My name is Craig Melvin and Iâm an anchor on NBCâs Today show. Iâm also a father to my two young kids, Delano and Sybil. Being a dad is so important to me because when youâre a parent, youâre charged with shaping and molding a solid human being whose empathetic, compassionate, and responsible. I donât take the responsibility lightly. Of the many jobs I have, itâs the most important.
I chose this book because I think itâs a novel that every dad should read. Itâs a staple of American literature, and while Iâm sure many of us have read this one before, itâs worth a revisit. The life lessons and words of wisdom that Atticus Finch teaches to his children, such as not judging a book by its cover and the meaning of what true courage is, are what have made this book a classic.
'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'
Atticus Finch gives this advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of this classic novel - a black man charged with attacking a white girl. Through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Lee explores the issues of race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s with compassion and humour. She also creates one of the great heroes of literature in their father, whose lone struggle for justice pricks the conscience of a town steepedâŚ
No list of books for Dads would be complete without this one from my buddy, Al Roker. In Donât Make Me Stop This Car, Al looks at the highs and lows of being a parent. Not only does it have his classic Roker charm and sense of humor, but he also writes about his experiences with infertility treatments and adoption. Itâs become a favorite because heâs been a great friend and mentor to me.
The famed weatherman on NBC's Today show offers a collection of essays, some serious, some humourous, offering his thoughts on parenting and life in general that draw on his experiences as the father of two girls and his own childhood as the oldest of six children. 200,000 first printing.
Winner of the Robert F. Lucid Award for Mailer Studies.
Celebrating Mailer's centenary and the seventy-fifth publication of The Naked and the Dead, the book illustrates how Mailer remains a provocative presence in American letters.
From the debates of the nation's founders, to the revolutionary traditions of western romanticism,âŚ
This was the first book that I ever read that wasnât assigned to me. I read it when I was 13 years old because the movie was about to come out that year and my cousin made me read it. At its core, itâs a story of self-discovery, race, and evolution. Itâs filled with lessons that fathers, especially those with children of color, should definitely be teaching to their kids.
ONE OF TIMEâS TEN MOST IMPORTANT NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American Dream, and the inherent racism in a society that denies its nonwhite citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time. The Autobiography of Malcolm X stands as the definitive statement of a movementâŚ
This book follows a dadâs written record of what happened immediately after each of his three children was born. His retelling of the tantrums and the way that your world becomes turned upside down with young kiddos is captured in a way thatâs extremely funny, but also relatable. This book is honest and doesnât sugarcoat what being a dad is really like.
When Michael Lewis became a father, he decided to keep a written record of what actually happened immediately after the birth of each of his three children. This book is that record. But it is also something else: maybe the funniest, most unsparing account of ordinary daily household life ever recorded, from the point of view of the man inside. The remarkable thing about this story isn't that Lewis is so unusual. It's that he is so typical. The only wonder is that his wife has allowed him to publish it.
A historical thriller set in south London just after World War II, as Britain returns to civilian life and the men return home from the fight, causing the women to leave their wartime roles. The South London Hospital for Women and Children is a hospital, (based on a real place)âŚ
Jim Gaffigan is one of the funniest comedians out there, and heâs always one of our favorite in-studio guests. This book uses Gaffiganâs classic sense of humor to describe what it is like to be a dad to his five children. Beyond being extremely funny and a solid memoir, it reveals the underbelly of fatherhood, as only Jim Gaffigan can.
Jim Gaffigan never imagined he would have his own kids.
Though he grew up in a large Irish-Catholic family, Jim was satisfied with the nomadic, nocturnal life of a standup comedian, and was content to be "that weird uncle who lives in an apartment by himself in New York that everyone in the family speculates about." But all that changed when he married and found out his wife, Jeannie "is someone who gets pregnant looking at babies."
Five kids later, the comedian whose riffs on everything from Hot Pockets to Jesus have scored millions of hits on YouTube, started toâŚ
A deeply personal exploration of fatherhood, addiction, and resiliency from Craig Melvin, news anchor of NBCâs Today show.
For Craig Melvin this book is more an investigation than a memoir. It's an opportunity to better understand his father; to interrogate his family's legacy of addiction and despair but also transformation and redemption; and to explore the challenges facing all dadsâincluding Craig himself, a father of two young children. Pops is the story of all these menâand of the inspiring fathers Craig has met reporting his "Dads Got This Series" on the Today show. Pops is also the story of Craig and Lawrence Melvin's long journey to reconciliation and understanding, and of how all these experiences and encounters have informed Craig's understanding of his own role as a dad.
Dressed to kill and ready to make rent, best friends Lisa and Jamie work as âpaid to partyâ girls at the Rose City Ripe for Disruption gala, a gathering of Portland's elite.
Their evening is derailed when Lisa stumbles across Ellen, a ruthless politician and Lisaâs estranged mother. And toâŚ
Adventures in the Radio Trade documents a life in radio, largely at Canada's public broadcaster. It's for people who love CBC Radio, those interested in the history of Canadian Broadcasting, and those who want to hear about close encounters with numerous luminaries such as Margaret Atwood, J. Michael Straczynski, StuartâŚ