The authors courageously tackle
such myths as that men (all
men) are dangerous, that they are not equipped to care for children,
that there is an army of 'deadbeat dads' out there who won't
support their children. They take on radical feminism insofar
as it has contributed to sustaining these myths, but recognize
that that movement is only one influence on the public consicousness.
The best part of this book is the latter half, in which the authors
discuss what to do about the estranged fathers amongst us. They
are as critical of the various "men's movement" groups
as they are of some feminist groups, but see a place for group
work with men, if only to help them to get in touch with their
feelings. The authors apparently do believe that men experience
considerable difficulty in knowing and accepting what they feel,
and that working in groups can assist them in this area. They
cite the feeble and downright hostile portrayals of fathers in
popular children's literature and call for improvements in this
area. (They approve of fathers as portrayed, for instance, in
the "Little Bear" and "Frances" books--books
I read to my kids when they were small.) Ronald Levant's "Fatherhood
Course" is cited as a good example of the kind of approach
that can help make better fathers. Marching orders for the nation's
dads and all of us who have a stake in good fathering! The
list price of this book is $24.00. To
get it at $16.80, a 30% discount, click here.
Ross D. Parke & Armin A. Brott,
such myths as that men (all
men) are dangerous, that they are not equipped to care for children,
that there is an army of 'deadbeat dads' out there who won't
support their children. They take on radical feminism insofar
as it has contributed to sustaining these myths, but recognize
that that movement is only one influence on the public consicousness.
The best part of this book is the latter half, in which the authors
discuss what to do about the estranged fathers amongst us. They
are as critical of the various "men's movement" groups
as they are of some feminist groups, but see a place for group
work with men, if only to help them to get in touch with their
feelings. The authors apparently do believe that men experience
considerable difficulty in knowing and accepting what they feel,
and that working in groups can assist them in this area. They
cite the feeble and downright hostile portrayals of fathers in
popular children's literature and call for improvements in this
area. (They approve of fathers as portrayed, for instance, in
the "Little Bear" and "Frances" books--books
I read to my kids when they were small.) Ronald Levant's "Fatherhood
Course" is cited as a good example of the kind of approach
that can help make better fathers. Marching orders for the nation's
dads and all of us who have a stake in good fathering! The
list price of this book is $24.00.