“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers.” Malachi 4:6-7 (New King James Version)
One just has to watch some of the popular shows of today to see how the world views fatherhood. Think of The #@$% my Dad says, Family Guy, American Dad, or the Simpsons to only name a few. For probably the past 30 years or more media, pop culture, and so the so called women’s liberation have sought to portray all men as vile predators always seeking their next pound of flesh. Instead of standing up to this assault men have either accepted it, and began living in this lie; or they have simply lain down, and faded into the background.
This started out impacting the African-American population especially and continues to lead to an increase in the number of single mothers raising their own children. When even “authentic black men[1]”, such as Bill Cosby, address this issue, they are vilified and chided by the likes of Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton. These men who have made something of themselves are then called Uncle Tom’s or told that they have become rich black men who have lost touch with their own race. It hasn’t only impacted Blacks though; it now is impacting Hispanics, Whites, and even Asians.
I have been following this trend even prior to becoming an adult, and now as a father of 5 and a husband, who is thankfully been married to his beautiful bride for almost 10 and a half years, I’m even more aware of the attack on men and especially on fathers. It is for this reason that I was so pleased to see a publisher releasing a book called What A Son Needs From His Dad for review. Written by Dr. Michael O’Donnell this book was certainly worth the read.
Over the past couple of months it really seems like I have began to read a lot more books that deal with men in general or fathers specifically. Lately I’ve read Every Single Man’s Battle, Family Shepherd, What A Son Needs From His Dad, and here shortly, Man Alive. This was not by intention of course, but seems to be a major topic of discussion in movies and books today. Now I’ll return to my focus of today’s post.
What A Son Needs From His Dad was a great book to read, and one that really challenged me directly. In fact a few weeks ago I posted a blog called “A Dad Who Has Forgotten How to Play” as a result of reading over this book. When I first got this book I thought it would be a simple read, something I would read quickly and post just a short review on. As has been happening a lot lately I was way off on that forecast. I ended up reading over a chapter, and then often times I found myself rereading a chapter just to see if I missed something.
At just over 137 pages, this book is truly an easy read for almost any level of reader. Are you like me, a dad who has forgotten to play? Well then my recommendation to you would be to jump right to chapter 5, “All Work and No Play.” Are you a dad fearful of that birds and bees conversation? Well, chapter 9 if for you. Basically what I’m saying is depending on where you are at in your life as a father, I think that there is a chapter in this book for you.
If you are part of a Men’s group and looking for a book to study, then this book provides that opportunity as well. With plenty of Scripture references throughout, Dr. O’Donnell gives men the tools they need to really begin to grow in their roles as father. Couple this with the fact that each chapter also has some discussion questions, this book would be worth looking at to get you looking at the importance of fathers.
This book deserves 5 out of 5 for readability and content. If you are looking for a book to help encourage you as fathers, take a look at What A Son Needs From His Dad by Dr. Michael O’Donnell found wherever good Christian books are sold.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
[1] Rev. Al Sharpton, while addressing, then Senator, Barack Obama for his lack of being down in the struggle during the Democrats Primary in 2008
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