Review: Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book stayed under my radar for a good, long while, until a co-worker lent it to me in return for loaning her
  Let's Pretend This Never Happened

. This doesn't quite contain Jenny Lawson's hilarity, but it is an amusing way to spend an hour or two.

The concept behind this book started out as a Twitter account. While working from home, living with his parents, Justin Halpern started tweeting the funniest things his dad said, thinking only his friends and family would read it. The posts got passed around, and the following spread, until Halpern started getting phone calls from publishers.

The book is an expansion of the out-of-context remarks and stories shared on the Twitter page. Overall, it paints an odd picture of growing up with this guy as a father.

The book has its laugh-out-loud moments, especially in the quotes lacking context at the end of each chapter. Often, it's just his father's words, where one can imagine what the other person must be saying to prompt them. Adding that to the story seems to take some of the humor out of some of the quotes within the chapters.

If you follow the Twitter account, I'm willing to bet you've already read this book. If not, it's a funny way to pass an afternoon. It's not a very substantial read, though. I'd recommend taking it out at your local library.

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