Why do mums stay at home and dads go to work? Why do women treat men like idiots around babies? Where are all the new fathers we hear so much about? When he became a dad, Gideon Burrows didn't realise other men didn't do an equal share, or that he could have got away with doing far less. On his journey to fairer fatherhood he encountered dismissive midwives and father phobic workplaces, fanciful media stereotypes and patronising playgroup mums. In this controversial, frank and funny parenting memoir, Gideon Burrows discovers the real reason men don't do childcare. And what we should all do about it.Not your traditional daddy to be bookOn its search for answers, Men Can Do It reveals deeply ingrained fatherhood stereotypes, the role of the media, parenting books and celebrities, the politics of men and childcare, pregnancy and dads, and problematic paternity and parental leave legislation.It questions women's attitude towards fathers, sceptical mums at playgroups and pre-schools, old fashioned employers and society's outdated attitudes to what fatherhood should be all about.A book for fathers... and for mothersMen Can Do It would make an ideal gift for a new dad or new mum (or a dad or mum to be). It offers a welcome antidote to the pastel-coloured, soft-focussed baby books that just don't ring true, and the madcap dad memoirs that just reinforce the idea that men are idiots around babies.Revealing and challenging, but funny too, Men Can Do It shows what good parenting really can be in a modern world.
Gideon Burrows is an award winning author of novels and non-fiction books that aim to make you uncomfortable, allow you recover, and then make you feel completely refreshed.
Or else guilty. Or exhilarated. Or maybe a combination of these things.
Like taking a cold shower.
His near future novels, including Future Shop and Portico, tackle the challenging world of the near future: how social media, the metaverse, virtual reality, multi-player games and more may be sending us to hell. You'll never let your kids on the internet again.
His contemporary novels, including The Illustrator's Daughter and The Spiral, are about families and individuals in difficult situations: whether facing brake-ups, illness, prejudice, mental health breakdown or domestic violence. Through challenging our fundamental believes and values, he aims to make every reader think about their own comfortable lives.
As G D Burrows, he writes action fiction about ninjas. Awesome ninjas, who wear cool ninja gowns, have high tech ninja weapons, and take on the bad guys with their super martial arts skills and techniques. Think James Bond or Jack Reacher – but in full ninja garb, and based in London's East End. That kind of thing.
Gideon is really interested in the future and new technology, as well as science and rationalism. He's written two non-fiction books on the metaverse, and three books on cancer, including This Book Won't Cure Your Cancer, challenging society's assumptions when it comes to the disease.
He trained as a journalist and spent 10 years writing for major UK newspapers and magazines, and then running a copywriting agency.
Gideon is married, lives in east London with three children, and hundreds of worms. He's a keen cyclist, a qualified cycle mechanic and his home office is Pret a Manger.
He loves travelling on trains, eating Indian and Chinese food, and might actually be a ninja at night.
Like everyone else in the world, he drinks lots of coffee and loves the smell of new, unsullied stationery.
Gideon loves giving stuff away.
You'll always find something free at his website, www.gideon-burrows.com, where you can also join his Reader's Club.