Fathers and Fathering Books

Fathers, and their essential and changing roles as parents, are far too often overlooked in parenting literature. These books should be read by both dads and moms—but they're about (and usually by) fathers.

Dada: A Guy's Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the First Year of Fatherhood by Michael R. Crider

Synopsis: Dada is a must-read for new and expectant fathers and mothers alike. Michael Crider's ability to point out humor in every aspect of pregnancy and parenthood makes this a book a joy to read and at times touching. The perfect gift for anyone who is expecting or has been through the joys of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting.

Finding Time For Fatherhood: The Important Considerations Men Face When They Become Parents by Bruce Linton

Review: "The birth of a child opens the doorway to discovering the nurturing qualities within us as men. These discoveries not only benefit our children, our partners, and ourselves, but create a new potential for the society we live in." So says Bruce Linton, Ph.D., author of Finding Time for Fatherhood: The Important Considerations Men Face When They Become Parents. Linton, a counselor and psychotherapist who specializes in fathering issues, runs fathering classes, counsels fathers, and writes about his own experiences as a father.

While Linton's essays are thoughtful and fascinating in their variety (they range from revisiting the Oedipus myth, to looking at the men's movement, to examining the role food and meals play in the family, to discussing sex and fatherhood), it is his final essay, "What My Son Taught Me About Being a Man," that most effectively captures his vision of what it means to grow up male, and to be a father. This moving account traces his life as an equal partner in his son Morgan's upbringing. He also details his experience teaching a group of his 9-year-old son's peers that "real men" care for their friends' feelings. Such touching anecdotes convince readers that, at least where fathering is concerned, change is in the air—the old-fashioned, hands-off father is on the way out. This small, vital collection of essays is a welcome addition to the growing body of fathering literature, and will be valuable to men at all stages of fatherhood.—Ericka Lutz

The New Father: A Dad's Guide to the First Year by Armin A. Brott

Synopsis: An indispensable handbook on all aspects of fatherhood during the first 12 months, The New Father charts the physical, intellectual, verbal, and emotional changes which a child experiences in the first year and examines the emotional and psychological developments the father may be experiencing.

Also check out Armin Brott's other guides for dads:
Fathering Your Toddler: A Dad's Guide to the Second and Third Years (The New Father)
The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for Dads-to-Be, Second Edition

What to Expect When Your Wife is Expanding: A Reassuring Month-by-Month Guide for the Father-to-Be, Whether He Wants Advice or Not by Thomas Hill, Patrick Merrell (Illustrator)

Synopsis: A parody of the long-standing bestseller, full of tongue-in-cheek guidance for the expecting father. A two-time veteran of both childbirth and humor-book writing, Hill covers everything from the latest technology and literature to politically correct rituals and behavior. An essential book for the father-to-be.