The Joy of Fatherhood: The First Twelve Months Expanded 2nd Edition

The Joy of Sex may have landed you here, but The Joy of Fatherhood is something else entirely. This well-indexed guide to a baby's first year walks fathers through everything from taking a child's temperature to processing complicated emotions with their (exhausted) partners. Written by Marcus Jacob Goldman, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, the book efficiently addresses nuts-and-bolts concerns such as bathing, diapering, feeding, and child-proofing. These topics are the mainstay of the "what to expect" genre, but Goldman's manual is distinctive when focusing on Dad's own feelings and development during this exciting year. He is particularly smart about how to invite pals into a new, baby-centric life: "Teach them how to hold your baby," he advises. "Get them acquainted with your new life by involving them in it." If there is a flaw, it's that Goldman consistently assumes Mom is the primary caregiver, which will probably put off some full-time dads. On the other hand, the book abounds in personal testimonies, so most fathers are bound to find a voice that reminds them of their own. And with regular features like "What Is Your Baby's Day Like," which offers concrete, unbiased information that makes for fun reading, this book will be a valuable resource for new dads with lots of questions. --Kathi Inman Berens