Modern manhood is confusing and complicated, but Joey Franklin, a thirtysomething father of three, is determined to make the best of it. In My Wife Wants You to Know I’m Happily Married, he offers frank, self-deprecating meditations on everything from male-pattern baldness and the balm of blues harmonica to grand theft auto and the staying power of first kisses. He riffs on cockroaches, hockey, romance novels, Boy Scout hikes, and the challenge of parenting a child through high-stakes Texas T-ball.
With honesty and wit, Franklin explores what it takes to raise three boys, succeed in a relationship, and survive as a modern man. My Wife Wants You to Know I’m Happily Married is an uplifting rumination on learning from the past and living for the present, a hopeful take on being a man without being a menace to society.
Access free teaching resourcesTrade Review"A candid, subtly profound collection."
—Kirkus"Franklin's essays are just deep enough not to be trivial, just light-hearted enough not to be heavy, and readable enough not to be dull. Highly recommended!"
—Reading Glutton"With humor and honesty, Franklin draws wisdom from a variety of experiences in his first collection of personal essays."
—Library Journal"As a title,
My Wife Wants You to Know I'm Happily Married has the hollow ring of a bumper sticker or T-shirt. Luckily, the contents promise a much stronger, deeper resonance with thoughtful readers who may see themselves reflected in Franklin's often universally recognizable stories about childhood, children, growing up and adulthood."
—Rob LeFebvre,
Shelf Awareness"Franklin comes across as an affable and reflective person, and I have a hard time imagining that there are people out there who might not like this book."
—William Bradley,
Brevity"Much more than a collection of musings on marriage. It's an exploration between writer and reader, who themselves are forced to feel one another out, hopeful for a happily ever after."
—Charlotte Kupsh,
Pleiades Book Review“Compassionate, clear-headed, reliable, and funny. If a book could be the best man at my wedding, I’d choose this one.”—Dinty W. Moore, author of
Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
The Lifespan of a Kiss
Working at Wendy’s
Grand Theft Auto: Athens, Ohio, Edition
In Their Ears and on Their Tongues
Climbing Shingle Mill Peak
How to Be a T-Ball Parent
The Swing Is Gone
On Haptics, Hyperrealism, and My Father’s Year in Prison
Call Me Joey
Little More Than Strangers
My Hair Piece
Houseguest
Language Lust
My Wife Wants You to Know I’m Happily Married
Notes
