Talking Volumes: Tim O’Brien on ‘Dad’s Maybe Book’

Award-winning novelist Tim O'Brien came to fatherhood later in life and decided when his boys were young to start writing to them. He wrote to his sons as if they were adults - sharing bits of advice, lessons he learned in wartime and what it means to be a man in a culture of toxic masculinity. The finished result is "Dad's Maybe Book," a funny, tender and endearing volume of wisdom about the challenges and rewards of being a father to boys.

O'Brien, a Minnesota native, appeared on stage at the Parkway in October for a sold-out evening of Talking Volumes. On the next MPR News with Kerri Miller, we’ll air a portion of that conversation – including why O’Brien think it’s vital that boys are told they can say “I don’t know” and why he doesn’t think audiobooks can replace physical books.