Dad Is Fat

Listeners familiar with the author's stand-up comedy will love hearing this low-key, extended monologue about raising five small children in lower Manhattan. With his straightforward diction and pleasing voice, Gaffigan's performance strikes the right balance between his near-deadpan comedy delivery and the energy needed to keep a beleaguered parent engaged. Self-deprecation is the backdrop for the author's stories and observations, which all involve a measure of good-natured complaining. He's hilarious as he pokes fun at how his wife and five children give him no rest, living in a small apartment and schlepping around the big city. It's a fun listen that will help parents remember that suffering and laughing are both part of the deal when you're raising young children. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 13, 2013
Clean-mouthed comedian Gaffiganâbest known for his riffs on Hot Pockets, McDonald's, and baconâlived by himself for more than 13 years before getting married and fathering five children who now reside with him and his wife, Jeannie, in a two-bedroom New York City apartment. What began as a series of tweets about the everyday chaos of this self-professed loner's life has now become Gaffigan's hilarious first book. In 60 short chapters that read like stand-up bits, the comedian shares his insights on being the youngest of six kids in a Catholic family and explains why adults are really just "giant toddlers." He covers everything actual toddlers love, from candy to cousins, mocks preschool and nut allergies in three swift paragraphs, and explains why he and Jeannie opted for five home births as well as how they are raising so many kids in a such a tiny living space. Occasionally, Gaffigan feels the need to explain his jokes, but he needn't worry, as this laugh-out-loud collection also is one of the most honest and endearing portrayals of fatherhood penned by a contemporary comedian. The inclusion of dozens of photographs featuring Gaffigan's adorable family furthers the personal touch. 50 b&w photos.