by Kevin Renner
Inkwater Press, $19.95, 225 pages
With all of the books on motherhood, it seems that fathers rarely get the time of day. In Search of Fatherhood looks at the relationship of father and daughters, based on a series of interviews told as stories. The individual stories are from the perspective of the daughters, and subdivided into those who had a great relationship, a bad relationship, and those with a little from both columns. There is also additional commentary from Renner on most of the stories as he explores his own relationship with his daughters in light of the particular story. He also sums up his findings as well as providing epilogues to some of the stories.
Although the format comes off as a little strange, it nonetheless shows that every relationship is different. The stories range from heinous abuse to incredible support, from fathers that always treated their daughters with respect to those that disowned their daughters, sometimes taking them back, and everywhere in between. Renner found a large spectrum to work with, and that is well represented. For anyone looking for a comparison to those looking for some insight on daughters and their fathers, this is a fun book to read.
Reviewed by Jamais Jochim