Son, father, and grandfather ()
Father’s Day is just around the corner. It seemed fitting to highlight books all about fathers and father figures in our lives.
“One Last Thing Before I Go” by Jonathan Tropper (Comedy) (Fiction) (2012)
Failed rockstar turned wedding band performer, Drew Silver, is given a less-than-desired medical diagnosis and instead of seeking treatment decides to fix a few things in this life before going on to the next. The top of his list? Repairing the relationship with his daughter Casey who has just told him she is pregnant “because Silver is the one she cares least about letting down.”
“Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance” by Barack Obama (Non-Fiction Memoir) (1995)
Before he was president of the U.S., Obama was a mixed-race child being raised by his white mother in Hawaii with his father being mostly absent. When his father suddenly dies, Obama goes on a journey of learning all about his father and his father’s family in Kenya.
“A Paper Hug” by Stephanie Skolmoski and Anneliese Bennion (Illustrator) (Children’s Book) (2006)
Of course, we can’t talk fathers without talking about military fathers. This is a story about a little boy who wants to figure out the best gift for his dad who is away serving his country. He decides the best gift is a paper hug.
“Dad's Maybe Book” by Tim O'Brien (Reflective Non-Fiction) (2019)
Most famous for his short story collection “The Things They Carried,” O’Brien, a man in his seventies with children in their teen years, worries he may not live to see them grow into men. He spends fifteen years writing notes to his children as if they were adults for them to have later in life and shares them with the reading audience.
“The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls (Non-Fiction Memoir) (2005)
In this memoir, Walls talks about her complicated relationship with her parents. This includes her father who suffered from alcohol addiction and was “dishonest” and “destructive” when drunk. However, when he was sober, Walls recalls how he was “charismatic” and “captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly.”
“The Controller” by Matt Brolly (Fiction) (Thriller) (Mystery) (2019)
Former FBI agent Sam Lynch’s son, Daniel, disappears. Lynch’s marriage crumbles because of the disappearance and Lynch’s obsession with finding his son and inability to move on. Lynch receives a tip that “The Railroad” may have been involved with Daniel’s disappearance and that Daniel is still alive. Can you solve the mystery before the end of the book?
“Dad Jokes: Over 600 of the Best (Worst) Jokes Around” by Jimmy Niro (Joke Compilation) (2018)
Everyone loves a good “dad” joke. Now you have hundreds on-hand to make anyone laugh, such as “I used to hate facial hair, but then it started growing on me,” “I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down!” and “What's the hardest thing about learning to ride a bicycle? The road.”
“And Tango Makes Three” by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell and Henry Cole (Illustrator) (Children’s Book) (2005)
Two male penguins in the Central Park Zoo decided to build a nest together and raise baby penguin Tango. This book is aimed at children 4-8, but the entire family will love the story of not one, but TWO daddies.
“Les Misérables” by Victor Hugo (Classic) (Fiction) (1862)
Jean Valjean serves a long prison sentence for stealing a loaf of bread and then recreates his life as a member of high society, including taking in orphan, Cosette. He also spends the rest of his life looking over his shoulder because police detective, Javert, is constantly on the hunt for Valjean. On top of all this, the French Revolution is going on.
