I'll steal a couple of clean quotes to put up here:
What happened? Did somebody punch you in the face?!... The what? The air is dry? Do me a favor and tell people you got punched in the face.
You worry too much. Eat some bacon... What? No, I got no idea if it'll make you feel better, I just made too much bacon.
The baby will talk when he talks, relax. It ain't like he knows the cure for cancer and just ain't spitting it out.
The worst thing you can be is a liar. . . . Okay, fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but then number two is liar. Nazi one, liar two.
I just want silence... Jesus, it doesn't mean I don't like you. It just means right now, I like silence more.
Okay, maybe the expletive rich quotations are funnier, but these give the gist: Justin Halpern's father is one of those rare people who will always tell the truth, who is not afraid to impart hard lessons, even when it's considered inappropriate (ie., explaining to a three year old that, no, it's not his birthday so it's not cute for him to go around saying, "It's my happy birthday! Oh yeeeaaah!") I listened to I Suck At Girls before this, and that book is lovely and thoughtful and sweet, full of stories that highlight how pertinent the author's father's advice could be beneath the constant f-bombs. Sh t My Dad Says, on the other hand, seems like it was rushed to print, which it likely was (I think by now everyone knows the trajectory of this book from Twitter to book deal to tv show).
The audio version is a fun listen, the narrator doing a good job at voicing both the often shocked and innocent Justin Halpern and the crusty (if somewhat Ralph Cramdenish) father, Sam. My complaint would be that each chapter contains lists of quotes like at the beginning of this review, and one after the other they have a Henny Youngman oneliners from the Catskills quality that dilutes their humour and poignancy. Sh*t My Dad Says, however, does end on a thoughtful and personal anecdote that Sam shares with his heartbroken son Justin, an anecdote that he specifically gives his son permission to conclude his book with. When Justin asks his father why he would permit such a private story to become public, Sam replies that what he wants everyone to come away from the book knowing is that he would do anything for his family; he might have a smart and foul mouth, but he's also got their backs. That message does come through.
As I did enjoy the book that came out after this one much more, I will be looking forward to whatever Justin Halpern comes out with next.
