Endorsements & Reviews for Sugar Milk
On one hand, Sugar Milk
is a series of funny stories; I laughed aloud every three pages or so. But underneath the jokes, Ron Mattocks has a serious story to tell about men and fathers in transition, trying to hold their spirits and families together in an economy and society that is shifting under their feet.
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Jeremy Adam Smith, editor of
Shareable and author of
The Daddy Shift: How-Stay-at-Home Dads, Breadwinning Moms, and Shared Parenting Are Transforming the American Family
Sugar Milk
captures the real American Man and family of 2010, and it does with honesty and humor not found in the stick figure portrayals so prevalent in popular culture. As men across the country struggle to balance work and family, divorce and remarriage, kids and step-kids, love and just getting by, they need this book to reassure them that they are not crazy or unique. They are actually just like Ron Mattocks and just like me and just like just about every guy I know.
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Tom Matlack, Founder, THE GOOD MEN PROJECT
On the surface, Ron Mattocks seemed like any other successful, ambitious corporate layer. But a series of professional and personal developments transformed this one-time award-winning sales exec into a stay at home dad—one who relentlessly pursued his dream of becoming a writer. This just in...it's no longer a dream. Anyone who reads Sugar Milk will quickly realize that Mattocks is a writer—one who is blessed with an intelligent brand of humor as well as an uncanny ability to turn a phrase. His impressive debut effort will keep his readers laughing from cover to cover as they quickly devour his collection of stories which define him far better than any six-figure job ever could.
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John Cave Osborne, author of
Tales From the Trips: How Three Babies Turned Our World Upside-Down
In Sugar Milk,
Ron Mattocks shares both his story and his soul with great wit and engaging honesty. I laughed and nodded with each well-told personal adventure, tribulation, and self-revelation. Already a popular blogger, Mattocks paints a realistic picture of a man's life in transition, a "rocket-ship journey" in which "you realize the control panel cannot be hard-wired to turn around." Yet, he concludes--rightly--that "what did matter was that I was right there for my children whenever they needed me." Thanks, Ron, for bringing us along for the ride.
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Joel Schwartzberg, Essayist & Author of
The 40-Year-Old Version: Humoirs of a Divorced Dad
...I soaked in every nuance, tidbit of snark, ache of depression and isolation and true view inside the word of a newly entrenched stay at home dad’s trial by fire. Certainly not a Mr. Mom (I hate that reference to SAHD’s) and far from lazy, Ron shows that dads are NOT the bumbling idiots that media often portrays... Rather, he shows that dads (despite their lack of a mothering gene) are more than capable parents in solo. Willing to offer the same compassion and consolation to their offspring’s hurts. And that the sterotypical man at home in boxers, stuffing pizza and swilling beer is far from reality.
A charming story of how life can radically change but one can still retain their happiness and industriousness, Sugar Milk
is quite the read for anyone who is the parent left at home.
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Midwest Book Review
Mattocks is the family man's version of David Sedaris- achingly funny in small moments and large.
Sugar Milk-What One Dad Drinks When He Can’t Afford Vodka
is a must read for any parent that can appreciate the humor in this crazy ride we are all on called parenthood. Ron invites you into his world in an often self-deprecating but always hysterical way that, let’s face it, we all can relate to.
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Dana Donovan, Editor of
Houston Family Magazine
Mattocks's writing has a very readable style and tells his story with humor and clarity, despite the way his life tumbles around as he is living it.
It’s the humor that makes you want to turn the page to get to the next chapter and see where in the hell is this possibly going. Turns out that Mr. Mattocks is a funny guy and the book flies by faster than you thought it would. Pretty soon you are out of stories and that’s kind of sad...
Sugar Milk is a book that many dads will love and identify with. Ron Mattocks has an engaging and entertaining writing style that will keep you laughing and get you thinking about life as a father and about the curve balls that life seems to throw at us.
Ron will have you laughing hysterically as you envision the scenes of his dating experiences after his first marriage, employment and unemployment, step-parenting, and 2nd marriage in his book...
- The Book Faery Reviews
I’ve also never read such an open account of it from someone who isn’t afraid to admit his faults and lay himself out for public admonishment or accolades, whichever the truth dictates. Ron’s honesty in his adventures is what I like. It’s not exciting fiction or earth shattering revelations. It’s a guy talking honestly about the struggles of a unique family life and the transition from big shot money maker to a job that is almost universally disparaged by people who have never done it, domestic engineer. The secret to happiness is a road observantly traveled.
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Keith Wilcox, creator and writer of
Almighty Dad
I found this book to be hilarious and personal. The reader is drawn into the stories and can see how caring Ron is and how his new role as a stay at home dad has transformed him. I truly believe that if you are like me you will find yourself laughing on the floor at points in this book, as well as not wanting to put the book down until the very end.
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Christopher Lewis,
Book Dads review
What I did see in this book ...was a story of a transformation. Through those funny stories, we see a man who faces the personal crisis of losing his job (and along with it, his status, his money, and a part of his self-identity), and comes out by doing what is right for himself, for his wife, and for his step-daughters.
I really can't say enough about this book. I tore through it cover to cover devouring each word. It is funny, thought provoking, heart wrenching and heart felt. What more could I ask for in a memoir penned by one of my favorite bloggers.
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Kat Williamson, creator of
3 Bedroom Bungalow to Let in Crazytown
Pick this book up for it’s funny stories, pick it up for it’s moving portrayal of parenting when your divorced and remarried, or pick it up for the creative ways that dads do things just a bit differently when they are at home. Whatever your reason you will be glad you picked this book up.
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James Rohl, creator of
Stay-At-Home Dad PDX
This story paints a sympathetic picture of a man who has seen the highest highs and lowest lows… Readers are likely to recognize a familiar voice and find that as they proceed through the story they are laughing through their own tears… Readers will likely identify with [Ron] and his ups and downs. The many stories that make up this book are unified by the idea that everyone must make a decision on how he or she wants to proceed with their life, and [Ron] captures that idea from the start.
-Publisher’s Editorial Review
