# I Will Do Better: A Father's Memoir of Heartbreak, Parenting, and Love - Hardcover

by **Charles Bock** (Author)

**By turns comical and heartbreaking, _I Will Do Better_ is the remarkable journey of two defiant and wounded people, and their personal growth in the name of love.**

**Named one of the Best Books of Fall by Oprah Daily and _People_**

**"A uniquely forthright and powerful addition to the literature of fatherhood." _(Kirkus)_**

The novelist Charles Bock was a reluctant parent, tagging along for the ride of fatherhood, obsessed primarily with his dream of a writing career.

But when his daughter Lily was six months old, his wife, Diana, was diagnosed with a complex form of leukemia. Two and half years later, when all treatments and therapies had been exhausted, Bock found himself a widower--devastated, drowning in medical bills, and saddled with a daunting responsibility. He had to nurture Lily, and, somehow, maybe even heal himself.

_I Will Do Better_ is Charles's pull-no-punches account of what happened next. Playdates, music classes, temper tantrums, oh-so-cool babysitters, first days at school, family reunions, single-parent dating, and a citywide crippling natural disaster--were minefields especially treacherous for Charles and Lily because of their preexisting vulnerability: their grief.

Charles sought help from friends, family, and therapists, but this overgrown, middle-aged boy-man and his plucky child became, foremost, a duo--they found their way together.

This frank and tender memoir of parenting his infant daughter in the wake of of his wife's untimely death is "bracingly honest \[and\] tender," commented _Publshers Weekly_. "Single parents will find much to identify with in this warts-and-all account."

### Author Biography

**Charles Bock** is the _New York Times_ bestselling author of the novels _Beautiful Children_ and _Alice & Oliver_, and a creative writing professor at New York University. The father of two daughters, he lives in New York City.

**Number of Pages:** 208

**Dimensions:** 0.9 x 8.5 x 5.7 IN

**Publication Date:** October 01, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 26.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 26.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- I Will Do Better: A Father's Memoir of Heartbreak, Parenting, and Love - Hardcover

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