1.
The Top 4
Fatherhood
Memoirs
MICHAEL RALBY
MICHAELRALBY.ORG

2.
The holidays are
approaching,
and with them, likely a wave of nostalgia. Take a look into
the lives of a few others, and their experiences with their
own fathers, as you read their memoirs. Even if you’ve led
different lives, you just might find there are some
universal truths that transcend all boundaries.

3.
Daditude: The Joys and
Absurdities of Modern
Fatherhood, by Chris Erskine
Daditude is a collection of stories written by Los Angeles
Times editor and writer Chris Erskine’s newspaper articles.
Throughout his columns, Erskine details his experiences as
a white, upper-middle-class father living in modern
Southern California. His stories are sharp and concise,
though they retain a folksy kind of charm as he regales
tales of the family dog, his children growing up, and home
maintenance, among others.
CLIMATE CHANGE - 3

4.
Kickflip Boys: A Memoir of Freedom,
Rebellion, and the Chaos of Fatherhood, by
Neal Thompson
Neal Thompson’s book, Kickflip Boys, weaves in and out of his two sons’childhood and
adolescence. Included among his stories feature familiar themes that many parents have not
only witnessed in their own children but have lived through themselves. Though Thompson
self-admittedly does not take all of their actions well—their drinking, experimenting with
drugs, and staying out too late come to mind—he is refreshingly honest about what being a
parent honestly feels like. Just like his boys, Thompson is trying to find his way, even when
doing so is anything but easy.

5.
Someone Could Get Hurt: A Memoir of
Twenty-First-Century Parenthood by
Drew Magary
Drew Magary’s Someone Could Get Hurt remains frank but humorous throughout its entirety,
much like Thompson’s Kickflip Boys. Magary balances the book with a combination of both
funny and severe stories—he opens with a retelling of his youngest son’s time in the NICU,
but then he also recounts stories like the time his son used a hotel pool as his personal
bathroom. It’s clear, though, that behind each story is a sense of love and compassion, and
never mean-spirited.

6.
Fatherhood Is
Leadership, by Devon
Bandison
Part-memoir, part-how-to-guide, Devon Bandison
discusses fatherhood and how tightly it entwines
with the concept of leadership. He reflects on his
own experiences with his children and how his
world has changed since becoming a father but
provides stories that anyone can relate to and
lessons everyone can learn. Anyone who wants to
improve their leadership abilities will benefit from
reading this book and Bandison’s first-hand
accounts of learning to become a more engaged
and connected father.

7.
Thanks for
viewing!
Find Michael at his website MichaelRalby.org