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The Dad Diaries
Because Real Risks Are Worth Taking
His partner left. The first transfer failed. He was 38, newly single, and completely committed to becoming a father anyway.
Five embryo transfers. A surrogate in Kenya. Two daughters he had to fight — alone — to bring home.
“Some dreams are worth whatever it takes to make them real.
Even if ‘whatever it takes’ means doing it completely,
utterly, stubbornly alone.”
Joseph Tito
The Dad Diaries: Because Real Risks Are Worth Taking
He lost his partner.
He kept going anyway.
Especially because of it.
The first transfer failed. His partner left. He was 38, newly single, and staring at a city covered in snow thinking: this should feel like rock bottom.
It felt like the beginning.
Five embryo transfers. Three years. A surrogate in Mombasa, Kenya — 27 hours from home, completely out of his control. Two daughters he had to fight through paperwork, DNA tests, and embassy visits to bring back to Canada.
Not because it was brave. Because stopping wasn't something he could imagine.
You'll know within the first page.
Not the advice column. Not the inspirational post. The raw, lived account of what it actually takes — and what it costs.
Parents who feel overwhelmed
You love your kids and still feel like you're barely holding it together. You'll know within the first page. This is the honest version — not the highlight reel.
People exploring non-traditional families
Considering surrogacy, adoption, or any path that doesn't follow the script? This is the account you couldn't find anywhere else — costs, grief, legal battles, and what kept him going.
Anyone who's done something alone they weren't supposed to
Gay, straight, single, partnered — if you've ever looked at your life and thought 'this wasn't the plan' and kept going anyway, this story is yours.
Parents who fought to get here
If becoming a parent cost you something — emotionally, financially, physically — you'll recognize yourself on every page. The self-doubt. The stubborn refusal to stop. The moment it finally worked.
This isn't a success story.
It's a survival story.
Joseph didn't write this book because everything went smoothly. He wrote it because it didn't — and because he couldn't find a single honest account of what this journey actually felt like from the inside.
So he wrote the one he needed.
Not one. Not two. Five. Each one its own grief. After the fourth failed, he called his clinic and said: one more time.
The first transfer failed and his relationship ended the same week. He wrote: 'I can't NOT pursue this, even if it means doing it completely, utterly, stubbornly alone.' Then he did.
His surrogate was in Mombasa, Kenya. He was in Toronto. No control. Just waiting, hoping, and trusting a process happening on the other side of the world.
Fourteen days of pure, undiluted uncertainty. Suspended between possibility and devastation. He called it 'its own special circle of hell.' He survived it five times.
As Featured In
This story was originally featured in Newsweek, highlighting Joseph Tito's journey to fatherhood.
Four chapters. Every fear, every failure, every moment that made it worth it.
Every fear, every failure, every moment that made it worth it.
The Decision
A single gay man decides to become a father — against every odd, every doubt, and every well-meaning person who said 'are you sure?'
The Surrogacy Journey
Egg donors, embryo transfers, legal battles. Four failures. Two years. One dream that refused to die.
The Arrival
Two tiny humans arrive. The NICU days, the first night alone, and the terrifying realization that this is real.
The Aftermath
What happens after the fairy tale. The loneliness, the identity crisis, the burnout — and the love that makes it all worth it.
Parents couldn't stop talking about it
“I read this in one sitting. Cried twice. Texted my partner 'you need to read this.' It's the parenting story I didn't know I needed.”
Sarah M.
Mom of 2 · Toronto
“Joseph doesn't sugarcoat anything. This is what it actually feels like to want something this badly and refuse to stop.”
David K.
Dad · New York
“The most honest book about fatherhood I've ever read. And the most honest book about what it means to choose your family.”
Marcus T.
Gay Dad · Chicago
Get the version that actually means something
Standard pre-order, signed copy, or the two-book bundle. Every option gets you the story.
The Book
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Personally signed copy of The Dad Diaries with optional personalized inscription.
- Hand-signed by Joseph Tito
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The Two-Book Bundle
$64.99
Signed memoir plus Random Thoughts, both hand-signed with optional personalized inscription.
- Signed copy of The Dad Diaries
- Signed copy of Random Thoughts
- Optional personalized inscription
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- Ships after release
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He couldn't NOT pursue it.
That's the whole story.
Pre-order The Dad Diaries memoir and be among the first to read the full story. Signed copies are limited — early supporters only.
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