Diary of a Jackwagon by Tim Hawkins and John Driver

Popular Christian comedian Tim Hawkins shares his hilarious perspective on life in the 21st century.

In this wide-ranging, long-awaited book, comedian Tim Hawkins holds forth on everything from family, culture, and music to church, parenting, and education. Readers will enjoy laughing their way through the book, always feeling good about the clean and sometimes inspiring material they are laughing at. Chapters include riffs on marital communication ("marriage needs a challenge flag, like in pro football") aging ("the diabolical orifice witch hunt"), worship music ("pick the right key, because I'm not Barry White and I'm not a Bee Gee"), and fatherhood ("There are no manuals for parenting. Color-coded warning labels or open-ended prescriptions would be just as helpful.")

For fans of Jim Gaffigan's Dad Is Fat and Food: A Love Story, Tim Hawkins' hilarious first book reveals that for life's many difficulties, laughter is the best medicine-when there aren't any pills left.

My review:
   I have watched Tim Hawkin's DVDs and YouTube videos, and I know he is a funny guy. When I saw he had a book coming up and I could review it, I snagged a copy as soon as it came available. I was curious how he would do in a book as opposed to speaking on stage, but he knocked it out of the park. LOL is a popular abbreviation for "laugh out loud" used in texting and social networks.... well, I literally "LOL'd" as I read through the book. Hawkin's brand of humor comes through just as well in the book as on video.

  He covers marriage, kids, worship music and styles, and denominations in the book. There is no sacred cow that he doesn't bring out and make a joke about it, and it works for him. And spread throughout the humor are mini messages about how we should treat others, how we should live as to be a good witness.... even when driving our cars.

  If you have never watched Tim, you should. It is different than reading his humor, but I would still recommend the book. It will have you in stitches, I guarantee.

About the author:

Since giving up his job as a grocery truck driver in 2002, Tim Hawkins has been forging the magical blend between two comedic ideals: A genuinely funny comedy show that caters to the entire family. Is it realistic? Hawkins believes so. With over 100 million views on YouTube, 120+ sold out shows every year, and a motley crew of 200K+ Facebook fans, Tim has started a gut-busting grassroots revolution of multi-generational proportions. But what's so special about this St. Louis native who is most notorious for his wretched cow impersonations? 

Some would say it is his equally gifted and twisted approach to the medium. A self-taught guitarist, Hawkins will go note-for-note on everything from Skynyrd to Bon Jovi to Prince, while dishing out flawless vocal imitations of Bono, Jason Aldean, and John Mayer... all within mere minutes. His stand-up material is vigorous, well-timed, and honed to perfection. However, the connection he makes with his fans goes deeper than that: "If you can't laugh at yourself, laugh at other people."* It is this ability to show the brokenness of our human nature and simultaneously marvel in its hilarity which makes Tim such a unique artist.

With four munchkins of his own and a beautiful wife who is winning her battle with breast cancer, Hawkins develops new material daily by simply absorbing the world around him. The perils of marriage, parenting, and homeschooling may not exemplify the rock-star life, but they sure make for great comedy. And as Tim would tell you himself, "It's not like I have choice. Comedy is my only life skill.

Diary of a Jackwagon is available from Thomas Nelson Publishing.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for the review copy.