Customer Reviews

Dad Interrupted: A Novel

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Dad Interrupted was an excellent, excellent story about a man struggling to come to grips with the fact that, as we men tend to do, he screwed up and he's got a baby on the way. Van did a great job of delivering an important message while making you laugh out loud at the same time. His characters were funny, real, and believable. This is Van at his best. Dad Interrupted won't allow any interruptions because you won't want to put it down! Read this book. This is a book that deserves to be on the best-seller's lists!

Shawns meets Troi after loosing his mother to death. He and Troi starts a relationship that looks promising until she suddenly dissappears one day. Then he meets Dawn who mends his confused and broken heart. Again, their relationships looks promising until Troi returns out of nowhere with a baby she claims Shawn to be the daddy of.

Confused on what to do, Shawn turns to his close friends for advice, which only confuses him even more. Ultimately, at the end he decides on the right thing: Being there for his child.

This book was a good read for me. I enjoyed it, but would have liked to have read more about Shawn and Troi's relationship. Mr. Whitfield leaves his readers hanging with their vauge interactions. Other than that, I would recommend this novel especially if you enjoy humor in the midst of serious situations.

Rolanda,
Nothing BUT Page Turners Book Club

Dad Interrupted was one of the funniest, well-written books I have read in quite a while. The scenes were so vivid that I actually felt like I was there while they were happening and could not help laughing out loud as I read. Van Whitfield's smooth easy flow kept me entranced as he captured the emotions of a father caught in a situation most men know all too well. As a female, I got to witness the internal dealings of an unplanned pregnancy from a totally different point of view and I now have a newfound respect for single fathers and what they go through. I love a light hearted read with a message and that's exactly what I got with this novel. Tastefully written and hard to put down, Dad Interrupted is a great read for men and women alike.

DAD INTERRUPTED by Van Whitfield takes us on an adventure of sex, the single man, and what he does when caught between the woman he wants to be with and the one who wants to be with him. Shawn Wayne has made a mistake, not an uncommon mistake, but a mistake nonetheless: he had a fling with someone that ended on okay terms, but now (five months later), the woman is pregnant and expecting to move into town and get cozy with him. The problem is, she doesn't realize that he's now involved with someone else.

Shawn has been dating Dawn for only three months, but after rekindling their high school romance, they're sure that they're soul mates. Dawn is a no-nonsense type of girl and is ready to take the relationship to the next level. Unfortunately, with the confession Shawn has on the agenda, will there be a next level? How will Dawn handle the confession Shawn makes? Will she even want to be his friend let alone his girlfriend after she hears the news? And how will the other woman fall into the picture? Will she quietly leave when she finds out Shawn has no intentions of being with her?

DAD INTERRUPTED by Van Whitfield is a light-hearted, funny novel that takes us on a journey of self-discovery, fatherhood and friendship. The main character is someone we can relate to. He is a good man who made a mistake. He is confused about how to rectify the situation but the end result is he just wants to do the right thing.

Reviewed by Eraina B. Tinnin
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

He's done it again!!!!! If you haven't allowed yourself the pleasure of reading any book by Van Whitfield, you've really missed out. I've read all of his books and can honestly say he is one of the best writers of our time. Van has a way of making you care about his characters. Shawn, Donnie, Dawn, Troi and Kelly are all 3D by the time you're less than half way through this novel. I laughed till I cried and then I cried because .......well read it for yourself.

Play close attention to the scene by the coke machine. :-)

I've always joked: If you really want to know a man, get pregnant. Somehow pregnancy brings out either the best or the worst in a man. For some it's like being trapped in the proverbial lion's den where only God can help you. For others it's the best thing since sliced bread - a welcomed surprise. For Shawn Wayne, it's a toss up. He suddenly experiences feelings he's never felt before. Dad Interrupted begins with Shawn finding out that he's about to become a dad and he's not ready for this. To him, this is an interruption in his life's plan.



After Shawn loses his mother to a heart attack he takes a siesta from the dating game. Then he meets Troi. She helps him through the hard times by giving him the best physical contact a man can imagine. Suddenly she disappears, without explanation, leaving him heart broken. Dawn, an old high school friend, comes to the rescue and helps mend his broken heart and Shawn believes he's finally found his soul mate. His life is finally back on track until he gets a message from Troi saying, "I'm pregnant, I'm moving back to D.C. and you're the father." Say what? Shawn is flabbergasted.



On New Year's Eve Shawn tells his two best friends, Kelly and Donnie, about his unexpected news. He asks advice on how to break the news to Dawn. Donnie suggests he doesn't tell Dawn, because the baby might not be his. Kelly suggests the opposite and says he should be a man and accept his responsibility after being careless enough to have unprotected sex. The drama unfolds when Dawn is told...on national TV, while taping her live show in Shawn's apartment.



The news affects everyone and yet Shawn manages to get stuck in the what-about-me mode of thinking. He wants to have say in the decision to have or not have a child, but he can't. The decision has been made by Troi and he has to deal with it. And so will Dawn, if she chooses too.



Dad Interrupted humors you with "The Seven Types of Dads." Whitfield ties them into Shawn's emotions and how he deals with the reality of becoming a father, whether he's ready or not. I would almost be inclined to market this book as self-help with a comedic twist. In the end, an important lesson dealing with consequences of your actions is planted into the mind of the reader. Whitfield makes you laugh, cry, think and then leaves you with the most powerful words, "Fatherhood is a privilege." Let the church say: Amen.

Reviewed by Esther "Ess" Mays for Loose Leaves Book Review

I've read Mr. Whitfield's previous books. This was ok. I didn't particularly care for any of the characters bcuz I didn't think I knew them at all. I would have like to read more about Shawn's relationship with Troi. One minute he's not sure he wants to be a father and the next they are spending time together. How did that happen? And Donnie... what was the purpose of his character? He had good lines, but that was just about it. I liked Kelly.... but Dawn was in one minute, out the next, and back in. Like I said above, just a way to spend a lazy, rainy Monday.

If you get into Jerry Springer and
Ricki Lake, you'll love this book. Unfortunately, I don't. I don't think extraordinarily ignorant people who fit extreme stereotypes is funny and that's basically what this book was. On top of that, the main character was so DUMB. Ugh. I just wanted to slap him for being dumb. The only character I was halfway interested in was the crackhead and it wasn't even necessary to make him a crackhead. And the end was way too nursery rhyme everyone-likes-a-happy-ending for me. Surprisingly, I do like Eve though so Whitfield is doing SOMETHING right.

Van Whitfield is one of our generations most talented writers. His writing is smart, witty, passionate and it just pulls you in. Dad Interrupted is full of insight, creativity and of course with Van, LAUGHS. As a dad who's faced the dilemma of Shawn Wayne (the main character), I knew exactly what he was feeling. Van does such an incredible job at articulating the frustration and anxiety of men caught knee deep in situations that are of their own making. Between the listing and explanations of the 7 different types of Father's to the Baby's Momma Checklist, this is one of the more refreshing and entertaining books that I've ever read. I saw him interviewed as to why he stars out the curse words and he said it makes it more accessible to teens, libraries and others who take offense with the words. I know for a fact that my church selected Dad Interrupted as a Book of the Month based partly on the fact that the curse words are bleeped out and that there are zero curse words in the books narrative. I personally see this as a major plus. It's like the "clean" version of a rap record. It could be debated either way, but I'm happy to see that he takes the high road, while others are more interested in staying in the gutter. Dad Interrupted is a must read. Teen age boys AND girls will benefit from its message and will enjoy it because it's an easy read. Adults will like it because it's so incredibly real and because the characters are people we all know and deal with daily. Kudos to Van Whitfield! He is truly one of the best.

I read a lot of books, and I don't think this was a very good one. The events that happened just weren't very believable and the characters didn't have any depth. Plus I didn't like the fact that he used stars to cover up the curse words, like we're not smart enough to know they're curse words. If you don't want to write the curse word, then don't use it. I found the plot to be very silly, and it took me forever to finish it because it was kinda boring. I wish I could take it back to the store and get my $13 back because it's definitely not worth it. Mr. Whitfield has the potential to be a good author, but this book doesn't do it for him.