The Council of Dads ~ Book Review

My apologies for the late posting. Let's call it a glitch. Ooops!

Bruce Feiler writes of an interesting concept. A council of men (dads, obviously) to support and stand by his daughters when he is gone. Seems kind of out there, in the future, for most, as who wants to think of when you won't be around anymore?

But as a father to two young daughters, recently diagnosed with a cancer in his leg that normally shows (to my understanding) in children, with a long road ahead of him and no understanding of whether he will or won't make it into their teenage years, let alone be able to walk them down the aisle, this is something he is looking for as a support for himself, a sort of cushion to the possible blows that come his way, and as a resource for his wife, who can and will be an incredible mother, but can in no way replace him as their dad - should it come to that.

I actually love the concept. It even got me thinking to myself, despite not wanting to think about the inevitable, who knows ME well enough to represent me to my child(ren) when I am gone? And who could do that for my daughter if my husband were gone, as well. I hate these kinds of thoughts, I'll admit [Who doesn't?] and this is probably the only thing that gave me pause as I turned these pages.

I struggled with the thought of him losing his battle and leaving his babies in such a way. But - and this is not a spoiler at all - he survives. And this council of men he has at the ready also become and important and essential part of his children's lives.

I most enjoyed reading the letters written by Bruce during his battle with illness. I think it brought me insight to the many people I know who have fought the hard fight with the beast that is cancer and won (my mom included) and sadly, the many I know who fought the fight only to be beaten by the beast.

I also thought that the history of his relationships with his council, and how he asked, their responses, etc. was a core part of the book. I loved getting to know the people who know him best. It was an interesting read, one that I struggled with some, despite the easy size of it. But any time I felt a bit anxious turning a page or over-emotional, all I had to do was head to the back cover, or peek ahead to the end where there is a picture of his beautiful family, with him IN it.

This was an enjoyable and insightful read. I do believe that certain people may not be able to read this book without the emotional impact being too overwhelming, so I think one has to choose for themselves whether the book is right for them.

** I received a copy of The Council of Dads for review from TLC Tours. This free copy did not impact my comments above. All opinions are strictly my own. **

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