Ever been on a diet? Love to eat? Love to cook?
Then join the the Gotham Book Club for our next feature:

MY FAT DAD

by Dawn Lerman
at our next discussion on
Wednesday November 18th at 1 p.m.

My Fat Dad is the touching story of a daughter and her memories of growing up with an overweight, but brilliant Dad. The story unfolds in loving details focusing on how much food is interwoven into our lives. As a bonus each chapter ends with the recipes that are central to that chapter.

Click here for discussion and/or leave your questions for the author.

More about My Fat Dad:

"Every story and every memory from my childhood is attached to food…” says Lerman

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.

Reviews:
“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 Dadhilariously 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

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.