Books
An irreverent look at parenting from a dad who truly loves his kids … even when they’re driving him nuts
“Rob Wilder’s hilarious and boldly candid essays about the realities of parenting go down like a gin and tonic on a hot summer afternoon.”
—People
“If David Sedaris had children, this is the book he might write.”
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Life in the trenches should always be this funny.”
—The Arizona Republic
“For those who prefer a shot of tequila at 2 a.m….Wilder writes edgy, snarky essays and tiptoes through the sentimentality minefield. Filling a book with essays about fatherhood that are consistently hilarious and never maudlin is a difficult feat, but Wilder makes it look easy…His love for family comes through without ever seeming cloying.”
—Los Angeles Times
“DADDY NEEDS A DRINK hits you in the face like a fully loaded diaper. These hilarious tales of fatherhood are both shockingly foul and utterly humane. This is a spectacular book – even if you don’t have kids and may never want to. If you do have kids, Robert Wilder will make you feel like you aren’t the only one screwing it all up.”
—Augusten Burroughs, author of Running With Scissors and Magical Thinking
“Robert Wilder doesn’t just a need a drink, he deserves one, for writing the funniest, most irreverent book about parenting in recent memory. DADDY NEEDS A DRINK is an affectionate, wickedly observant, unexpectedly tender account of one man’s sleepless journey through the brave new world of diapers, toy trains, and very smelly snowman suits.”
—Tom Perrotta, author of Election and Little Children
“It’s rare and refreshing to receive a dispatch directly from the heart of the Daddy Trap. Rob Wilder writes about the hidden humiliations of fatherhood with a sly wit and brutal candor. Better yet, he is able to convey – without cheap sentiment – the profound love he feels for his wife and children, even as they drive him nuts. A lovely book.”
—Steve Almond, author of Candyfreak and The Evil B.B. Chow
“This book is wonderful and charming and so welcome. By the end I wished Robert Wilder had six more children and had written four hundred more pages; his voice, and his family, are irresistible.”
—Haven Kimmel, author of A Girl Named Zippy and She Got Up Off The Couch
“This book made me laugh out loud. I don’t have children but I couldn’t put it down. The complex world of parenting in modern America comes fully alive. Beautifully written, this book is for everyone.”
—Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones and The Great Failure
Download the Reader’s Guide for Daddy Needs A Drink.
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“Honest and funny.”— Publishers Weekly
From the critically acclaimed author of Daddy Needs a Drink — hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “consistently hilarious” — comes a series of irreverent, wickedly observant essays about what it really means to be a teacher today. With his trademark wit and wisdom, Robert Wilder dissects the world’s noblest profession—whether he’s taming a classroom full of hormonal teenagers or going one-on-one with the school bully.
Wilder was twenty-six when he found his true calling. Leaving a lucrative advertising career in New York, he got a job as an assistant first-grade teacher at a Santa Fe alternative school—and never looked back. Now he brings his unique perspective—as a teacher, parent, and former student—to a series of laugh-out-loud essays that show teaching at its most absurd … and most rewarding. With brutal candor he chronicles his own lively adventures in modern education, from navigating cutthroat kindergarten sign-ups to subbing for a class experiment gone wrong–and dares to tell about it.
He shares the surprising lessons he’s learned in the trenches of his profession, including how to bribe a four-year-old (his own) to stop swearing in a Lutheran preschool and the best way to teach moody teenagers…manage “helicopter” parents…and cope with bullies—whether of the school-yard, Internet, or parental kind. And he offers tough love for cheaters who log on to www.SchoolSucks.com, then puts to rest forever the question of why new teachers gain weight (hint: the free donuts don’t help).
In Tales from the Teachers’ Lounge, Robert Wilder charts life’s learning curve with a warmth and humor you don’t find in textbooks. By turns heartwarming, eye-opening, and uproariously funny, these pitch-perfect essays offer priceless lessons in life, family, learning, and teaching from a true lover of education.
Download the Tales from the Teachers Lounge – Readers Guide
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randomhouse.com
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Cover Art ©Jose Luis Pelaez, Inc./Picturequest
Cover Design by Lynn Andreozzi
“In this surprisingly vulnerable collection, twenty-eight talented fathers explore the complex, enigmatic bond they have with their daughters. These endearing, often funny and sometimes heartbreaking stories have in common an overpowering sense of responsibility and a depth of affection that is unflinchingly tender. Through their shared experiences, they examine relationships fraught with challenges and struggles, but always filled with love. The gentle strength they bring to this important role in their daughters’ lives will speak to families for generations to come.”
Buy yourself (or someone else) the book:
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barnesandnoble.com
click to buy online or locally from an independent bookseller
“Readers will fall head over heels for this nostalgic and irreverent collection. Twenty-six bestselling authors return to the teenage bedrooms, school hallways and college dorms of their youth to share passionate essays of love lost and found and lessons learned along the way. Whether heartbreaking or hilarious, their soul-baring honesty reminds us to keep reaching for true love wherever we can find it and for as long as it takes. Their intimate reflections will fascinate and move any reader who remembers her first love.”
Buy yourself (or someone else) the book:
amazon.com
barnesandnoble.com
click to buy online or locally from an independent bookseller