The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir (Signed Book)

From comedian and Emmy-nominated producer, actor, and former Daily Show correspondent, a humorous and heart-filled memoir exploring the lessons and values he’s distilled from the unexpected figures who shaped his life after his father’s passing.

When Roy Wood, Jr. held his baby boy for the first time, he was relieved that his son was happy and healthy, but he felt a strange mix of joy and apprehension. Roy’s own father, a voice of the civil rights movement in Birmingham, Alabama, had passed away when Roy was 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 looked back to figure out who had taught him parenting lessons throughout his life, and what he could pass down to his son. Some of his father figures were clear, like a colorful man from Philadelphia navigating life after prison, who taught Roy th value of having a vision for his life, or his fellow comedians who showed him what it took to make it as a working stand-up performer. Others were less obvious, from the teenage friends who convinced him to race "leaf boats" carrying lit matches in the middle of a drought to a drug-addicted restaurant colleague who played hoops while Roy scoured dirty dishes to big names in Hollywood, like Trevor Noah and more.

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 more succesful outlet (hint: never ever try to outfox a single mom), how not to get caught snitching (hint: never snitch), and many others.

Thoughtful, observant, Roy delivers an unforgettable laugh-out-loud memoir that reveals that no one really knows how to become a good dad, and that sometimes the best advice comes from the most surprising teachers.