Big Shoes: In Celebration of Dads and Fatherhood - Hardcover

Al Roker, a nine-time Emmy Award winner, is the beloved weatherman and co-host for the Today show. In addition to his television work, he is the bestselling author of three books: Al Roker's Hassle-Free Holiday Cookbook, Al Roker's Big Bad Book of Barbecue, and Don't Make Me Stop This Car! He is also founder of his own thriving multimedia company, Al Roker Productions, which creates and produces television programs. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.

Amy Rennert, who interviewed many of the celebrities and edited this volume, is an award-winning writer who has interviewed some of the leading arts, media, and entertainment personalities of our time. She is the former editor of two national magazines and the author of several books. In 1999, she launched The Amy Rennert Agency, which represents New York Times and national bestselling and award-winning authors.

This collection of honest, straightforward examinations of fathers is sweet and well-meaning, though sometimes overwhelming in its sentiment. It shares father-child remembrances—of seeing movies together, eating sandwiches together, singing show tunes in the pool together—from Roker and other celebrities and quasi-celebrities, including actor B.D. Wong, NPR's Nina Totenberg, singer/songwriter Bonnie Raitt, wine maker Robert Mondavi and Roker's Today Show buddies Katie Couric, Ann Curry and Matt Lauer. Nearly every essay explores fatherhood from the point of view of a son or daughter, though the Daily Show's Jon Stewart explains it from a dad's standpoint. The key to paternity, he says, is low expectations: "I just hope that when I look at [my young son], he doesn't cry. In that sense, I've already achieved my goal." Donald Trump's one-pager reveals that his father taught him to "be responsible," while many other stories pertain to dad's encouragement, like LPGA Hall of Famer Amy Alcott's tale of how her pops taught her "everything was possible." Indeed, the book brims with happy memories, although there's the occasional regretful remembrance, too. In the final piece, Roker reminds readers that when dad's no longer here, it's up to his kids to fill his "Big Shoes" and keep walking. (May)
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