Learning to Be a Dad

thedailyshow.com

Still not sure what to get Dad for Father's Day? Here's a great new book about fatherhood from Michael Lewis, known primarily for his books about sports and money -- including Liar's Poker and Moneyball. Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood began as a series for the online magazine Slate. Lewis had begun keeping a journal about his experiences of fatherhood seven months after the birth of his first child, Quinn. He kept writing, he says, because of "this persistent and disturbing gap between what I was meant to feel and what I actually felt."

Lewis's role model as a father was his own father, who took a fairly hands-off approach to parenting and left the "dirty work" to mom. In fact, his father quips that he didn't even start speaking to Lewis until he went away to college. Despite this distant approach, Lewis adored his dad and didn't resent him for not being present in the same way that his mom was. And mom didn't get "extra credit" for being there: "Small children are ungrateful; to do one a favor is, from the business point of view, about as shrewd as making a subprime mortgage loan."

The book is organized into three parts, one for each child: daughters Quinn and Dixie and son Walker. The dedication is great: "For Quinn & Dixie & Walker: If you don't want to see it in print, don't do it." The book is funny and moving and unsparing. Below you'll find an interview with Lewis by Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show." If Home Game isn't quite what you're looking for in a gift for Dad, come on by and get other ideas from us -- we've got tons! (And he really doesn't need another tie.)

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