Audiobook Review: Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan

Dad is Fat

by Jim Gaffigan
Narrator: Jim Gaffigan
Published: May 7, 2013
Genres: Audiobook, Humor, Non-fiction
Format: Audiobook (5 hrs and 26 mins)
Source: Library

In Dad is Fat, stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan, who’s best known for his legendary riffs on Hot Pockets, bacon, manatees, and McDonald's, expresses all the joys and horrors of life with five young children—everything from cousins ("celebrities for little kids") to toddlers’ communication skills (“they always sound like they have traveled by horseback for hours to deliver important news”), to the eating habits of four year olds (“there is no difference between a four year old eating a taco and throwing a taco on the floor”). Reminiscent of Bill Cosby’s Fatherhood, Dad is Fat is sharply observed, explosively funny, and a cry for help from a man who has realized he and his wife are outnumbered in their own home.

Dad is Fat expands on Jim Gaffigan’s staple humor about kids and the challenges of being a parent.  I laughed out loud at most of this book.  As funny as the book is, I think it helped me look at life more honestly and realize that being a parent IS crazy and hard sometimes.  The ability to laugh about it and realize all parents aren’t perfect inspires me to do a little better and not let myself get bogged down in the sheer stress of it is sometimes.  I can laugh about my stress and let it go.

Failing and laughing at your own shortcomings are the hallmarks of a sane parent.

– Jim Gaffigan, Dad Is Fat (pg 25)

I think another point he makes in this book is how funny kids are just from being themselves. One of my favorite things about Jim Gaffigan’s humor is that he can take situations that usually stress me out about kids being themselves and show me how funny it is.  Like this:

Children have a tendency to behave as poorly as the most poorly behaved kid in the room. The laws of physics dictate that if there is a kid screaming and running in the hallway of a hotel, all the other children will scream and run in the hallway of the hotel.

– Jim Gaffigan, Dad Is Fat (pg 15)

The chapter that I laughed at the most was called “Vice President” where he compares dads to real vice presidents (like the enforcer role he sometimes has of Dick Cheney) and how dads different vice president roles function in the family.  The whole chapter is great but here’s my favorite quote:

As a dad, you are Vice President. You are part of the Executive Branch of the family, but you are the partner with the weaker authority. In your children’s eyes, you mostly fulfill a ceremonial role of attending pageants and ordering pizza. I’m never the first choice. My kids don’t even mask it, which I respect them for. “Let’s see, the crabby guy with the scratchy beard or that warm soft lady that tells us stories for eight hours?” It’s not even close.

– Jim Gaffigan, Dad Is Fat (pg 36)

I wish I could share all my favorite quotes with you, but that would be half the book.  I listened to the audiobook, but then got the ebook from the library so I could highlight all the quotes that I loved.  So here’s the last quote that I want to share with you.  Jim is talking about how his kids wake up before the sun and how loud they are (which I can relate to) which makes this quote so hilarious to me.

The song goes, “Morning has broken,” and I’m pretty sure my children broke it. Like everything else they break, if they did break it, they’ll never admit it.

– Jim Gaffigan, Dad Is Fat (p. 194)

Narrator Review: ★★★★★

Listening to the audiobook was just as much fun as listening to one of his standup routines.  He’s honest, sarcastic, funny and so entertaining to listen to.   The way he says things really adds to the humor.  I highly recommend the audiobook over the ebook.

Overall, it was a hilarious and entertaining read about being a parent and the funny things that kids do.

Content Rating: Mild, for a few minor swear words.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• Audiobook Challenge 2014