Reading Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern was a chance of fate. I was visiting friends at James Madison University and one of them needed to pick up a JMU sweatshirt as a gift for a relative. I decided to tag along to the bookstore for this purchase. As they searched for the perfect sweatshirt, I drifted towards the leisure book section. I first picked up Stephen Colbert’s book, but decided to put it back. Then I saw a deal for I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, but I realized I could borrow this book from my brother or a friend. Finally, my gaze caught the sight of Sh*t My Dad Says. I liked the few episodes of the TV show I had seen, so I opened to a random page, read a few lines, and proceeded to laugh my butt off. I decided I had to purchase this book.
I returned to my friend’s apartment and proceeded to put my life on hold until I completed the book. The book is composed of stories regarding the interactions of Halpern and his father and humorous quotes he has remembered his father stating throughout his lifetime. Each story has a moral and teaches Halpern a lesson that allows for him to form a different perception toward life. The reason for the long laughs during each chapter is due to his father’s unconventional way of getting his point across. Halpern’s father was a prominent doctor in the field of nuclear medicine yet still cursed like a sailor. Between each story would be quotes regarding random moments in Halpern’s life that were too short to receive a chapter, but substantial enough to portray the kind of man his father is.
Halpern’s book goes along a chronological timeline throughout his life. The most heartfelt story is the last one. His father chooses how the book should end. He tells Halpern that he loves him and shows Halpern a side that was never evident during his childhood. The result is possible one of the greatest Father’s Day gifts a son could ever give his father. Throughout the book, I was able to relate to many of the stories and appreciate my dad even more than I could ever realize.
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