The Daddy Diaries (+ Giveaway)

(UPDATE: The winner of this giveaway is Deanna S. Congratulations to Deanna and thanks to all who entered the giveaway.)

It’s a pleasure today to welcome author Joshua Braff to Thoughts in Progress to talk about his latest release, THE DADDY DIARIES.

This is an intriguing book and thanks to Josh and the lovely Meg at Tandem Literary, I have a print copy to offer as a giveaway. Please see the end of the post for more details.

Josh's new novel, THE DADDY DIARIES, chronicles the very topical world of marital role reversal in which current day Mr. Mom, Jay, his wife, and their thirteen- and ten-year-old kids are suddenly plucked from their life in San Francisco and moved by the new company to Florida. 

Leaving beloved friends and his Northern California sensibility, Jay struggles to keep his family happy through the learning curves. As Jay searches to steer the group straight, he quickly discovers that the tasks of child rearing grow even more complex as kids grow up. 

Through a series of misadventures with his narcissistic older brother, his lunatic childhood friend, and his increasingly estranged but beloved son, Jay learns that he must tap his own vulnerabilities if he is to be the rock of stability his family so desperately needs. 

With spot-on accuracy Josh tackles the issues that plague us as parents, sons, spouses, and friends as we move through life. The sense of isolation that comes from being transplanted into a new place, the pain of watching a son turn into a stranger as adolescence takes hold, and the raw and blinding love and sense of responsibility to one's family. 

Through pathos and humor THE DADDY DIARIES captures the relatable, yet unpredictable dance of how families similarly, but uniquely ebb and flow.

The Thieves of Manhattan author Adam Langer has this to say about THE DADDY DIARIES: "Honest and heartfelt, Joshua Braff's novel about the perils of 21st century fatherhood contains more moments of truth than several hundred bestselling memoirs or self-help books. The wry humor and compulsive readability may remind readers of Jonathan Tropper or Nick Hornby, but the hard-won wisdom and disarming vulnerability in The Daddy Diaries is all Braff's own."

Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Josh as he discusses ‘Stay-at-Home Dads in Real Life vs. Popular Culture.’ Welcome, Josh.

As an artist I was a stay-at-home dad in 2000. At the time I was positive I was the only male to ever stay in his pajamas with a baby after his wife went to work. He’d nap and I’d run laundry, sponge the highchair down and flip the TV on to see women in commercials doing laundry and sponging off the highchair. 

I was the only man at the playground. The only guy at Jomba Gym Jambori. It would take ten years before I started to see dads in Tide ads and on TV shows in Baby Bjorns. Now being a househusband is strangely ubiquitous and the country appears filled with young dads in this nurturing role. 

I remember thinking it would be timely to write a book about the kind of dad I was fortunate to become. I met my wife in the 7th grade so it’s hard to say I married a woman for her ability to bring home the bacon. We fell into our roles as we discovered who we were as people and I feel so lucky that my path involved the inclusion of my children and their early growth in life.
 
I come from a generation that still defines marital roles the way it was written in the 50’s. You, Dad, go to the office, and you, Mom, stay home. But just in time for me to observe my children becoming independent humans, the country seems hyped by the prospect of adults raised by loving dads.

Josh, thanks for joining us today and sharing a look at stay-at-home dads. I’m from your generation as well and it’s good to see the roles reversing giving dads a chance to bond with their children.

Now here’s a bit of background on Josh.

Joshua Braff grew up in South Orange, New Jersey, and graduated from Columbia High School and NYU. He earned an MFA in creative writing/fiction from St. Mary's College of California. 

Josh's first novel The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green (Algonquin Books, 2004), about a dysfunctional, Jewish family in late ‘70s was chosen as a Barnes & Noble Discover pick. Peep Show (Algonquin Books, 2010), his second book, was about a 17-year-old boy forced to choose between his Orthodox mother's life and his father's career in the porn industry. People Magazine raved, "Braff skillfully illuminates the failures and charms of a broken family. That teen longing for adults to act their age haunts long after the final page." 

Josh lives in Northern California with his wife of almost 20 years and their two children. He is an avid baseball fan and an accomplished painter who plays guitar and drums. The Daddy Diaries is his third novel.

For more on Josh and his writing, visit his website and connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This giveaway is for one print copy of THE DADDY DIARIES. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and will end at 12 a.m. on Friday, July 10.

To enter, please send me an email at mcbookshelf@gmail.com with the subject title: The Daddy Diaries Giveaway. Be sure to include an email address through which I can reach you if you should win. A winner will be selected at random and notified by email to send their complete mailing information. The notified winner will have 72 hours to reply before another winner will be selected. Thanks in advance for entering and Good Luck!!

Thanks for stopping by today during Josh’s visit. What are your thoughts on stay-at-home dads?