Pop Culture: The Sane Man’s Guide to the Insane World of New Fatherhood
Just to get this off my chest: If you need a book to tell you how to be a good dad, maybe you should just consider putting the child up for adoption.
Okay, on to Christopher Healy’s POP CULTURE: THE SANE MAN’S GUIDE TO THE INSANE WORLD OF NEW FATHERHOOD. Though definitely humorous, this is no tongue-in-cheek parody, but a thoughtful, practical tool for brand-new dads … who have money. With all its talk of interviewing nannies, wearing Baby Björns and buying Kenny Loggins CDs, POP CULTURE seems geared toward yuppies who comprise the trend-and-gadget crowd, whose members join daddy groups (also discussed) and arrange intricate playdates (ditto).
For people with the bucks or clueless stay-at-home dads, this info may prove helpful. But as a work-from-home dad (there’s a huge difference) of three, it’s all a little precious and unrealistic. I much more appreciate the sympathetic advice that transcends all backgrounds (”The second trimester is your best bet for three solid months of Cinemax action”) than where to find other dads online for some virtual bonding. (Who has the time?)
Healy’s book is not bad by any means; it’s well-researched, well-organized and well-written. There’s an awful lot of info packed into this seemingly slim volume; whether it applies to you is another story. –Rod Lott
[...] Another week, another child-rearing book. After subjecting us all to the horrible, horrible, Lovecraftian imagery of “blue Twinkies” a couple of weeks ago, Rod matches wits with Christopher Healy’s POP CULTURE: THE SANE MAN’S GUIDE TO THE INSANE WORLD OF NEW FATHERHOOD, and Healy is found wanting. Seriously, if you want to be a good dad, here’s the recipe: • 25% Uncle Ben (except for the dead part) • 15% Professor X (when the kids are good) • 15% Darkseid (for when they’re bad) • 10% Jonas Grumby, or “the Skipper,” as he’s commonly known • 5% each Ward Cleaver, Bill Cosby, Reed Richards, Wolverine, Martian Manhunter, Superman and Sherlock Holmes [...]
I had the same impression of his book. I interviewed him on my radio program, and he was very pleasant to talk to. I had to ask him how Conde Nast’s Cookie magazine was selling outside New York. It looks like a world that most of us don’t belong to. The book was funny, but it was obviously aimed at an audience both younger and wealthier than me. (I’m also a work-at-home father of three.) I’m not sure how it played with my audience, many of whom I believe are suburban hippies (as opposed to the urban hipsters for whom Christopher writes).