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Don't Make Me Stop this Car: Adventures in Fatherhood
A collection of essays, some serious and some humorous, offers the author's thoughts on parenting and life in general that draw on his experiences as the father of two girls and his own childhood as the oldest of six children.
- GenresNonfictionParentingHumor
256 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2000
4 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Al Roker
24 books132 followersAl Roker is an American weather forecaster, journalist, television personality, actor, and author. He is the current weather anchor on NBC's Today.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 2, 2020
Don’t make me read this personal stuff
What can I say being the first reviewer of this title on Amazon? Apparently, this must not have been a bestseller. I have cataloged the book in humor, but it is really more biographical. Cataloging In Publication is 306.8… whatever that is supposed to mean other than it is wrong. Subject headings are supposed to direct the reading to particular subjects anyhow. I have noticed that CIP people do not know a great deal about cataloging is what I am saying.
Roker is not a James Thurber, but at least he is not a Dave Barry.
So, here I am reading this title, I purchased fifteen years ago, in my old age. I looked Roker up and learned he is still married to Deborah, at least on the date of my web search, and that he was raised Catholic, which explains, to me at least, several of his references to God’s will. For example: The miscarriage was God’s will and the healthy growth of the implanted zygote was God’s will. They were blessed by God to have the finances to proceed with an expensive procedure I would rather not read about… and a country house. How were they going to explain to the baby the two siblings that did not make it… and the one that was apparently dispensed with? Whatever…
The expenditures were annoying and must have been astronomical, at least for my budget. My own daughter, who works for a living, could not afford a modicum, even with her crappy insurance, of such expenditures. So, this stuff is not in God’s will for working folks… The religious aspect reads like a Max Lucado picture book.
He did make a big mistake letting Courtney watch MTV, and I presume, all that other junk. But, she apparently made it through okay.
Food was apparently a big part of Roker’s life, but he has lost substantial weight, at least temporarily, with a gastric bypass.
The chapter, however, on prejudice of racial and other characteristics, although not original, was insightful. Can’t we all just get along? Apparently not.
This is followed by parenting anecdotes at differing levels of humor.
Gotta go.
What can I say being the first reviewer of this title on Amazon? Apparently, this must not have been a bestseller. I have cataloged the book in humor, but it is really more biographical. Cataloging In Publication is 306.8… whatever that is supposed to mean other than it is wrong. Subject headings are supposed to direct the reading to particular subjects anyhow. I have noticed that CIP people do not know a great deal about cataloging is what I am saying.
Roker is not a James Thurber, but at least he is not a Dave Barry.
So, here I am reading this title, I purchased fifteen years ago, in my old age. I looked Roker up and learned he is still married to Deborah, at least on the date of my web search, and that he was raised Catholic, which explains, to me at least, several of his references to God’s will. For example: The miscarriage was God’s will and the healthy growth of the implanted zygote was God’s will. They were blessed by God to have the finances to proceed with an expensive procedure I would rather not read about… and a country house. How were they going to explain to the baby the two siblings that did not make it… and the one that was apparently dispensed with? Whatever…
The expenditures were annoying and must have been astronomical, at least for my budget. My own daughter, who works for a living, could not afford a modicum, even with her crappy insurance, of such expenditures. So, this stuff is not in God’s will for working folks… The religious aspect reads like a Max Lucado picture book.
He did make a big mistake letting Courtney watch MTV, and I presume, all that other junk. But, she apparently made it through okay.
Food was apparently a big part of Roker’s life, but he has lost substantial weight, at least temporarily, with a gastric bypass.
The chapter, however, on prejudice of racial and other characteristics, although not original, was insightful. Can’t we all just get along? Apparently not.
This is followed by parenting anecdotes at differing levels of humor.
Gotta go.
January 26, 2012
APL Recycled Reads find. A disappointing light look at a passage in time of a person I enjoy on TV but was not that interested in his musings on being a father.
February 9, 2024
A fun read.
I'm hoping yo read more of All Roker's books.
I'm hoping yo read more of All Roker's books.
November 21, 2020
I have had this book on my shelf since 2003 and finally read it.
It's okay and Al Roker is a down to earth guy and has a great sense of humor and a big heart.
I recommend this book.
It's okay and Al Roker is a down to earth guy and has a great sense of humor and a big heart.
I recommend this book.
August 27, 2015
The famous Today Show weatherman muses on his experiences as father of two daughters. The 49 brief chapters are neither thematically nor chronologically arranged, and though they show his self-effacing humor, they frequently ramble. While some readers might find it interesting (or perhaps disturbing) to learn the sordid details of Roker's low sperm count or a childhood spent "eating till you felt like you were going to burst," most of his observations about fatherhood are generic and hackneyed. The sharpest entry contrasts the fear-based disciplinary techniques of past generations (the title's "six little words worked for my father because we were afraid") with gentler contemporary practices like time-outs and coaching. Similar to Bill Cosby's Fatherhood (Berkeley, 1993), Roker's book offers nothing new or particularly useful. Although sincere, it is tediously lightweight and lacks the practicality of Adams Sullivan's revised The Father's Almanac (Doubleday, 1992). An optional purchase.
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.
August 18, 2017
I never watched the Today show very much, so I was not that familiar with Al Roker as the weatherman. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this little book about his life as a father.
The book is written as though it were a series of five-minute fill-in spots for the television program – sort of a set of mini-essays in a casual style. Probably if they were read aloud, some of them would be longer and others shorter, but that is the overall feel of the book.
The subject of the book is Al’s life as a father. The book jacket describes him as a modern father, and that appears to be an apt description. The road to fatherhood has not been easy for him. One of his daughters is adopted, and the other is the product of a wearying course of fertility treatments and in-vitro fertilization. Along the way he has been divorced and remarried, so he only gets to see his older daughter part of the time.
He relates in some detail the process that led to the birth of his second daughter, and in somewhat less detail the story of how his first daughter came to be adopted. There are also several stories of his own father and the family he grew up in where half of his siblings were foster children, two of whom stayed with his family until they aged out of the foster-care system.
Although he covers some weighty subjects, it is all done with a touch of humor – not heavy-handed mocking type humor, but rather a gentle humor that makes this book easy reading and refreshing in these times.
Recommended for parents, and especially fathers, everywhere.
I found this book at the library.
The book is written as though it were a series of five-minute fill-in spots for the television program – sort of a set of mini-essays in a casual style. Probably if they were read aloud, some of them would be longer and others shorter, but that is the overall feel of the book.
The subject of the book is Al’s life as a father. The book jacket describes him as a modern father, and that appears to be an apt description. The road to fatherhood has not been easy for him. One of his daughters is adopted, and the other is the product of a wearying course of fertility treatments and in-vitro fertilization. Along the way he has been divorced and remarried, so he only gets to see his older daughter part of the time.
He relates in some detail the process that led to the birth of his second daughter, and in somewhat less detail the story of how his first daughter came to be adopted. There are also several stories of his own father and the family he grew up in where half of his siblings were foster children, two of whom stayed with his family until they aged out of the foster-care system.
Although he covers some weighty subjects, it is all done with a touch of humor – not heavy-handed mocking type humor, but rather a gentle humor that makes this book easy reading and refreshing in these times.
Recommended for parents, and especially fathers, everywhere.
I found this book at the library.
August 2, 2020
Al Roker wrote this book that talks about the adventures of fatherhood starting with infertility problems and then to the joys of being a father. You can tell he really loves being a hands on father and a doting husband. He is kind, is crazy about his daughters and wife and is a praying man. I liked the book and the man, but it got a little repetitive after a while. It's never a bad thing to be in love with your family though so I admire him for that. His story is 252 pages long and he probably could have said it all in 152 though. It was still a fun read.
April 25, 2025
I would hope nobody actually paid money for this book but I guess there are people who actually enjoy a grand-standing Al Roker. I was hoping for some quirky humorous passages but instead got stories from the boring guy at the party, so to speak. Once started, I forced myself to finish this schlock. Into the giveaway bag it goes.
May 5, 2017
A sweet and humorous view of fatherhood. I loved hearing Al himself read his story!
August 2, 2022
It was a light-hearted , humorous book and I enjoyed Al's take on going through the usual baby situations many of us encounter, plus, he had some unique to he and his wife.
July 9, 2012
This book was ok. Lot's of memories because obviously we become our parents over and over again. Many of the stories resonated with my childhood. This book is an easy read and has a number of funny stories but it did begin to drag on toward the end. Great airplane book. Easy stopping points and doesn't take long to read.
February 10, 2016
I listened to this story. Al Roker reads the book. It is an okay book. I felt he used too many cliches, which hurt the book. Al tells the tale of how he first adopted a little baby in his first marriage and in his second marriage his wife and him, after some trouble conceiving, had a baby.
March 10, 2008
This book was fun.
February 17, 2009
Al Roker is a caring sweet man. This book is his journey to fatherhood and his philosophy on parenting. This book is easy to read and something delightful for an afternoon read.
June 17, 2010
A friend at work gave this to me. It was a good gap filler while I waited for other books on my to-read list...
Read
March 8, 2011funny~~
July 5, 2015
Very little to do with the title; mostly about getting pregnant using fertility drugs and gushing about how wonderful parenthood is, and especially how great he & his kids are. Annoying, but sweet.
May 28, 2013
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was nice to hear a man speaking so openly and excitedly about the child producing process.
December 28, 2013
Tried this book because it was a Christmas present. The writing is terrible, and I decided it wasn't worth my time. Al writes like he is talking.
April 16, 2014
Just simply funny, even funnier if you have children.
August 21, 2015
I could hear Al Roker's voice as I read this book! Received quite a few chuckles but often times felt he went on tangents. The book is as nutty as he is.
October 7, 2015
A Fun Read!
July 2, 2014
Too much information on how they conceived
Humor in parts but not quite what I expected
Humor in parts but not quite what I expected
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews