he is of how hard he lucked out in marrying Emmy-nominated Jeannie Noth. She's his producer, co-writer, partner, and -- well, love of his life doesn't seem to go far enough. Also, she's a babe. Yes, after hearing so much glowing praise, I checked. Thank you, nosy Internet. Gaffigan manages to pretty much worship her in print without ever getting sticky or mawkish. Three cheers for a male comic who doesn't feel obligated to sneer at his spouse and marriage in general.
(Maybe we're finally trending that way. Paul F. Tompkins and Patton Oswalt are similarly tender, and Louis CK was respectfully affectionate and wistful toward his wife on every one of his albums even during and after their breakup. So there's hope.)
Back to Gaffigan. As he points out, it's very unusual to have five children these days; so even parents will find novelty in this story of juggling a large family of very close-in-age offspring. Non-parents should read this for the same reason they wanted to go the circus when they were kids: it's fun to ooh and aah at a spectacle that's nothing like what you think of as real life.
I've posted a bunch of quotes from the book if you want to get a sense of what this book reads like. I would have posted more, but I was usually doing the dishes while I listened.
If you aren't familiar with his comedy, please stop living such a needlessly sad life and check out one of his albums. I recommend "King Baby" (an escalator that's not working "is like having a dead butler") and "Mr. Universe" ("If you want to know what it's like to have a fourth kid, just imagine you're drowning, and then someone hands you a baby"). Actually, all his albums are good; I just like these best.
So check out his comedy, and then read his book. (Or listen to it.) Or read his book, and like it enough to want to listen to his comedy. I'm not the boss of you. Unless I am, in which case I order you to read his book and listen to his comedy. At the same time. Just to really mess with your head.
But I digress. What I enjoyed most about this book was that, yes, okay, it's yet another parenting book about how holy CRAP is this parenting gig tough; but it's way funnier than most. And Gaffigan never once acts as if children have been foisted on him. (I hate it when men do that.) He has admitted in interviews that if he's on the road, the first day alone is kind of nice, but after that he really misses his family. He talks in this book about how and why he travels a lot with them.
And I love how cognizant he is of how hard he lucked out in marrying Emmy-nominated Jeannie Noth. She's his producer, co-writer, partner, and -- well, love of his life doesn't seem to go far enough. Also, she's a babe. Yes, after hearing so much glowing praise, I checked. Thank you, nosy Internet. Gaffigan manages to pretty much worship her in print without ever getting sticky or mawkish. Three cheers for a male comic who doesn't feel obligated to sneer at his spouse and marriage in general.
(Maybe we're finally trending that way. Paul F. Tompkins and Patton Oswalt are similarly tender, and Louis CK was respectfully affectionate and wistful toward his wife on every one of his albums even during and after their breakup. So there's hope.)
Back to Gaffigan. As he points out, it's very unusual to have five children these days; so even parents will find novelty in this story of juggling a large family of very close-in-age offspring. Non-parents should read this for the same reason they wanted to go the circus when they were kids: it's fun to ooh and aah at a spectacle that's nothing like what you think of as real life.
I've posted a bunch of quotes from the book if you want to get a sense of what this book reads like. I would have posted more, but I was usually doing the dishes while I listened.
June 26, 2021
I knew of Jim Gaffigan but hadn't ever experienced any of his comedy, when I decided to check out this audiobook for a recent long, hot driving trip. It was a great choice. These are humorous essays, read by the author, about his and his wife, Jeannie's, journey through parenting five children in their tiny, two-bedroom apartment in the Bowery, from home birthing all five, through field trips to New York City park bathrooms, Disney World, and an endless series of other people's kids' birthday parties. He explains how lying to children, stealing their candy, and leaving them with babysitters whose primary qualification is that they are warm bodies, are inevitable and sound parenting choices. The genuine love that Gaffigan has for his wife and children comes through and leavens the sarcasm and exaggeration.
March 15, 2023
I used to have a lot of faith in humanity before the advent of the website “comment” section.
I like books by comedians. I love Tina Fey and Aziz Ansari, and I loved their books Bossypants and Modern Romance. I don’t love Mindy Kaling or BJ Novak, but I really liked their books Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me and One More Thing, which I found clever and interesting. So, even though I don’t love Jim Gaffigan, I decided to give his book a try.
Yeah, Dad Is Fat not that kind of book. It reads like his comedy specials. So, if you love Jim Gaffigan, I’m guessing you’ll love this book. If you’re like me, and you think he’s bland, safe, and just not that interesting, then you’ll probably agree with me that the book is literally meh.
January 8, 2018
If I could describe this book in one word, it would be wholesome. From Jim's parenting techniques to his style of humor, it somehow made me chuckle yet feel heartwarmed (is that a word?). I fell in love with Jim's Hot Pocket skit--and I've now confirmed myself to be his most basic and undevoted fan--and I think that even having only seen such little of his material, this was still enough to get me to laugh and gain more respect for him.
Obviously I can't relate to being a parent, but it put an interesting perspective on a lot of parenting troubles, and it made me empathize with how horrible I must have been as a kid lol. I do like that this book jabs fun at fathering, particularly how much harder women tend to work than men in parenting. He's very aware of the gender politics involved with parenting, and I like how he nods to it by discussing it ironically but not disrespectfully.
This will definitely be a memorable book and it's so quick and sweet that I'll probably end up rereading it one day! I'm tempted to lend it to my dad but I don't know if he'd get offended upon seeing the title, so we shall see.
Obviously I can't relate to being a parent, but it put an interesting perspective on a lot of parenting troubles, and it made me empathize with how horrible I must have been as a kid lol. I do like that this book jabs fun at fathering, particularly how much harder women tend to work than men in parenting. He's very aware of the gender politics involved with parenting, and I like how he nods to it by discussing it ironically but not disrespectfully.
This will definitely be a memorable book and it's so quick and sweet that I'll probably end up rereading it one day! I'm tempted to lend it to my dad but I don't know if he'd get offended upon seeing the title, so we shall see.
August 17, 2018
I’m so glad that I listened to the audiobook, because Jim’s delivery makes this even more amazing than it already is. This is ‘laugh out loud my stomach aches now’ funny. I’m not sure if anyone who isn’t a parent would truly appreciate this masterpiece, as much as a sleep deprived sucker aka parent would and should.
August 20, 2021
Jim Gaffigan is very funny, and he knows exactly how to share his family complaint stories in an affable and charming way.
But it's so much family. If you're married, if you have kids, then you'll love this. Single people like myself may enjoy Gaffigan as much as anyone, but it's just not that relatable. Still, an interesting window in the specific life of New Yorkers who have 5 kids and like candy :)
But it's so much family. If you're married, if you have kids, then you'll love this. Single people like myself may enjoy Gaffigan as much as anyone, but it's just not that relatable. Still, an interesting window in the specific life of New Yorkers who have 5 kids and like candy :)
June 25, 2018
I tell ya, men just aren't funny.
I mean, judging by my reactions to the male comedian autobiographies vs my reactions to the female comedian autobiographies I've read recently, the men are coming up short. They've been doing this writing/comedying thing with so much more success for so much longer, they should have it down pat by now, right?
Maybe it's not just Gaffigan who got fat, maybe they all have and this is a game in which you need to stay lean, be hungry, fight hard. The women are winning because they're still working at it.
That's probably not at all true. I'm being subjective here. And disappointed.
Whereas I was sad that Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens didn't amuse because I've found Izzard so delightful in the past, I know next to nothing about Gaffigan so shouldn't have had any expectations. I think I was up for about anything from the guy...except to be bored out of my mind by his ceaseless whining.
Holy hell, this guy can complain.
We know food makes him happy, he tells us often and it's kind of in the title. Other than that, his life is pretty much crap, apparently. A better title for this book would have been Dad is Crabby.
I get that this is his shtick and I also get that I didn't really know that having never followed him but I now also understand why I didn't jump on the Gaffigan band wagon - his comedy stylings are not for me.
Also not for me? His BS sex role ideas. I don't know if he's trying to be funny when he talks about how women have nurturing instincts and that's why this whole parenting thing is so much harder for him that it is for his wife but it's not coming across as hilarious, at least not to me.
So while I smiled once or twice while listening to this, all in all, it bored me to bits and I hope Gaffigan meets many great donuts in his life, I wish him well, and I never want to meet him in person. Which I won't because except for the author/librarian relationship, our circles do not touch.
I mean, judging by my reactions to the male comedian autobiographies vs my reactions to the female comedian autobiographies I've read recently, the men are coming up short. They've been doing this writing/comedying thing with so much more success for so much longer, they should have it down pat by now, right?
Maybe it's not just Gaffigan who got fat, maybe they all have and this is a game in which you need to stay lean, be hungry, fight hard. The women are winning because they're still working at it.
That's probably not at all true. I'm being subjective here. And disappointed.
Whereas I was sad that Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens didn't amuse because I've found Izzard so delightful in the past, I know next to nothing about Gaffigan so shouldn't have had any expectations. I think I was up for about anything from the guy...except to be bored out of my mind by his ceaseless whining.
Holy hell, this guy can complain.
We know food makes him happy, he tells us often and it's kind of in the title. Other than that, his life is pretty much crap, apparently. A better title for this book would have been Dad is Crabby.
I get that this is his shtick and I also get that I didn't really know that having never followed him but I now also understand why I didn't jump on the Gaffigan band wagon - his comedy stylings are not for me.
Also not for me? His BS sex role ideas. I don't know if he's trying to be funny when he talks about how women have nurturing instincts and that's why this whole parenting thing is so much harder for him that it is for his wife but it's not coming across as hilarious, at least not to me.
So while I smiled once or twice while listening to this, all in all, it bored me to bits and I hope Gaffigan meets many great donuts in his life, I wish him well, and I never want to meet him in person. Which I won't because except for the author/librarian relationship, our circles do not touch.
November 14, 2019
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 5 rounded up!
Dad Is Fat is another super funny book from comedian Jim Gaffigan!
What it's about: Jim Gaffigan talks about family, the complications of having five children, and children in general.
I listened to Dad Is Fat on audiobook which is the way I recommend 'reading' it. Gaffigan reads his own audiobooks which makes them even more enjoyable than if you were just reading the words. I also listened to Food: A Love Story by Gaffigan which was really good, but I actually liked this one even more. I thought this was funnier, and I really liked that it wasn't as long. The book is less than 300 pages so the audio is just short of 5.5 hours which was perfect for our road trip.
I love Gaffigan's stand-up, and I really enjoyed listening to him talk more about his kids and family. I think that anyone with kids should be able to relate to something in Dad Is Fat, and even though I myself am childless, I was able to relate to some things as well. Plus he writes the way he does his comedy, so if you like that you should like this!
Song/s the book brought to mind: A mix of You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins and Family is Family by Kacey Musgraves.
Final Thought: I am keeping my review for Dad Is Fat short and sweet because I don't want to give any details away. Basically, if you like Jim Gaffigan you should like this book, and once again - listening to it is the way to go! I'm sad that he doesn't have any other books I can listen to, but his wife Jeannie has one releasing in October 2019 and if she reads it, that may just have to be my next road trip book!
Dad Is Fat is another super funny book from comedian Jim Gaffigan!
What it's about: Jim Gaffigan talks about family, the complications of having five children, and children in general.
I listened to Dad Is Fat on audiobook which is the way I recommend 'reading' it. Gaffigan reads his own audiobooks which makes them even more enjoyable than if you were just reading the words. I also listened to Food: A Love Story by Gaffigan which was really good, but I actually liked this one even more. I thought this was funnier, and I really liked that it wasn't as long. The book is less than 300 pages so the audio is just short of 5.5 hours which was perfect for our road trip.
I love Gaffigan's stand-up, and I really enjoyed listening to him talk more about his kids and family. I think that anyone with kids should be able to relate to something in Dad Is Fat, and even though I myself am childless, I was able to relate to some things as well. Plus he writes the way he does his comedy, so if you like that you should like this!
Song/s the book brought to mind: A mix of You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins and Family is Family by Kacey Musgraves.
Final Thought: I am keeping my review for Dad Is Fat short and sweet because I don't want to give any details away. Basically, if you like Jim Gaffigan you should like this book, and once again - listening to it is the way to go! I'm sad that he doesn't have any other books I can listen to, but his wife Jeannie has one releasing in October 2019 and if she reads it, that may just have to be my next road trip book!
February 1, 2016
3.5
Not as funny as watching Jim live but still plenty of laugh out loud moments. It’s more along the lines of truth in parenting moments and wisdom gained along the way. Anyone who has ever raised multiple children will relate to the stories and recollections this dad of five has experienced and writes about.I listened to the audio read by the author while on my walks and doing chores which not only enhanced the enjoyment of the tasks but I’m sure the book as well.
Not as funny as watching Jim live but still plenty of laugh out loud moments. It’s more along the lines of truth in parenting moments and wisdom gained along the way. Anyone who has ever raised multiple children will relate to the stories and recollections this dad of five has experienced and writes about.I listened to the audio read by the author while on my walks and doing chores which not only enhanced the enjoyment of the tasks but I’m sure the book as well.
October 7, 2014
“Raising kids may be a thankless job with ridiculous hours, but at least the pay sucks.”
While Gaffigan’s comedy specials bring plenty of belly laughs, the book was much more subtle. Maybe I’m just hilarious, or (more the likely scenario) all pale skinned people who bear fruit experience most of the same things. I suspect that those without children would have many more guffaws than those whose homes are already filled with the tiny terrorists. That’s not to say the book isn’t enjoyable – it’s just not “wet your pants from laughing” funny (if you're a female who birthed more than one child, you’ll understand the reference).
Highlights for me were all of the opinions Gaffigan and I have in common (these moments probably confirm I am a huge asshole, but having someone else write them down for all eternity took some weight off my soul). These things include:
1. The annoyance of the Anne Geddes babies-as-flowers images;
2. The joy of watching a teenager wipe out while on a skateboard;
3. The fear that you will have an ugly baby;
4. Chiming in when your child is being bullied and feeling victorious when you’ve made their attacker run away crying;
5. Needing someone to hold you back from disciplining someone else’s rotten offspring
6. The dream of having an option of enrolling your child in a school “for everyone WITHOUT a nut allergy” to make packing a lunch easy again;
7. The necessity of an “8 hour ladies luncheon” every once in awhile with your best friend (after which you come home completely inebriated);
8. And my absolute favorite – if you are complaining about all the things you do with/for your kid – it means you are actually DOING things with/for your kid and therefore probably have every right to complain.
While Gaffigan’s comedy specials bring plenty of belly laughs, the book was much more subtle. Maybe I’m just hilarious, or (more the likely scenario) all pale skinned people who bear fruit experience most of the same things. I suspect that those without children would have many more guffaws than those whose homes are already filled with the tiny terrorists. That’s not to say the book isn’t enjoyable – it’s just not “wet your pants from laughing” funny (if you're a female who birthed more than one child, you’ll understand the reference).
Highlights for me were all of the opinions Gaffigan and I have in common (these moments probably confirm I am a huge asshole, but having someone else write them down for all eternity took some weight off my soul). These things include:
1. The annoyance of the Anne Geddes babies-as-flowers images;
2. The joy of watching a teenager wipe out while on a skateboard;
3. The fear that you will have an ugly baby;
4. Chiming in when your child is being bullied and feeling victorious when you’ve made their attacker run away crying;
5. Needing someone to hold you back from disciplining someone else’s rotten offspring
6. The dream of having an option of enrolling your child in a school “for everyone WITHOUT a nut allergy” to make packing a lunch easy again;
7. The necessity of an “8 hour ladies luncheon” every once in awhile with your best friend (after which you come home completely inebriated);
8. And my absolute favorite – if you are complaining about all the things you do with/for your kid – it means you are actually DOING things with/for your kid and therefore probably have every right to complain.
December 5, 2013
I love Jim Gaffigan, but I think this book was bit much. I recognized some of the jokes in his book from his stand-up, but on stand-up they are much better. I probably would have liked this better if I listened to him read me the audiobook.
Also, I guess I didn't realize how much (nearly all) of this book was about him being a dad. I mean, I get it. Kids. Parenting. It's probably hilarious if you are also a parent, but after a hundred pages or so I got kind of tired of it. Like when you start to look at a friend's photo album on facebook and realize it's all just slight variations of the same photo of their kid a thousand times and desperate-sounding e-cards about how parenting is the best and non-parents will never understand you again. It's not that you don't love your friend and her child, or that you didn't laugh at Jim Gaffigan's jokes. But eventually you do want to talk about something else.
Also, I guess I didn't realize how much (nearly all) of this book was about him being a dad. I mean, I get it. Kids. Parenting. It's probably hilarious if you are also a parent, but after a hundred pages or so I got kind of tired of it. Like when you start to look at a friend's photo album on facebook and realize it's all just slight variations of the same photo of their kid a thousand times and desperate-sounding e-cards about how parenting is the best and non-parents will never understand you again. It's not that you don't love your friend and her child, or that you didn't laugh at Jim Gaffigan's jokes. But eventually you do want to talk about something else.
December 24, 2015
Gaffigan is hilarious - one of my favorite comedians. This book is a pile of chuckles with a few real laughs thrown in. It's an honest look at the travails of being dad. I'd recommend it to any dad or expectant dad because it's informative and really fun whereas most fathering books are neither.
March 2, 2013
Imagine a parenting advice book, then add a stand-up comedy routine on fatherhood from the perspective of a self-admittedly fat, lazy father-of-five who rarely bothers to put down the fork or put on pants. Enter: "Dad is Fat", a new type of parenting book, written by Jim Gaffigan of three hit stand-up specials on Comedy Central.
"Dad is Fat" is laugh-out-loud funny, but surprisingly observant. Gaffigan writes the book in blog style. The chapters are rarely more than 5 to 7 pages, with a conversational style that keeps you grinning, wincing, turning pages, and re-evaluating how many children you want (if any at all). Jim explores the sweetness of having "the pitter-patter of little feet" and also laments the loss of silence, sleep and sanity. From fast food, to extended family, to vacations on tour and adventures in questionable New York City parks, Gaffigan covers quite the range of parenting topics with his range of children age 7 to newborn (at time of writing).
Fans of Jim's stand-up specials will recognize several of his classic bits, and find new comedy gems too. Parents and prospective parents alike will enjoy Jim's rants on his baby battle scars.
"Dad is Fat" is laugh-out-loud funny, but surprisingly observant. Gaffigan writes the book in blog style. The chapters are rarely more than 5 to 7 pages, with a conversational style that keeps you grinning, wincing, turning pages, and re-evaluating how many children you want (if any at all). Jim explores the sweetness of having "the pitter-patter of little feet" and also laments the loss of silence, sleep and sanity. From fast food, to extended family, to vacations on tour and adventures in questionable New York City parks, Gaffigan covers quite the range of parenting topics with his range of children age 7 to newborn (at time of writing).
Fans of Jim's stand-up specials will recognize several of his classic bits, and find new comedy gems too. Parents and prospective parents alike will enjoy Jim's rants on his baby battle scars.
May 6, 2021
That was a fun read. I think books like these, Yes Please, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten and Life Is a Bowl of Cherry Pits to name a few, are like literary Chinese Food. It's so, so good as you eat and then an hour later you are hungry again. You also can't recall exactly what the meal tasted like, only that you would be happy to eat it again.
It was very obvious how much Gaffigan loves his wife and children from this book. I like that. I was not even peripherally aware of him before a friend chose this as a group read, so I watched a Youtube video. I think I'll stick to any more books he reads.
It was very obvious how much Gaffigan loves his wife and children from this book. I like that. I was not even peripherally aware of him before a friend chose this as a group read, so I watched a Youtube video. I think I'll stick to any more books he reads.
September 23, 2021
This guy is a rarity in today's world, a clean comedian that's actually funny. I've watched his comedy specials on YouTube, and his observations on things that we ourselves make fun of are hilarious. This book deals with him trying to cope as he raises his five kids. Very funny book, recommended.
January 5, 2023
That was one of the most repetitive books I have ever read. I came into this with high hopes because my dad and I like Jim Gaffigan so I know that he's funny. But over all this book was not funny. It was trying so hard but it almost never hit the mark. I feel like every page was the same "I have 5 kids and that's a lot". Don't waste your time with this just watch his comedy.
May 24, 2013
Let me just start by saying that I am a *huge* Jim Gaffigan fan. I would pay a giant pile of money to see him live, and I haven't paid for live entertainment...well...ever. Despite my fangirl status, I did not enjoy this book. First of all, he read the book. Now, this is typical for an audiobook, but it was very obvious he was reading--and he's not a great reader--and for someone who is used to the easy flow of his comedy, it was really distracting. Second, while I was warned that this was not for people who didn't have kids, I figured that was not a problem since I deal with the quirks of two of them on a daily basis. But the warning should have gone that you won't enjoy this unless you have little kids. Perhaps I am just too past the infant/toddler stage to enjoy the diaper rants. And third, he is just too hard to identify with. He has five kids in a two bedroom walk-up in New York City. Instead of going "Ha, ha, I can totally relate to that," I'm like, "You are completely out of your mind." Yes, he makes this joke. But, really...it is almost impossible to get two kids into an SUV and get underway. Of course any excursions with your five kids under the age of 8 on the subway is a nightmare. It's not even funny. It's just exhausting to think of. In fact, perhaps I should change the number of stars in hopes that lots of people buy this book and they can move to Vermont and get a minivan.
October 2, 2013
I'm not a huge follower of comedians, but Gaffigan is a favorite of mine. His standup is hilarious. This book, however, is a serious mess. He gets props for mentioning-- more than once-- that a book about the struggles of raising kids is a sure-fire way to make some dough. This book is clearly that, and is clearly his reason for writing it. Little insight, little clarity, little originality is to be found in this book. The essays run together and generally have the same theme-- kids are loud; kids are messy; kids take time. The narrative is so similar from essay to essay that I listened to the discs out of order and didn't even notice it, except that I heard the ending credits at the wrong time. It is that not good. Instead of chuckling good-naturedly at the pitfalls of having five kids, I found myself actually judging him and his wife (who we are told is AMAZING about 100 times)for burdening this world with 5 kids and not having the sense or basic money-management skills to get an apartment big enough for their big family. This is definitely not the intent of this book, but I found so little else here, that's where my mind wandered... I hope Gaffigan leaves his kids and wife out of his future efforts. What I suspect will happen, however, is his next job will be an insipid network sitcom featuring a hapless dad and his huge family, living in a much-too-small apartment in NYC. Ick-- thank God for Netflix.
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