In his enlightening Raising Raffi: The First Five Years (6 hours), journalist, translator, professor and novelist Keith Gessen shares how he’s been affected and changed by the process of raising his son. He discusses how his expectations of parenting have compared to the reality, evaluates the evolution of parenting literature and reflects on being a Russian immigrant. Thematic chapters make the book easy to read in installments. In one of the longest and most poignant sections, Gessen’s “bear dad” engages with the “tiger mom” phenomenon.
Gessen reads his own audiobook, bringing candor and self-awareness to the performance. His New York accent is punchy and quick when conveying the pressures placed on contemporary fathers. Ultimately, he brings a sense of reassurance to his book, which charts a new approach to fatherhood with clarity, humor and pathos.
