Charles Bock is honest from the beginning of his new memoir, “I Will Do Better”: He never wanted to be a dad. He was much more interested in pursuing his literary dreams than shepherding a child to adulthood.

But his wife really wanted a baby. And he didn’t think it would be right to tell her no.

“In the book, I say: She wants to be a mom? OK. Let her. I’ll continue with my ambitions. On weekends, I’ll put on the Baby Bjorn, tell friends ‘we’re parenting,’ using that plural. That’s what I thought I was going to do. I was going to put in my time, let [my wife] handle the heavy lifting.”

But then Diana, Bock’s wife, was diagnosed with an advanced form of leukemia when Lily was just six months old. She died a few days before Lily’s third birthday. Bock had to step up.

As he tells Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas, his new memoir “is about the emotional and physical journey, of this little girl with no mom who wants to go to the ball, and I have to grow up and be man enough to take her and handle it.”

It’s a conversation about parenting, about heartbreak, about maturing — and ultimately, about love.

Guest:

• Charles Bock is the author of several books, including “Beautiful Children” and “Alice & Oliver.” His new memoir is “I Will Do Better.”

Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, RSS or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.