DEAR DAD: Letters from an Adult Child

by Louie Anderson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 1989

A Tonight Show's regularly reappearing stand-up comic, Anderson here drops the yoks for gentle epiphanies upon family life scarred by alcoholism. In Minneapolis, Anderson had ten brothers and sisters, a drunken father, and an enabling mother who, despite bruises and constant abuse, still maintains that her life with Anderson's dad was a winner. Not so to Anderson, who takes Dad to task in a series of letters (Dad is dead) written on the road. Anderson blames Dad--and Mom as well--for his longtime nonbattle with fat, since Anderson used food as a narcotic against the horrors of family life. He cannot remember a happy time with Dad, who, by the time Anderson came along, was a confirmed alcoholic. Dad began wooing Mom while he was a trumpet player on the road. He recorded ""Stardust"" with the great Hoagy Carmichael himself (the song's composer), but wound up switching trains on the railroad or on welfare--in one two-year period welfare found him 37 jobs, since Dad would lose interest after a day's work. He much preferred a quart of dollar-wine followed by a case of beer every evening. Meanwhile, Anderson never received any warmth from either parent, since Mom was always defending Dad. Many episodes of Dad's disasters are recalled, such as drunk driving in midwinter with two of his sons in the car, his evasions for getting booze, and so on. Toward the end, illness sobered him. Anderson videotaped family members for this book, found they all defended Dad and blamed themselves for his drinking. Louie later joined Adult Children of Alcoholics and entered therapy. Confronting the dead, without jokes. Low-key but effective and should find many identifying readers.

Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1989

ISBN: 0140148450

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1989

Categories: NONFICTION