(Hardcover) (Paperback)
David McGlynn
One Day You’ll Thank Me: Lessons From an Unexpected Fatherhood
(Counterpoint, Hardcover May 2018, Paperback May 2019)
A memoir of parenting that captures the joys, terrors, moral ambiguities, and absurdities of raising boys in the modern world.
Though he grew up longing to be closer to his dad who lived three states away, fatherhood caught David McGlynn completely off guard. His sons were conceived in quick succession—the first when the author was a dirt-poor student and the second not long after he’d moved his family across the country to start a new job. As a result, McGlynn found himself colliding into fatherhood as though it were a car accident, at once scared to death and utterly thrilled. Just like many new fathers, he hopes he’s doing the right thing—but he’s never quite sure.
One Day You’ll Thank Me translates the small, often hilarious moments common among parents of young children, especially dads, into “life lessons” about fatherhood. Comprised of 24 interconnected chapters—many of which have appeared in such prominent publications as The New York Times, Men’s Health, Parents, Real Simple, O Magazine, and elsewhere—the stories invoke a sense of humor and honesty. This is poignant memoir filled with the insights a humorous episode might yield if we pay attention, and an expanded understanding of what it means to be an American dad.
Praise for One Day You’ll Thank Me
“. . . a poignant, funny book about the life of a modern-day dad.”
—Los Angeles Times
“A pleasing blend of humor and humility that shows what it means to be a father in America today… Timeless, funny, and honest stories of raising boys.”
―Kirkus Reviews
“Each brutally honest chapter is filled with heart and humor as McGlynn shares his most tender and most trying moments as a parent . . . All parents will relate and enjoy, but fathers of sons will most certainly relish this charming and hilarious tale of fatherhood.”
―Booklist
“McGlynn’s trek through young parenthood, missteps, brawls, avalanches, and all, is as entertaining and shrewd as any book I’ve read in some time.”
—James McManus, author of Positively Fifth Street
“Fatherhood is probably the scariest good thing that can happen to a man. In this beautifully honest, richly textured, often hilarious dispatch from the home front, David McGlynn illuminates how parenting puts everything into perspective, most of all our own bedeviled selves.”
—David Giffels, author of Furnishing Eternity: A Father, a Son, a Coffin, and a Measure of Life
“One Day You’ll Thank Me is a wonderful book with a big heart. David McGlynn tells a timeless story in a personal voice, rich with humor and humanity.”
—Susan Casey, author of Voices in the Ocean: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins, and former Editor in Chief of O: The Oprah Magazine
“I am grateful for David McGlynn’s thoughtful, vulnerable, and often hilarious observations on fatherhood…I can use all the help I can get.”
—Michael Perry, New York Times bestselling humorist
“David McGlynn’s reflections on fatherhood are funny and wise . . . [he] shows how parenthood is often conflicted—but also full of grace.”
—The Christian Century
“McGlynn is a fine writer who brings to life the small pleasures of family life.”
—Toronto Star
“Sharp, tender, and terrifically funny.”
—Madhuri Vijay, author of The Far Field
Praise for David McGlynn
“[His] stories are superlatively crafted, deeply sympathetic.”
—Publishers Weekly on THE END OF THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW
“[He] asks big questions about life and touches on human themes to which all can relate.”
—Southern Living on THE END OF THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW
“You don’t read this memoir, you live it. McGlynn is a keen storyteller, and his coming-of-age tale takes age-old human experiences—traumatic violence, inexplicable evil, sex, and religion—and remixes them into an intimate and compelling tale. Just remember to stop and breathe as you turn the pages.”
—Janna Malamud Smith on A DOOR IN THE OCEAN
Read David McGlynn’s piece “In the #MeToo Era, Raising Boys to Be Good Guys” in The New York Times
Read Nicole & Rebecca Conquer Books‘ review of ONE DAY YOU’LL THANK ME
The Cap Times talks to David McGlynn about ONE DAY YOU’LL THANK ME
Listen to David McGlynn’s interview with WUWM 89.7 Milwaukee’s NPR
Watch David McGlynn discussing fatherhood and ONE DAY YOU’LL THANK ME on WFRV 5
Read the LA Review of Books‘ review of ONE DAY YOU’LL THANK ME
Listed on The Star‘s list of “Celebrate Father’s Day with some new reads dads will love”
Watch David McGlynn on Chicago’s WGN9 discussing fatherhood and ONE DAY YOU’LL THANK ME
Listen to David McGlynn’s interview on The Billy and Wendy Show on WGN-Radio
Watch David McGlynn’s interview on WISC-TV where he discusses ONE DAY YOU’LL THANK ME
David McGlynn is the author of the memoir, A Door in the Ocean, and the story collection, The End of the Straight and Narrow, both published by Counterpoint. A Door in the Ocean was reviewed by Maureen Corrigan on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross in 2012 and The End of the Straight and Narrow won the 2008 Utah Book Award for Fiction. Recent work – including work from One Day You’ll Thank Me – has appeared in The New York Times, Men’s Health, O, the Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Parents, and elsewhere. Three of his essays have been named Notable Essays in the Best American Essays anthology and another, “Rough Water,” appeared in Best American Sports Writing in 2009. He teaches at Lawrence University in Wisconsin.