Dad Jokes from Late in the Patriarchy

by Amorak Huey

Drawing on fictional characters, cultural figures, and personal stories in this collection of poetry, Huey deftly weaves an intergenerational tale about coming of age as a boy in the twentieth century and becoming a father in the twenty-first. In a collection built around the narrative structure of a joke, the poems’ speakers reflect on the complex intersections of childhood, war, love, pop culture, and parenting. From Southwestern deserts to the flatlands of Indiana to the post-9/11 landscape of New York, Dad Jokes from Late in the Patriarchy deconstructs the enduring notion of American patriarchy and explores the delineations between collective and individual memory. Playful and profound, nostalgic but not naïve, these poems trace a masterful journey of personal discovery and fatherly love.

Genres: Poetry

120 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2021

Reviews

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

So to be honest, I have a couple of pages left to read, but I am currently refusing to read them because I do not want this book to be over because I have loved every moment of it. Amorak Huey's poems are the perfect mix of being incredibly entertaining with a surge of heartbreak, beauty, and poignancy through them. Dad Jokes is the OPPOSITE of masculine toxicity, it is feeling and heart and family and vulnerability. This is Huey's best work to date and these poems tell a story as a whole and individually satisfy one by one. One of the best books I've read in a long time. Oh, and the cover is fantastic as well. I adore this book.

[Melissa Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious and heartbreaking, thoughtful and thought-provoking. I read it in one sitting and absolutely loved it. My pop culture heart loved the poems featuring sitcom dads, but my very favorite is "Nocturne with Overdue Books," which has the most perfect ending of just about any poem I've ever read.

[Courtney LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of poems about being a father, being a son, navigating a world as both while trying to set an example, fighting the patriarchy, and maybe laughing a little along the way.

from We Were All Odysseus in Those Days (my favorite poem from the collection): "A young man learns to shoot / & dies in the mud / an ocean away from home, / a rifle in his fingers / & the sky dripping / from his heart. Next to him / a friend watches / his final breath slip / ragged into the ditch, / a thing the friend will carry / back to America- / wound, souvenir, / backstory."

from FMK: "I don't want to make a joke / of all these wounded / walking around among us / dividing the world / into Fuck Marry Kill, / which is supposed to be / a fun conversation starter / but the world reminds us / over & over there's nothing / funny about it. For every / man who loves you / there are eleven who love you / & will still come to your job / & shoot you in the head. / For every body you have, / there is a man willing to claim it, / one way or another."

[Hannah VanderHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amorak Huey expertly uses voice and tone and scene and setting in DAD JOKES—I couldn’t put this collection down. I think I worried it would be too light, before I started it?! HAHA. It is a joy with the right amount of shadow—all the parts and gaps are named, as best the speaker can name them. Yes, you will laugh out loud, but you will also pause over poems and reread lines and muse your heart out. A fantastic book.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable poetry, for the most part! I really enjoyed this style of freely telling stories about your life and coming to poignant moments of realization. I wish it would have ended on those more, as some endings left me unsettled. I definitely have some favorite poems from this, and I think there's a lot to learn from it.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book in every way — funny, poignant, surprising, and so much of what a good poetry collection entails. I can already tell this is a book I will return to for years to come. Best Father’s Day gift ever!

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection has a fantastic flow to it from beginning to end. I love the variety of forms/styles in it. My favorites would probably be “We Were All Odysseus” and “Dad Jokes”. Entirely enjoyable with meaningful moments throughout

[Daniel Flosi · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't have to be a poet, you don't have to love poetry, you don't have to be a dad, to enjoy this collection. Wonderful and well told.

Or

"What kind of a dad are you if you need to read a book about Dad Jokes to say to your kids."
—My daughter, evening 2021.

[Tom C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent narrative poetry about fatherhood, marriage, and much more. Straightforward and accessible, yet philosophical. A good read.

[Carla]

LOVED these poems, which have the right dash of pop culture and wit. I stumbled upon this book, and soo glad I did. It's on my nightstand now, and will read many poems over and over.

[Lannie Stabile · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are some of the best poems I've ever read.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really spoke to me as a man and father. I would highly recommend it for anyone, but especially those of us who are stumbling our way through raising a family. I absolutely loved it.

[Sara Moore Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful book, full of longing and despair. There’s so much tenderness and wisdom in every line. Wonderful.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, poignant, seriously wise.

[Rishab · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is either too simplistic or I didn’t relate. Either way, leaves much to be desired. Unsatisfactory. Read a few without gaining any interest to continue.

[Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delectable existential dread, polished and resonant, pitching and skipping and glitching through time. A portrait of a man who can't outrun what it "means" to be a man. A portrait of a man who still can't help but want something more than this.