On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with Bay Area author Adam Mansbach to discuss his new book, Go the F to College, the sequel to his bestselling parenting satire Go the F to Sleep. Mansbach, known for books like Angry Black White Boy, The Golem of Brooklyn, Rage Is Back, and his screenplay for the Netflix film Barry, returned to HKR for a funny, reflective, and surprisingly tender conversation about parenting, politics, and watching children grow up.
Davey opened by recalling a personal memory from years ago, when Mansbach struggled for more than an hour to get his young daughter Viv to sleep. Mansbach explained that those exhausting nights, filled with love, frustration, and parental helplessness, helped inspire Go the F to Sleep. Now, 15 years later, Viv is 18, graduating from Oakland School for the Arts, and preparing to attend Bard College.
The conversation moved beyond humor into deeper reflections on parenting. Mansbach described Go the F to College as less angry and more emotional than the first book. It is about the complicated feelings parents face when their children leave home. He talked about wanting to offer last minute lessons, while also recognizing that no one enters adulthood fully prepared.
Davey and Mansbach also explored how today’s young people are navigating a world shaped by COVID, political instability, disinformation, social media, and rising uncertainty. Mansbach stressed the importance of media literacy, noting how difficult it is for young people to know where reliable information comes from in an age of podcasts, TikTok, deepfakes, and AI generated content.
A key theme was the changing meaning of college. Mansbach made clear that Go the F to College is not an endorsement of a broken higher education system. Instead, it reflects the emotional reality of sending a child into the world. He emphasized that a college name should not define a person, and that young people need to know they are loved beyond achievements, status, or credentials.
The interview closed with Mansbach highlighting community, Bay Area values, activism, and mutual aid as essential tools for the next generation. He also revealed that Ted Danson narrates the audiobook, following past celebrity readers Samuel L. Jackson, Bryan Cranston, and Larry David.
At its heart, the conversation was about love, letting go, and preparing young people to face an uncertain world with humor, honesty, and community.
