The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir

When Roy Wood, Jr. held his baby boy for the first time, he was relieved that his son was happy and healthy but felt a strange mix of joy and apprehension. Roy's own father, a voice of the civil rights movement in Birmingham, Alabama, passed away when Roy was only sixteen. There were gaps in the lessons passed down from father to son, and when holding his own child, Roy wondered: had he managed to fill in those blanks, to learn the lessons he would one day need to teach his boy?

So Roy began what he dubbed the "Parental Audit," an exercise that helped him figure out not only his value system, but where he learned said values to pass down to his son.

Some of his father figures were obvious: early teachers who believed in him despite his antics, like somehow managing to start a brush fire at a local pond by racing "leaf boats" carrying lit matches in the middle of a drought (What could go wrong?). Others were less expected, from a colorful ex-con from Philly who Roy met while doing day labor to a drug-addicted former colleague who played hoops while Roy scoured dirty dishes, to big names in Hollywood like Trevor Noah and beyond.

In The Man of Many Fathers, Roy shares what he's learned with humor and heart, delivering the most memorable lessons, such as how to channel anger through a less self-destructive outlet (hint: never, ever try to outfox a single mom), how not to get caught snitching (hint: never snitch), and much more.

Thoughtful, observant, and laugh-out-loud funny, Roy delivers an unforgettable comedic memoir that reveals that no one really knows how to become a good dad, and that sometimes life's best advice has the most unexpected teachers.