Books for Father's Day

As this is the week leading into Father’s Day, it finds us reflecting on our own relationships with our dads. Many people have written about their special relationships with their fathers, and we are recommending some of the following books on fathers and fatherhood. We have a display on the second floor of many of our non-fiction books about fatherhood. Here are a few of them:

Big Russ and Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life, by Tim Russert

In Big Russ and Me, Russert writes about his relationship with his father, including remembrances of many lessons he learned at his side. He followed that book with Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons. This book is a compilation of the many letters that Russert received after he wrote Big Russ. Many of his readers wanted to express their feelings about their own dads. It has all the elements: some stories that are funny, some sad, all very touching.


Fatherneed: Why Father Care is as Essential as Mother Care for Your Child, by Kyle D. Pruett
Dr. Pruett has researched for more than two decades about the importance of the father bond for all children. He has a family psychiatry practice in addition to his work at the Yale Child Study Center. Long-term study findings serve as the basis for this book, which can serve a how-to manual for ensuring that the father/child relationship helps the child develop into a self-assured, balanced adult.



The Treehouse: Eccentric Wisdom from My Father on How to Live, Love, and See, by Naomi Wolf
The bestselling author talks about her father’s teachings while they work on a treehouse for her daughter. Her father is a poet and teacher, and Ms. Wolf wanted him to share his thoughts on releasing the inner creative self.





To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
A book that at its center deals with racism and a criminal trial, but I always remember how Scout and her father wise and heroic father Atticus related to each other. This is a case where the book and the movie based on it are both excellent.

--The Reference Staff