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Dad, How Do I?: Practical "Dadvice" for Everyday Tasks and Successful Living – The Viral YouTube Memoir with DIY Instructions, Illustrations, and Life Advice
From the host of the YouTube channel that went viral—Dad, How Do I?—comes a book that’s part memoir/part inspiration/part DIY.
Rob Kenney’s father left him and his seven siblings when he was fourteen years old, and the youngest had to fend for themselves. He wished that he had someone who could teach him the basics—how to tie a tie, jump-start a car, unclog a drain, use tools properly—as well as succeed in life. But he and his siblings had to figure these things out on their own.
Now a father himself, Rob decided that he would help people out by providing how-to tips as well as advice—and even throw in some bad dad jokes. He started a YouTube channel for anyone looking for fatherly advice, and in the course of three months, gained a following of nearly 2.5 million subscribers, with millions of views for his how-to and inspirational videos.
In this book, Rob shares his story of overcoming a difficult childhood with the strength of faith and family, and offers inspiration and hope. In addition, he provides 50 practical DYI instructions (30 of which will be unique to the book), illustrated with helpful line drawings.
Rob Kenney’s father left him and his seven siblings when he was fourteen years old, and the youngest had to fend for themselves. He wished that he had someone who could teach him the basics—how to tie a tie, jump-start a car, unclog a drain, use tools properly—as well as succeed in life. But he and his siblings had to figure these things out on their own.
Now a father himself, Rob decided that he would help people out by providing how-to tips as well as advice—and even throw in some bad dad jokes. He started a YouTube channel for anyone looking for fatherly advice, and in the course of three months, gained a following of nearly 2.5 million subscribers, with millions of views for his how-to and inspirational videos.
In this book, Rob shares his story of overcoming a difficult childhood with the strength of faith and family, and offers inspiration and hope. In addition, he provides 50 practical DYI instructions (30 of which will be unique to the book), illustrated with helpful line drawings.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 18, 2021
37 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 15, 2023
I have seen a handful of Robs YouTube videos and I love what he does. I'm 30 years old now and while I have done most of what he teaches, I highly admire what he does for other people who need help in life. I decided to buy this book solely to support him and encourage him.
What everything on the front of the book, the back of the book and the description on the inside cover fail to mention is that this is a highly religious book. There's a lot of God talk in here.
Now that's all fine and dandy, but it really should be noted somewhere on the book that it's a religious take on life and life's problems.
I am not religious. I won't ever be religious. The book was a bit (unintentionally) dishonest about its contents. I want to read about forgiveness as a concept, not what "God thinks" about forgiveness. I don't want to read Bible lines relating to a real life scenario.
I think you get the point, I am struggling to keep reading because this book is clearly not meant for me. However it was marketed like it was.
I am a fan of what Rob Kenney does so I'll leave this at even 3 star rating but the bottom line is, if you're not religious and don't want to read about that kind of stuff. Don't buy the book.
Unless of course you solely want to support him, which is what this ended up being for me.
What everything on the front of the book, the back of the book and the description on the inside cover fail to mention is that this is a highly religious book. There's a lot of God talk in here.
Now that's all fine and dandy, but it really should be noted somewhere on the book that it's a religious take on life and life's problems.
I am not religious. I won't ever be religious. The book was a bit (unintentionally) dishonest about its contents. I want to read about forgiveness as a concept, not what "God thinks" about forgiveness. I don't want to read Bible lines relating to a real life scenario.
I think you get the point, I am struggling to keep reading because this book is clearly not meant for me. However it was marketed like it was.
I am a fan of what Rob Kenney does so I'll leave this at even 3 star rating but the bottom line is, if you're not religious and don't want to read about that kind of stuff. Don't buy the book.
Unless of course you solely want to support him, which is what this ended up being for me.
May 17, 2021
Rob Kenney comes to you with practical dadvice for everyday tasks and successful living. Kenney is the host of the hit YouTube series Dad, How Do I?
When Rob Kenney was fifteen, his dad left him and his seven siblings. He was lucky to have supportive siblings, but it was hard not having a father’s guidance. He vowed that when he grew up, he would find a way to help others who didn’t have a father figure in their life.
In Part 1, Kenney provided advice for living a fuller and more meaningful life. I loved that he identified a positive trait in each of his siblings and used real- life stories to teach a valuable lesson. Part 2 is full of helpful how-to instructions that you might find on Rob’s YouTube channel. I loved that some of the how-to’s had diagrams because I am a visual learner. The how-to’s include tips for personal finance, big life decisions, house tips for both indoor and outdoor, car tips, self-improvement, work life, and more. I have called my dad to ask for help with so many of these things, so I love that Rob is stepping up as a father figure to those that don’t have one. There is a reason that his YouTube channel has been such a success — everybody needs guidance in their life. It will be nice to now have this book to refer back to when I need help with something. Dad, How Do I? really has something valuable for everyone, and I highly recommend giving it a read!
When Rob Kenney was fifteen, his dad left him and his seven siblings. He was lucky to have supportive siblings, but it was hard not having a father’s guidance. He vowed that when he grew up, he would find a way to help others who didn’t have a father figure in their life.
In Part 1, Kenney provided advice for living a fuller and more meaningful life. I loved that he identified a positive trait in each of his siblings and used real- life stories to teach a valuable lesson. Part 2 is full of helpful how-to instructions that you might find on Rob’s YouTube channel. I loved that some of the how-to’s had diagrams because I am a visual learner. The how-to’s include tips for personal finance, big life decisions, house tips for both indoor and outdoor, car tips, self-improvement, work life, and more. I have called my dad to ask for help with so many of these things, so I love that Rob is stepping up as a father figure to those that don’t have one. There is a reason that his YouTube channel has been such a success — everybody needs guidance in their life. It will be nice to now have this book to refer back to when I need help with something. Dad, How Do I? really has something valuable for everyone, and I highly recommend giving it a read!
November 12, 2024
This was not the practical skills and home maintenance book I expected. Instead it had a lot of self help, dealing with life decisions, some self help and a little of what I thought would be dad skills. Very slow start.
September 9, 2024
What a wholesome guy
June 3, 2021
Like many others, I'll bet you had heard of Kenney after he went somewhat viral with his videos on Youtube and his story. I can somewhat relate (although I did have a father growing up) to not knowing how to do things and how turning to resources like YouTube can be really useful. In Kenney's case, it definitely seemed like a nice, wholesome way to give back.
His initial videos are short and to the point of the title. How to tie a tie. How to unclog a sink. And so forth. More recent videos include chats, storytime, interviews and more. I haven't watched that many but love the idea and love that people do seem to be getting something out of his videos that are not for shock value or to only make money, etc.
This book is part memoir, part "Dad, how do I...?". He talks about his life and growing up and we get more of the backstory to what eventually leads the author to his channel. It's clear he grew up in a complicated situation but eventually made it out okay and along the way he shares things he learned, bits of wisdom and more.
A lot of it didn't apply to me and that's okay. I still enjoyed reading his life story and did enjoy his perspective (like using something like time at community college to might be a good time to better figure oneself out more which is something I've personally wondered as this was an option to me). I'll bet there are plenty of people out there who will more closely identify with Kenney and his personal history, which is what's important.
I will say that I didn't particularly care for the religious bits. Luckily, this is not emphasized by Kenney so you aren't going to be proselytized. But it did somewhat explain why after awhile the text started feeling somewhat "eh" to me but I wasn't sure why.
Overall, I'd say it wasn't a bad read at all and was something that actually suited my mood at the moment. If you're a casual fan and want to show some support, this is certainly a nice library borrow. For some, this would probably be a great book to gift and or buy for yourself if you recognize Kenney's story in yours.
Library borrow was best for me.
His initial videos are short and to the point of the title. How to tie a tie. How to unclog a sink. And so forth. More recent videos include chats, storytime, interviews and more. I haven't watched that many but love the idea and love that people do seem to be getting something out of his videos that are not for shock value or to only make money, etc.
This book is part memoir, part "Dad, how do I...?". He talks about his life and growing up and we get more of the backstory to what eventually leads the author to his channel. It's clear he grew up in a complicated situation but eventually made it out okay and along the way he shares things he learned, bits of wisdom and more.
A lot of it didn't apply to me and that's okay. I still enjoyed reading his life story and did enjoy his perspective (like using something like time at community college to might be a good time to better figure oneself out more which is something I've personally wondered as this was an option to me). I'll bet there are plenty of people out there who will more closely identify with Kenney and his personal history, which is what's important.
I will say that I didn't particularly care for the religious bits. Luckily, this is not emphasized by Kenney so you aren't going to be proselytized. But it did somewhat explain why after awhile the text started feeling somewhat "eh" to me but I wasn't sure why.
Overall, I'd say it wasn't a bad read at all and was something that actually suited my mood at the moment. If you're a casual fan and want to show some support, this is certainly a nice library borrow. For some, this would probably be a great book to gift and or buy for yourself if you recognize Kenney's story in yours.
Library borrow was best for me.
September 12, 2021
Read this library book. Rob actually has a You Tube channel too. I am continually amazed how some people overcome adversity. He was 1 of 8 kids. Parents split. Mom left at age 12. She had depression. Then his Dad comes home when he was 13 and he says, " I am done raising kids". He had no stability. No sense of what was normal. The pain of his young life he vowed he would never do that to his own kids. Realized guidance is what so many of us need. He needed a guide to help him maneuver life. People are the answer. His older siblings helped so much in his life.
Send that postcard.Importance of family. Do the hard thing. The power of encouragement. Encouragement. Live your wild and precious Life- live it well.( the ups and downs). Remember you are going to go far.
Send that postcard.Importance of family. Do the hard thing. The power of encouragement. Encouragement. Live your wild and precious Life- live it well.( the ups and downs). Remember you are going to go far.
December 22, 2022
Amazing biography about how a person deprived of positive parental influences was able to transcend this upbringing with a combination of luck (supportive siblings & mentors), faith (influence of Scriptures), and a wonderful process for utilizing and implementing common sense. It is also inspirational that he in turn felt called to help those who might find themselves in similar situations. Sort of a Rich Dad/Poor Dad-type book without the blatant monetization.
October 14, 2021
My favorite kind of book- part memoir, part solid advice and even practical help. I absolutely loved this book! My husband and I both had very loving fathers but as one struggled with depression and the other a struggling musician they did not pause to teach us many practical life lessons. This book felt like a loving dad doing just that. I can't wait to check out his Youtube channel!
October 15, 2021
I love Rob's writing. His style is simple and conversational, just the way I like it. He writes about common, everyday things that would have helped me navigate life years ago. Darn, I wish I'd read him then!! Very warm, compassionate and helpful. So good to see a good, moral person succeed in this world and reach out to spread the good message to others. Bravo!!!
Read
September 6, 2022I'd never seen this fella's YouTube channel, but I had heard of it. His childhood was quite disruptive, and he's trying to cover all the mundane questions kids would traditionally ask their dad; answers he never got. How to tie a tie, change a tire, unclog a drain etc.
He has the best intentions, but the amount of jesus was just too much. I didn't finish it.
He has the best intentions, but the amount of jesus was just too much. I didn't finish it.
October 28, 2024
I've caught a few videos on the "Dad, How Do I" channel and thought it was a cute idea for a channel. I guess when I picked up the book I imagined it would mostly be a collection of how-to's, but it actually leaned a lot more into memoir and religion than I expected. There were parts of the book that were a bit clunky, but overall enjoyed reading about the author's story.
3.5/5
3.5/5
September 30, 2021
If you have probably seen his you tube videos, then you probably don't need this book. Or if you have a father figure in your life, that knows how to do basic household work you don't need this book either. It's an ok book for what it is.
August 20, 2022
I love memoir and was glad to see the background of a warm and friendly person I’ve seen in many YouTube how-to videos. I also liked that there was a general knowledge section in the book, but in covering much breadth there isn’t as much depth, but still nuggets of wisdom to learn!
June 14, 2021
Great fatherly advise
October 23, 2021
Lost his dad, and then found a way to share being better with the world via YouTube and then a book.
April 14, 2022
Very few books impress me like this one. Very heartfelt without much empty fluff.
The advice is moving, and the how-to's useful.
This is a book that truly would make the world better!
The advice is moving, and the how-to's useful.
This is a book that truly would make the world better!
May 30, 2022
More interested in the practical tips
August 12, 2022
1st part of his backstory and thoughts on life was interesting. 2nd part of the actual how-tos was a little skimpy. Expected a bit more.
September 15, 2022
Practical, kind, sage advice.
March 3, 2023
Aaww what a nice book for young people from a nice dad-type guy.
July 20, 2024
It was a bit too religious for me. He seems like a good guy though who wants to help people. It’s not the most well written book. I liked how he turned a negative experience into a positive one.
October 26, 2025
Loved his inspiring story and the heart behind what he does!
February 1, 2022
Nice book for those with similar questions
I picked this book up on sale. I heard about the YouTube series and was interested in hearing what Rob had to say as I have a similar situation. It's interesting how close my thoughts are to his and it probably means that most people in a similar situation can understand. I'm not religious so there were parts of this book that didn't mean as much, but overall it was a good book. I didnt get as much out of the second part where he explains how to do some common tasks but I look forward to watching more of this series on YouTube.
I picked this book up on sale. I heard about the YouTube series and was interested in hearing what Rob had to say as I have a similar situation. It's interesting how close my thoughts are to his and it probably means that most people in a similar situation can understand. I'm not religious so there were parts of this book that didn't mean as much, but overall it was a good book. I didnt get as much out of the second part where he explains how to do some common tasks but I look forward to watching more of this series on YouTube.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews