A Bro’s Surprisingly Sensitive Look at Fatherhood

By Emily McNeely 

The advantage of having a baby in 2015? With any luck, when it comes to parenting, the father of your little one will be as enthusiastic as you are. The New Dad Dictionary: Everything He Really Needs to Know—From A to Z, by Chris Illuminati, is written for just that man. Featuring how-to basics on pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and fatherhood itself, the book packs in plenty of entertaining anecdotes and jokes to help usher new dads into their new reality.

Illuminati knows his stuff. A stand-up comic and the Internet’s favorite stay-at-home dad, thanks to his enormously popular Tumblr parenting blog, Message with a Bottle, he is also the editor of the dude-oriented website BroBible.com. His dual personalities—funny father, ultimate bro—make for a surprisingly effective combination. The book provides equal parts informative parenting advice and humorous observations. His “dadfinitions,” for instance, tell it like it is. Amniocentesis, for one, is, “just one of the never-ending prenatal tests your partner may have to endure during pregnancy.”

“You should really be going to all of her prenatal appointments,” he adds, “The poor woman is going to get poked, prodded, and put into myriad odd situations at the doctor’s office. She’ll want you there for support or just to punch for putting her through all this crap. Wear thick clothing: the punches sting less.”

It’s that frank delivery of the facts that make The New Dad Dictionary an essential read for any new father. Here’s to a new generation of dads.