My Fat Dad - by Dawn Lerman (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the author of the New York Times Well Blog series, My Fat Dad

Every story and every memory from my childhood is attached to food...

Dawn Lerman spent her childhood constantly hungry. She craved good food as her father, 450 pounds at his heaviest, pursued endless fad diets, from Atkins to Pritikin to all sorts of freeze-dried, saccharin-laced concoctions, and insisted the family do the same--even though no one else was overweight. Dawn's mother, on the other hand, could barely be bothered to eat a can of tuna over the sink. She was too busy ferrying her other daughter to acting auditions and scolding Dawn for cleaning the house ("Whom are you trying to impress?").

It was chaotic and lonely, but Dawn had someone she could turn to: her grandmother Beauty. Those days spent with Beauty, learning to cook, breathing in the scents of fresh dill or sharing the comfort of a warm pot of chicken soup, made it all bearable. Even after Dawn's father took a prestigious ad job in New York City and moved the family away, Beauty would send a card from Chicago every week--with a recipe, a shopping list, and a twenty-dollar bill. She continued to cultivate Dawn's love of wholesome food, and ultimately taught her how to make her own way in the world--one recipe at a time.

In My Fat Dad, Dawn reflects on her colorful family and culinary-centric upbringing, and how food shaped her connection to her family, her Jewish heritage, and herself. Humorous and compassionate, this memoir is an ode to the incomparable satisfaction that comes with feeding the ones you love.

Review Quotes

"Dawn Lerman grew up Jewish in the 70's. I grew up Italian. Might sound different, but for the most part, it's the same. Especially when it comes to food. The philosophy was simple, food = love. My Fat Dad hilariously and poignantly captures that essence Whether you're Italian, Jewish, or anything else you can relate to how family, food, and the love of both affect how we grow up, and live our life. Mangia!"--Ray Romano, Emmy award-winning actor

"Everything you want in a book about food: Thoughtful, moving, funny and, of course, delicious (see the recipe on sweet potato latkes). Dawn reminds us that eating is about much more than protein and carbs and nutrients--it's about family, history and identity. Dawn's grandmother put it best: 'I can find my heritage in a bowl of soup.'"--A.J. Jacobs, journalist and New York Times bestselling author of Drop Dead Healthy

"Dawn Lerman takes the reader along on one of life's important journeys--to find true nourishment. Her discoveries about the powerful ways that food connects us to our families, our heritage, and ultimately to ourselves are profound and beautiful."--Andie Mitchell, New York Times bestselling author of It Was Me All Along

"A quasi-memoir cookbook that will have readers laughing, crying, and nodding all at the same time...Lerman is engaging."--Booklist

"Laced with love, family dramas, recipes, and the pangs of growing up, Lerman's memoir is a satisfying treat."--Kirkus Reviews

"Lerman herself reveals a novelist's sensibility for scene-setting and storytelling. She is a genuine sensualist in the best sense of the word...My Fat Dad is both a rich and evocative memoir and a fully functional cookbook, a reading experience that is pleasurable in itself, but also invites the reader into the kitchen again and again."--Jewish Journal

"This is a memoir that readers will find they can't put down, except maybe for a few minutes to gather ingredients to make some of the delicious-sounding recipes that Lerman generously includes."--Times Record News (Wichita Falls)

"A compelling and inherently fascinating read that will resonate with readers who have food relative family memories of their own...Very highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library American Biography collections."--Midwest Book Review

"Laced with humor, wit, and touch of sadness (as it is real life), the Lerman tale seems to overlaps bits of everyone's human journey."--Bay Area Family Travel

"Lerman is an astute story teller. When the last page was devoured, I felt as though I made a new friend."--Circle of Food

About the Author

Dawn Lerman is a board-certified nutrition expert and a contributor to The New York Times Well blog. Her company, Magnificent Mommies, provides nutrition education to students, teachers, and corporations. She lives in New York City with her two children, Dylan and Sofia.