<< 1 >>
Rating: Summary: A sweet little read Review: Al Roker seems to be a sweet,amiable and kind, gentle man. This is a sweet book about being the father of two daughters. But don't expect any blockbuster insights into parenting. And don't expect any "AHA" moments from this book. You CAN expect to hear Roker say, "YIKES" way too many times. I'd purchased this book because I'd done so much heavy reading lately, and I was hoping for something more confectionary, and that's what I got. However, once I'd finished the book (quickly), I wasn't full. There is so much more to parenting and marriage than Roker shares with us. But if you are looking for a light read that doesn't tax your intellect, take a break and read this. If you like Al Roker, as I do, you'll walk away from this book still liking him. But "YIPPEE" is about as intellectual and insightful as this book gets.
Rating: Summary: a favorite Review: By now, I've probably read this book three or four times. Although the beginning was a bit boring, a couple of chapters in I got really into it. All of it was told with a bit of a funny tint. You can tell he loves his kids through it!
Rating: Summary: Al Roker is a sweet man Review: I expected something really funny and light. Instead, I learned WAY too much about the birth of one of Al Roker's children. I walked away thinking that I had learned a lot more about what a wonderful person Al Roker is......but the title led me to believe that I would have something funny to listen to over and over again.
Rating: Summary: Always liked you Al..now I think I love you! Review: The most enjoyable read I've had in a long time! I always respected and enjoyed Al as our local weatherman on the local NBC news - this the THE man you always trusted to tell you the REAL weather..well after reading the book..this is the man you're going to trust telling you about REAL life too. The candor he expresses with regard to the medical profession.. the arbitrary nature of health insurance..adoption..divorce..marriage..racism are but a few topics covered in this book. It enlightened me..it made me laugh and cry..but more than that..it made me want the book to never end. This is more than a "celebrity fluff" book. Run..don't walk and get this book..for yourself..and share it with anyone you love.
Rating: Summary: Great book, quick read Review: The other reviews are right -- 86 pages or so is way too long to go on about his sperm problems and an almost minute-by-minute account of their artificial insemination and delivery. Roker should realize his subtitle is "Adventures in Fatherhood," not "Adventures Getting to Fatherhood." I happened to read the book from middle to end, then beginning to middle, so I avoided being turned off like others. Following the second pregnancy is a section on the adoption of his first daughter, with his first wife, follows through page 114. Then, the real book starts -- the bit about being a father (and being his father's son), not on technically becoming a father. This is less a book than a series of essays, but they're very good essays! We go from the times his bus driver father took him to work with him, to the time his third grade daughter was called a racial epithet in school, to that first phone call to his daughter from a boy. Roker touches on many universal fatherhood experiences, such as the feeling we get when someone sees a father with his children and asks if we're "babysitting." One day his daughter and he were inundated with fans at an amusement park. Roker reports, "The park's head security officer came over and asked me if I wanted some protection. Hey, I'm no Michael Jackson here. First of all, I'm still black." It's not a deep book, except glancingly, and perhaps we'd be lost if we didn't already know Roker from TV. But it's well-told. I recommend it, especially if you can borrow it!
Rating: Summary: It's Not A Dr. Laura How To Parent Book But... Review: With the release of the paperback edition of Al's first writing venture, it reminded me that I HAD read and DO own the hardback copy of "Don't Make Me Stop The Car!". I ran through several of the reviews before sitting down to write mine. If folks are looking for Fatherhood How To 101 or a scholarly book on the finer points of Parenting...well, you probably will be one of the folks disappointed in this book. If you are just looking for a good read in two areas 1.) Al Roker's humor and 2.)what fatherhood has been to him then this book is for YOU! It is a relatively short book that is a very easy read. I took it to a doctor's' office appointment to read in the waiting room...Al had me cracking up and howling that I was beginning to get strange looks from others as I snickered with tears running down my face. The book covers how he and his wife overcame the years of wanting a child...what they had to endure and go through to have and be blessed with a child. Al tells how he had to intergrate a second marriage (step-mom) when he married Deborah to his first daughter and then tell how when the Blessed event happened, how he had to intergate the elation of having a child with Deborah but keep his first daughter involved and know she would still hold a place in their hearts full of love for her. That was a TALL order for Al to be successful at...as it is for any father who has remarried and added another child to the family! It tells of how he shares the parental duties with Deborah...something that doesn't happen (unfortunately) in every relationship and household. It was refreshing to read what it was like as a participating father from Al's side! I give this book a strong 4 star rating. Give Al a break...it's his first venture in writing a book and overall it was a good read! Yes, there are places the pace slows down but it happens to the best of writers! If you simply want a fun, easy, good read on fatherhood with several laughs along the way...BUY THIS BOOK! If you want scholarly on parenting...well, you'll probably be disappointed. Try it!
<< 1 >>
|