Pitts, an African American journalist, has written a poignant account of the nature and meaning of black fatherhood in the contemporary United States. He deftly weaves together remembrances of an abusive father with scores of interviews with other black fathers and children. The result is a moving portrait of pain, suffering, and guilt as Pitts recounts a number of stories in which black fathers simply are not “there” for their kids. Although he offers no easy solutions, he does use the Million Man March of 1995 as a hopeful symbol that black men can learn to take more responsibility for their lives and those of their children. Although repetitious in places, this is a very well written and provocative work.

"A powerful book that recounts the costs of growing up with and without a father; poignant and wrenching."-Ebony


"Thoroughly absorbing; a readable, well-balanced, impassioned account that touches not just the black family, but all who care about children."-Kirkus Reviews

The fatherless black family is a problem that grows to bigger proportions every year as generations of black children grow up without an adult male in their homes. Even the minority of black men who do live with their children often struggle with the role. As this dire pattern grows worse, what can men do who hope to break it, when there are so few models and so little guidance in their own homes and communities? Where can they learn to "become Dad?"

When Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Pitts-who himself grew up with an abusive father whose absences came as a relief-interviewed dozens of men across the country, he found both discouragement and hope, as well as deep insights into his own roles as son and father. An unflinching investigation, both personal and journalistic, of black fatherhood in America, this is the best, most pivotal book on this profoundly important issue.