The 40-Year-Old Version: Humoirs of a Divorced Dad [Paperback]

Joel Schwartzberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2009

In a very funny and endearing collection of personal essays, award-winning and nationally-published writer Joel Schwartzberg shares stories of his ever-evolving, self-defining dadhood. "The 40-Year-Old Version" is a great book for any parent, particularly dads trying to sharpen their role and looking for insight through hysterical, heartbreaking, and heroic example. The essays are short and sharp, and many have been previously published in major newspapers and magazines including The New York Times Magazine, New Jersey Monthly, The New York Post, The Star Ledger, and Babble.com.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Transforms mundane events into hilarious, sometimes heart-wrenching tales -- from antics about cramming kids, girlfriend, and five cats into a one-bedroom apartment, to moving reflections on his son's misdiagnosed illness." --New Jersey Monthly

"Writer Joel Schwartzberg explores his adventures in parenting, and shows us in a fresh way that it's not easy being a Dad, or a kid especially after a divorce... Let his energy inspire you." --Barnes&Noble.com

"His humorous expressions of the tribulations of fatherhood, as well as the joy he has found as a dad, speak to the common father, whether divorced or married. This would be a great gift to any father." --Wayne Parker, About.com Fatherhood Guide

"Schwartzberg has struck new ground in daddy lit. In this funny and touching book, he dispenses some good advice... A sensitive yet lighthearted account of divorced fatherhood." --Carolyn Stetler, The Star Ledger

As difficult as divorce can be, Joel Schwartzberg brings humor and realism to this otherwise dismal freefall experience. The author's writing is brilliant and engaging...A delightful read. --David Knox, Ph.D., author of "The Divorced Dad's Survival Book"

From the Publisher

"As difficult as divorce can be, Joel Schwartzberg brings humor and realism to this otherwise dismal freefall experience. A delightful read."
- David Knox, Ph.D., author of The Divorced Dad's Survival Book

"An engaging, witty, warm, and exhilarating ride."
- Dr. Will Courtenay, "The Men's Doc," psychotherapist, author, researcher, and founder of SadDaddy.com.

"Smart and heartfelt."
- Robert Wilder, author of Daddy Needs a Drink and Tales from the Teacher's Lounge

"Wise, hard-earned guidance for divorced dads."
- Dr. Linda Nielsen, President of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children and author of Between Fathers & Daughters

"Surprising emotional depth, wisdom, and candor."
- Susan Shapiro, author of Lighting Up and Five Men Who Broke My Heart

"Witty and endearingly realistic."
- Steven Ashley, founder of the Divorced Fathers Network and author of The Long-Distance Dad

"Zippy and entertaining."
- Jeremy Adam Smith, author of The Daddy Shift

"A great read for all fathers!"
- Rachel Sarah, author of Single Mom Seeking and founder of singlemomseeking.com

"Insightful, warm, and self aware."
- Peter McKay, Syndicated Humor Columnist and author of Welcome to the Nuthouse!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932279989
• ISBN-13: 978-1932279986
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.3 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #346,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The author of "The 40-Year-Old Version: Humoirs of a Divorced Dad," Joel Schwartzberg is an award-winning essayist and screenwriter, national champion public speaker and speech coach, law school drop-out, horror fan, divorced father, and former Wheel of Fortune contestant. He was a Head Writer for Nickelodeon in 1998 and editorial director for Time Inc. Interactive in 2004.

Joel's essays on parenting and other spontaneous phenomena have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, The New York Daily News, The New York Post, The Star Ledger, New Jersey Monthly, Babble.com, Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Huffington Post, and regional parenting magazines across the U.S. and Canada.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, Uplifting, and Honest! October 27, 2009

By K

Format:Paperback

I couldn't have bought a better present for my hubby, a Divorced Dad--we love reading it together, laughing and crying as we turn the pages of the short stories (most only 2-3 pages long) that speak VOLUMES to us as readers in a blended family. I HIGHLY recommend ALL Divorced and Separated Dads buy this book, or all Stepmoms and other family members and friends who know a Divorced/Separated Dad to buy them this book as a special gift that will be sure to uplift him in a very difficult time. No one feels alone after reading this book!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Essays about life and fatherhood as a newly divorced dad. August 28, 2009

By Steven

Format:Paperback

The 40-Year-Old Version: Humoirs of a Divorced Dad

"In short, it took divorce to make me a better father," writes Joel Schwartzberg early in The 40-Year-Old Version, a collection of forty insightful and humorous essays about fatherhood and life. The topics of these brief essays vary widely over a range of fatherhood experiences, and many of them deal with how he is learning to reinvent himself as a newly divorced father. They range from adjusting to his son's disinterest in playing sports or watching the Super Bowl ("'Nachos help,' I told him."), to his first time dropping his kids off at school as a divorced dad ("Does something about my demeanor shout `part-time parent!'"), to his encounters with children's television ("One fateful afternoon, Charlie and I came upon `little boy catnip' - Power Rangers.") He also writes about many of the other idiosyncrasies of modern life, including greeting cards ("Birthday cards are probably the most popular of all greeting cards, but why do so many of them treat aging past 40 as something that deserves sadistic ridicule?"), his British-accented GPS ("She once disappointed me by suggesting a sudden left turn across a four-lane highway - and a concrete median - to get to a children's bowling party."), and Valentine's Day ("At one Target store, I saw Spiderman valentines, Darth Vader-themed valentine chocolates, and military camouflage tattoo valentines."). The 40-Year-Old Version is filled with honesty and wry humor about the unexpected roads that life and fatherhood can take us down.

Although he touches on it only briefly, Schwartzberg also discusses an issue which is still relatively little-known yet can have an overwhelming and unexpected impact on new fathers: depression. After his son was born he fell into a deep depression that contributed in part to the breakdown of his marriage: "I remember sitting on the hard wood floor next to my son, both of us exhausted and craving a more comprehensible reality. Charlie started crying; then I did. We didn't just cry - we bawled." In time, Schwartzberg and was able to give his depression a name: Paternal Postnatal Depression (PPND). PPND affects 1 out of every 10 new dads (studies suggest that it may be as high as 1 out of every 4 new dads), and is a serious clinical condition that can be crippling. If you suspect that you may be experiencing PPND, there is no need to feel ashamed or to suffer alone. You can go to [...], where you can find more information about PPND, take an assessment test to find out if you have PPND, and find an online community of supportive men.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars "Humoirs" Is Something Divorced Dads Can Laugh (and Cry) About November 4, 2009

By Ron W. Mattocks

Format:Paperback

Through his collection of short essays, Joel recreates the exhilaration, confusion, awkwardness, satisfaction, insight, and quirk in being a divorced father. Stories like "Lazy Dadurday" offer a glimpse into those special moments and new routines with dad after a split, while others ("Beige Food" and "Sponge Bob Wins") are humorous commentary on the world in which his children live.

Though the main theme of the book centers around fatherhood, there are several chapters that would make anyone smile, not just parents. I mean who hasn't taken their mother to the Oscars, blown off law school or been on the Wheel of Fortune? And Joel's tongue-in-cheek rants against things like the greeting card industry and parking lot etiquette are the stuff of an endearing curmudgeon in the making.

But for all the fun, Humoirs is not just a bowl for sugary cereal for readers to smile over after every bite-sized chapter. Joel balances sweetness with seriousness opening up about male post-partum depression and his son's Chiari malformation diagnosis. His honesty on such weighty topics gives the book a depth that readers can sympathize with without having to give into pity.

Flipping through the pages brought on an eerie familiarity, like Joel had actually been chronicling my own experiences as a newly divorced father. "It took a divorce to make me a better father," Joel states in describing how he found his "inner parent." This is the exact thought I have when spending time with my children, and it gives me a sense of comfort knowing I am well beyond the beginner level of parenting. Humoirs is not just a great read; it also gives a voice to divorced dads working without fanfare to stay involved in their children's lives.

The entire review can be read at Clark Kent's Lunchbox [...].