July 3, 2013

“Dad is Fat” by Jim Gaffigan – The Endless Trials of Parenthood

Before I read the book, I had no idea who Jim Gaffigan was. For those who are in the same boat I was, he is a stand-up comedian who doesn’t shy away from any subject, be it bacon, or as is the case with his book, Dad is Fat, his five children that dragged him through heaven and hell countless times.

I didn't know what to really expect when I opened up this book (other than that it was about parenthood and supposed to be hilarious), and I found myself drawn into it from the opening lines. 

Gaffigan has a very appealing type of humor which, in my opinion, is perfect for autobiographies about the various tribulations of life. I find it to best-described as a type of deadpan humor with a bit of immaturity and anger thrown into the mix.

Like I mentioned above, the whole book is pretty much about him, his wife, and their five children. He doesn’t go into much detail about other aspects of his life, and frankly, I’m glad he didn’t for his family life made a great subject for the book. He always finds humor in the most unexpected places, and as it turns out, children are a real gold mine for it. From time to time, he also drags his wife and her apparently superhuman fertility levels into the spotlight.

Though it may sound like the book is just one big joke, Gaffigan did a great job at not oversaturating his book with humor. This autobiography is, after all, dedicated to his children, and there are plenty of moments and passages where he puts serious face on and actually discusses what his experience as a parent taught him. 

Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan (Book cover)
Even though I am not a parent myself, I was still able to relate to his discussions in some way, and I’ll probably keep a few pieces of advice in mind for the future… with the most important being not to let my future children overrun and conquer my future household. 

I truly got the impression that parents who have experience with kids will be able to get more out of this book by having a closer relation and a better understanding of some of his experiences… you may even pick up on some jokes us non-parents missed.

All in all though, it’s a joyful, funny and insightful look not only into the life of a pretty good comedian, but also the ups, downs, lefts and rights of raising children, and I can definitely recommend it to anyone looking for light-hearted and heartwarming laughs.


Jim Gaffigan (Author)

Jim Gaffigan


Personal site

Jim Gaffigan is an American actor, author and stand-up comedian. Much of his comedy revolves around the simpler aspects of life, with many of his routines being centered on eating food and being lazy in general. His memoir Dad is Fat, was on the best-seller list for a few months and earned Gaffigan lots of attention.



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