James Patterson:
Well, it is. It is.
Let me start here. My only memory of hugging my father was on his deathbed. And he apologized to me, and he cried, which he never did. And I told him that he was a great dad. But the way a lot of fathers were in that period, they — hugging was not a thing.
And somewhere along the way, I was at a friend’s house. He’s a teacher and my — his wife were a teacher. We were having dinner. And their two boys, both football players, high school football players. And after dinner, they’re walking out the door. And my friend said: “Come back, come back, come back. And they had to give him a hug.”
And that became — that hugging thing became a model for me. And our son, Jack, every time we see him, it’s hugs. And growing up, it was hugs, hugs, hugs.
What this is about, and the title is how to be the best dad you can be in one hour. And the reason for that is that, for a lot of guys, they will not read the 400-page book. They just won’t. So this is very practical about it. And how many things can you do — one hour, you will be a better tennis player.
This is where this thing gets serious and why it’s important. There are so many guys out there that are lost and overwhelmed, and they’re no longer the breadwinners or whatever the heck it is. And this will help them. It will help. Anybody who reads this thing, you will become a better dad, not a perfect dad, just better.
