Customer Reviews

Don't Make Me Stop This Car!: Adventures in Fatherhood

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

The most enjoyable read I've had in a long time! I always respected and enjoyed Al as our local weatherman on the local NBC news - this the THE man you always trusted to tell you the REAL weather..well after reading the book..this is the man you're going to trust telling you about REAL life too. The candor he expresses with regard to the medical profession.. the arbitrary nature of health insurance..adoption..divorce..marriage..racism are but a few topics covered in this book. It enlightened me..it made me laugh and cry..but more than that..it made me want the book to never end. This is more than a "celebrity fluff" book. Run..don't walk and get this book..for yourself..and share it with anyone you love.

Al Roker has created an enchanting and captivating book about fatherhood. Unfortunately, only the second half of the book is about what one would expect -- raising children.

The first half of the book is all about pregnancy, which is an interesting topic, but certainly not what one expects when reading a book marketed as a great "Father's Day" book.

Despite that criticism, I feel that the novel is a good read for those who wish to read a book about fatherhood.

The novel contained a wonderful defense of adoption during Roker's discussion of his parents' choices in parenthood. Al Roker's parents adopted three children. Roker has an adopted daughter. As a fellow proponent of adoption, I was happy to read a book in which adoption is shown in a very postive light.

Due to this positive portrayal of adoption, I was somewhat saddened to hear that the Catholic League had lambasted this book for Roker's inappropriate remarks about a certain fertility drug made by the Vatican using nuns. It would be wrong to worry that this book is negative towards Catholicism.

Therefore, I strongly recommend this book to the curious father-to-be or to anyone who is interested in the modern father. My choice of four stars is due to my disapproval of how the novel was advertised and packaged.

This is true Roker. It isn't often that I laugh outloud and re-read a line to laugh yet again aloud. This book is both touching and very funny... to experience the pregnancy, fatherhood, and interactions with others through Roker's eyes. This book is on my Father's Day list for sure! Highly enjoyable.

Al Roker has always been one of my favorite television personalities. He never fails to brighten my morning and get my day off to a snappy start (no matter the weather). I am not a parent (though my partner and I would like to adopt one day), but when and if the time comes, this book will be close at hand. It's heartening to know there are broadcast journalists out there who can communicate humor and heart simultaneously.

Sorry to disagree with the other reviews, but this is undoubtedly the most boring book I have ever read. No offense to Mr. Roker...I really like the guy, so I'm especially disappointed. I heard him on the radio promoting the book, and he was a riot. So what happened? We've all been cornered by the well-meaning, but incredibly self-absorbed young couple that wants to tell us, blow by blow, every detail of their pregnancy and delivery. Well, that's exactly what this book does to you...Corners you, bores you, and finally lets you go, with regret that you wasted so much money on the book. Sorry gang, but this book was excruciating.

This is an autobiography as related to the author's two children. He doesn't delve into any other area of his life except about a few comments of his TV career.

Al's sincerity comes through, shining, but this book is meant for the first time parent at a youthful age. There is not a whole lot of information to pay attention to, but this is just a simple story of how one man looks at his status of fatherhood.

Wow, I am so torn. Al Roker has long been a morning staple for me, and his upbeat personality is an inspiration, but i just don't know about this book. He gets an "E" for effort, that's for sure. There are some truly candid moments, but it does drag on after a while. I guess if you're expecting a non-stop laugh fest, you might want to look elsewhere.

Simply stated, this is the worst book I have ever read. In fact, I have to admit that this is the first book I can remember not being able to finish. It's just that bad. By the time I abandoned "Don't make me stop this car", approximately a third of the way through the book, the baby hadn't even been born yet. Instead, Roker spends over 100 pages walking the reader through every painful, minute detail of he and his wife's efforts to get pregnant, including a miscarriage and the step-by-step details of her artificial insemination. Anybody with kids will care less, because they'll have already gone through it themselves. Anybody without kids will care less, because there's just nothing interesting to read about. Have I mentioned how bad this book is???? As I write this, used copies of "Don't make me stop this car" are available on Amazon starting at...

With the release of the paperback edition of Al's first writing venture, it reminded me that I HAD read and DO own the hardback copy of "Don't Make Me Stop The Car!". I ran through several of the reviews before sitting down to write mine.

If folks are looking for Fatherhood How To 101 or a scholarly book on the finer points of Parenting...well, you probably will be one of the folks disappointed in this book. If you are just looking for a good read in two areas 1.) Al Roker's humor and 2.)what fatherhood has been to him then this book is for YOU!

It is a relatively short book that is a very easy read. I took it to a doctor's' office appointment to read in the waiting room...Al had me cracking up and howling that I was beginning to get strange looks from others as I snickered with tears running down my face.

The book covers how he and his wife overcame the years of wanting a child...what they had to endure and go through to have and be blessed with a child. Al tells how he had to intergrate a second marriage (step-mom) when he married Deborah to his first daughter and then tell how when the Blessed event happened, how he had to intergate the elation of having a child with Deborah but keep his first daughter involved and know she would still hold a place in their hearts full of love for her. That was a TALL order for Al to be successful at...as it is for any father who has remarried and added another child to the family!

It tells of how he shares the parental duties with Deborah...something that doesn't happen (unfortunately) in every relationship and household. It was refreshing to read what it was like as a participating father from Al's side!

I give this book a strong 4 star rating. Give Al a break...it's his first venture in writing a book and overall it was a good read! Yes, there are places the pace slows down but it happens to the best of writers!

If you simply want a fun, easy, good read on fatherhood with several laughs along the way...BUY THIS BOOK! If you want scholarly on parenting...well, you'll probably be disappointed.

Try it!

Al Roker seems to be a sweet,amiable and kind, gentle man. This is a sweet book about being the father of two daughters. But don't expect any blockbuster insights into parenting. And don't expect any "AHA" moments from this book. You CAN expect to hear Roker say, "YIKES" way too many times.

I'd purchased this book because I'd done so much heavy reading lately, and I was hoping for something more confectionary, and that's what I got. However, once I'd finished the book (quickly), I wasn't full.

There is so much more to parenting and marriage than Roker shares with us. But if you are looking for a light read that doesn't tax your intellect, take a break and read this.

If you like Al Roker, as I do, you'll walk away from this book still liking him. But "YIPPEE" is about as intellectual and insightful as this book gets.