Another version of this post can be found at City Dads Group.
Joshua Braff’s novel The Daddy Diaries will be shelved with the parenting books instead of in the fiction section of my personal library. And by library, I mean the bookshelves next to my piano. Don’t get me wrong — it is a novelization of family life, but it hits so close to my own life that at times I felt like I was reading non-fiction, and I bet that it would seem very real to many men who read this book.
The Daddy Diaries tells the story of Jay, a writer turned househusband, (see why I connected?) after he uproots his children and wife from San Francisco to St. Petersburg, Fla. Like almost every dad I know, Jay must deal with difficulties raising his kids (a son who might have issues with depression), troublesome family members (a jerk for an older brother), flirtatious moms, marriage issues, and that one long-time friend who continues to make one bad decision after another causing a huge energy suck. Many guys reading this are probably already identifying.
Feeling a camaraderie with the character isn’t the only reason why I enjoyed this book as much as I did. The Daddy Diaries is a fantastically well-written novel with rich characters who evolve from chapter to chapter. Feeling like it was written for me only added to my enjoyment.
Moms, you’ll probably enjoy this one as well.