BENCHWARMER An Anxious Dad's Almanac of Fatherhood and Other Failures

The author's introspective look at his attempts to navigate fatherhood uses sports as a sort of parallel universe. Chris Lutkin immerses himself in the role, narrating with self-aware gravitas. It's a heavy tone, to be sure, but appropriate for Wilker's reflections. Lutkin deftly expresses Wilker's passion for sports, which comes across almost as strongly as the author's desire to remember, and often cherish, moments in sports history, grandiose or mundane. Lutkin's vocal presence yields a comforting storyteller's approach that is worthy of a well-written memoir about a dad learning to be a dad. M.B. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2015]