by Joy-Ann Reid
First published 2017
Twenty-two women from different backgrounds share their stories of father loss in this collection edited by Regina R. Robertson. The contributors include Emmy winner Regina King, bestselling author Gabby Reece, and television writer Jenny Lee. Their essays explore the full range of emotions that come with paternal absence. Some writers lost fathers to divorce. Others experienced abandonment or watched their fathers become distant strangers. Death claimed other fathers entirely. The women describe sadness that cuts deep, anger that burns for years, and sometimes surprising indifference. They also write about acceptance and the slow work of healing. Robertson organizes the essays into three sections that mirror these different types of loss. The book targets young women navigating similar experiences, but it also speaks to mothers raising daughters alone. These writers claim space to express their pain without judgment or apology, creating a chorus of voices that acknowledges both struggle and hope.
Genres: family-life, non-fiction, biography-memoir, personal-development
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, grief
224 pages · Paperback · Agate Bolden