Rating: 
Summary: Very funny approach to fatherhood
Review: I'm sorry, but what this guy is selling is just one blinding flash of the obvious after another. As a first-time expectant father, I thought I'd get some useful information from this book, especially since my wife's cousin (also new parents) recommended it to me. Quinton Skinner comes across as a very immature, self-centered man whose answer to everything is to stick his head in the sand like an ostrich. As was the case with another reviewer, I only made it halfway through the book before his whining drivel got the best of me. Avoid this book at all costs if you want to learn anything about being a real dad who participates in- and helps with his wife's pregnancy and labor and in raising a happy and healthy child.
Rating: 
Summary: You look like a [flop] to me...
Review: I'm sorry, but what this guy is selling is just one blinding flash of the obvious after another. As a first-time expectant father, I thought I'd get some useful information from this book, especially since my wife's cousin (also new parents) recommended it to me. Quinton Skinner comes across as a very immature, self-centered man whose answer to everything is to stick his head in the sand like an ostrich. As was the case with another reviewer, I only made it halfway through the book before his whining drivel got the best of me. Avoid this book at all costs if you want to learn anything about being a real dad who participates in- and helps with his wife's pregnancy and labor and in raising a happy and healthy child.
Rating:
Summary: STAY AWAY
Review: Negative about every aspect of pregnancy and birth. For instance, he calls the hospital room "the worst hotel you've ever stayed at." For me the hospital was the best hotel I've ever stayed at. Who cares if the bed was uncomfortable, they were helping to take care of my wife and new child. Tongue in cheek chapter titles like "So you've ruined your life" and "I have no friends." I realize now after having my child the reason this book was making me feel so daunted every time I read it during pregnancy- it makes everything seem like a crisis rather than a joy. I'm probably more cynical than most people but this book treats childbirth like an act of sarcasm. I know this is his "sense of humor" and it might sound humorless of me but I find it too bad when something so meaningful as becoming a father should be dripping in irony.
Rating: 
Summary: I liked this book
Review: The book is well written and funny. Mr Skinner illustrates the joys and struggles of fatherhood in an interesting book. I particulary enjoyed his description of "King Baby" in how adults themselves can be "babies" and need to pass the baton on to the infant when he/she comes along.
Rating:
Summary: I liked this book
Review: The book is well written and funny. Mr Skinner illustrates the joys and struggles of fatherhood in an interesting book. I particulary enjoyed his description of "King Baby" in how adults themselves can be "babies" and need to pass the baton on to the infant when he/she comes along.
Rating:
Summary: one of the few worth reading
Review: There are a limited number of books available for first-time fathers; this is one of my top two (out of the five I read while preparing). The other is "The Expectant Father", which takes the fairly opposite approach of referentia full of authoritative advice.
Skinner doesn't come across as someone pushing an agenda or trying to tell you what to do -- both problems I found with the other books available to would-be dads. It's a clear, honest walkthrough of his experience, making note of the advice received and his own lessons learned along the way.
By the time you get to your fourth "how to be a dad" book, his levity is very refreshing.
Rating:
Summary: What to expect when you're expecting - for DADS!
Review: This book did a great job of speaking to the father-to-be. Many pregancy/baby books out there are geared toward the mother-to-be, and the fathers are often left out. Being that the book is written by a man, it truly talks to the male mind. It speaks well of the fears and anxieties, but does not fail to mention the wonders and miracles of fatherhood. A definite read for any father-to-be or new dad!
Rating:
Summary: A blend of useful information and sophmoric humor
Review: This book should probably be subtitled "Arrested Adolesence Contemplates Impending Fatherhood". The book is really a memoir of two years of Skinner's life (9 months prior to and one year after the birth of his daughter) that also contains useful parenting tips. If you're like me then you'll gloss over parts in which he assumes that the reader is as flippant and irreverant as he is. Useful information that he presents includes:What to pack for your stay at the hospital
Recipes for your solid-food eating infant
Medicines to have on hand for Junior
Daycare selection criteria Yes, yes, yes, other books contain this as well, but wouldn't it be irresponsible for Skinner to leave this out? Here are the drawbacks that come to mind: Trite humor
No recommendations for other books I was happy to read that Skinner at least raises the possibility of a husband not being present with his wife during the delivery. The presence of the husband during delivery is not a rule, but a choice to be made by the couple. Contrary to what a previous reviewer wrote, Skinner's absence was not the result of a last-minute decision. Skinner and his wife decided it well in advance of the birth. Skinner's description does give much food for thought (some of it not very complimentary), but it's clear that he and his wife made the correct decision for themselves. To sum up, I found this book to be a good read. It's not without its flaws, and most certainly is not the only book a father-to-be should read, but the information is sound and the writing solid.
Rating:
Summary: A blend of useful information and sophmoric humor
Review: This book should probably be subtitled "Arrested Adolesence Contemplates Impending Fatherhood". The book is really a memoir of two years of Skinner's life (9 months prior to and one year after the birth of his daughter) that also contains useful parenting tips. If you're like me then you'll gloss over parts in which he assumes that the reader is as flippant and irreverant as he is. Useful information that he presents includes: What to pack for your stay at the hospital
Recipes for your solid-food eating infant
Medicines to have on hand for Junior
Daycare selection criteria Yes, yes, yes, other books contain this as well, but wouldn't it be irresponsible for Skinner to leave this out? Here are the drawbacks that come to mind: Trite humor
No recommendations for other books I was happy to read that Skinner at least raises the possibility of a husband not being present with his wife during the delivery. The presence of the husband during delivery is not a rule, but a choice to be made by the couple. Contrary to what a previous reviewer wrote, Skinner's absence was not the result of a last-minute decision. Skinner and his wife decided it well in advance of the birth. Skinner's description does give much food for thought (some of it not very complimentary), but it's clear that he and his wife made the correct decision for themselves. To sum up, I found this book to be a good read. It's not without its flaws, and most certainly is not the only book a father-to-be should read, but the information is sound and the writing solid.
Rating:
Summary: A blend of useful information and sophmoric humor
Review: This book should probably be subtitled "Arrested Adolesence Contemplates Impending Fatherhood". The book is really a memoir of two years of Skinner's life (9 months prior to and one year after the birth of his daughter) that also contains useful parenting tips. If you're like me then you'll gloss over parts in which he assumes that the reader is as flippant and irreverant as he is. Useful information that he presents includes: What to pack for your stay at the hospital
Recipes for your solid-food eating infant
Medicines to have on hand for Junior
Daycare selection criteria Yes, yes, yes, other books contain this as well, but wouldn't it be irresponsible for Skinner to leave this out? Here are the drawbacks that come to mind: Trite humor
No recommendations for other books I was happy to read that Skinner at least raises the possibility of a husband not being present with his wife during the delivery. The presence of the husband during delivery is not a rule, but a choice to be made by the couple. Contrary to what a previous reviewer wrote, Skinner's absence was not the result of a last-minute decision. Skinner and his wife decided it well in advance of the birth. Skinner's description does give much food for thought (some of it not very complimentary), but it's clear that he and his wife made the correct decision for themselves. To sum up, I found this book to be a good read. It's not without its flaws, and most certainly is not the only book a father-to-be should read, but the information is sound and the writing solid.
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