Dad Interrupted
A Novel
by Van Whitfield

List Price: $12.95
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 0385508182
Publisher: Harlem Moon

Single guy Shawn Wayne has a problem . . . actually he has three problems:

(1) His girlfriend, a no-nonsense TV star named Dawn, expects the New Year's broadcast of her new BET talk show to produce a long-awaited proposal from Shawn.

(2) His "sort-of" ex-girlfriend, the shapely and seductive Troi, announces that she's pregnant and coming to be with Shawn in Washington, D.C.

(3) Shawn doesn't know if the baby is his, though he would never deny it, and now he must decide if he should tell Dawn about the baby. He simply can't afford to risk losing his one and only soul mate without first knowing he is, indeed, the father.

Shawn's embarrassing, nationally televised confession is the centerpiece of this much-anticipated follow-up to Van Whitfield's smash debut romantic comedy, Beeperless Remote. Taking an uncompromising and revealing look at the state of black fatherhood, this hilarious new novel includes the Official "Baby Mama" Checklist, the Why Men Are Lost Quotient, and the What It Takes to Be a Dad Inventory.

With Whitfield's trademarked witty, fast-paced style, Dad Interrupted brings back Donnie, the recovering crack addict who now works as a drug counselor; Kelly, whose crush on Shawn may finally be realized; and Shawn's lovable parents, who spin their special brand of wisdom from the great beyond. Everybody has a take on what Shawn should do and, more importantly, who he should do it with . . . Dawn or Troi.

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1. When Shawn learns of Troi's pregnancy, he is clearly upset. What go you feel is the key source of his concern? How does this compare with your experiences?

2. When Shawn learns of Troi's pregnancy, he is clearly upset. What go you feel is the key source of his concern? How does this compare with your experiences?

3. If your man informed you that his ex-girlfriend (as in the woman he dated before you) was pregnant, how would you handle it? Would you leave or stay?

4. If you started dating a man, and learned that you were pregnant from a previous partner, how do you think your new mate would handle it?

5. In Beeperless Remote and again in Dad Interrupted, Kelly is depicted as one of Shawn's closest friends. Are they attracted to each other? Would they survive as romantic interests?

6. When Troi gets to DC and arrives at Shawn's home, how could he have better handled the situation? Should he have immediately told her about Dawn?

7. When Troi informs Shawn that he is the father of her child, how should he have responded? Should he have accepted it and transitioned towards fatherhood? Should he have asked her about her expectations? Should he have insisted on a paternity test after the child was born before he committed to anything?

8. One of the key themes of Dad Interrupted is how men can be completely shut out of any input in an unplanned pregnancy ... have you ever experienced this from either side? Is it fair? What's the solution?

9. Why one of the Seven Types of Dads most closely resembles your father or any male role model your grew-up with? Which one reflects the father of your children or the father of someone close to you?

10. Which character in Dad Interrupted would you like to see in a sequel?

11. Who do you see playing the key characters in the film version of Dad Interrupted and why?

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