Wednesday, October 01, 2014

Book Review - Average Married Dad's Guide

Alex Peck of Average Married Dad fame has come out with his book "Average Married Dad's Guide to Health, Wealth, and a Sexy Marriage - for 30-40 Somethings."

I met Alex a while ago when he was working in my neck of the woods.  He was sport enough to meet with me and my friends at Mancini's for drinks and food.  Sure enough, like most people you've known over the internet and Manosphere for a while, he proved not to be a poser or a fraud, but the genuine article.  He's married, he's ripped, he's good looking, he's an engineer, and thus, there is no doubt in my mind he has the authority to author a guide book.

But before you think he's perfect or lucky, let's be clear about this book.  A lot of the advice comes from trial and error, a lot of error.  He wasn't born with good looks and physical strength.  He had to diet and exercise.  He didn't have the perfect marriage.  He had the marriage every man has with the equally poor tools and training to manage it.  And he wasn't the greatest father.  He learned on the job.  In the end what the man has is wisdom.  And he earned it the hard way - by stumbling through life like the rest of us.

Thankfully, as is per the theoretical "mission statement" of the Manosphere, his goal is to make your lives easier than his by getting the wisdom it took him until he was 40 to learn into your hands and brains in your 20's and 30's.  Even then, a man in his 40's with a wife and children could benefit from this book as it would only serve to make a marriage stronger and family better.  And thus arguably  one of the largest benefits of his book - it addresses an underserved group within the Manosphere - married/older men.

A huge (the largest complaint actually) of my books is that they are only beneficial for younger, single men who don't have children.  While I disagree with that, that is the reality.  However, where my or other men's books (Roosh, Rollo, etc.) fail, Alex's succeeds.  This book covers everything, especially topics such as marriage, children, being a father, and being a husband.  It covers child rearing, reigniting your passion in marriage, and does so in a clear and effective manner.

About the only complaint I have about the book isn't really a complaint as much as it is a trait of the book.  It's not opinionated or terribly political.  It's very much a literal guide/instruction manual.  Alex does not cause any controversy or challenge philosophical thought.  This tone of writing might come off as a bit sterile or cool, even dry, but he is not here to pioneer new lines of thought or fillet the latest absurdity of feminism.  He is here to help 30-40 something men with their lives through discipline, observations, experience, wisdom and failure.

I would strongly recommend this book to the underserved masses of men in the Manosphere who either are married, wish to get married, or don't immediately feel like tirading against the evils of women and marriage when the topic is brought up.  As I've said before your wife/partner and children are the most important people in your lives and are the single greatest source of happiness for you.  But if you botch it up, they will be the equally greatest source of pain, misery, and strife.

Ensure it is the first and not the latter.  Buy Alex's book before you marry.

2 comments:

Peregrine John said...

Sounds perfect for me. 'Course, I also got a lot out of yours and Rollo's, but that's because I'm an old fart and have wisdom enough by now to apply it appropriately. AMD, on the other hand, is right up my alley without adjustment, down to the straight-out, opinion-free advice.

Adam Lawson said...

As one of the married guys out here... I'm going to check it out.