Book review – Twins: A Survival Guide for Dads by Johnny Pearce

I’ve been lucky enough to see a preview copy of a new book on the subject of twins written by a friend of mine. Twins: A Survival Guide for Dads  was written by Johnny Pearce, a father of one year old twin boys. There aren’t that many books on the market about twins and – don’t quote me on this – but this may be the only one that tackles the subject entirely from the dad’s perspective.

I was intrigued how different Johnny’s approach might be. Anyone following me on Twitter knows I’m also writing a book about multiples, so I’m always keen to see new books on the subject. No matter how many twin books I read, I’m amazed how a body can produce more than one baby, and I still shudder to think about the exhaustion I felt during the early weeks of motherhood and the terror I felt as I got to grips feeding, changing and entertaining two babies at once. Reading up before the babies arrive can really help you feel prepared.

Anyway, back to the book…

Johnny’s style of writing was warm and witty and, most importantly, it didn’t exclude me even though it’s aimed at the dads. I found myself chuckling along at his jokes and bad diagrams (that actually aren’t as bad as he thinks!) He’s managed to make a heavy subject into an easy read and made the journey sound a lot less scary.

I know my husband would have appreciated this book when we were expecting the boys. He has what Johnny refers to as ‘attention deficit’, like most men (sorry to any men reading this but it’s true!), so this book would have been great. It’s written in bite sized chunks so he could read a few pages and then wander off to look at something shiny on eBay. It’s also loaded with interesting facts and statistics perfect for dads to spout off down the pub to impress their mates.

With sections on all aspects of pregnancy, birth, the first few years and beyond, it’s a comprehensive overview of everything your partner needs to know about expecting twins, and even some things he wouldn’t have thought to ask. And to top it off, Husband even contributed to the book by suggesting his top five useful items for newborns.

If you’re expecting twins then I recommend you get this for your partner as it will help to include him in the pregnancy. But be warned: it won’t be long before you’re stealing it to read yourself.

The Kindle (£5.96) and paperback (£8.99) editions of Twins: A Survival Guide for Dads are available now from Amazon.