First published 2010
Bruce Feiler receives a cancer diagnosis while his daughters are still young. The bestselling author immediately fears what their lives will look like if he dies. Will his girls remember him? Will they know his thoughts and feel his love? Three days after his diagnosis, Feiler develops a plan. He contacts six men from different chapters of his life and asks them to serve as father figures for his daughters. He calls this group "The Council of Dads." Each man will teach the girls a different life lesson: how to see the world, how to travel, how to ask questions, how to dream big. Feiler writes to these men explaining that his daughters will have loving families and each other, but they might not have their biological father. The book follows what happens after Feiler makes this request. He introduces each council member and explains the wisdom he hopes that man will share. Feiler also chronicles his cancer battle while raising small children. He reflects on his own father, grandfathers, and other male influences that shaped him. The story explores how fatherhood has evolved in America and examines how people respond when facing their worst fears.
Genres: family-life, non-fiction, biography-memoir, parenting
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, terminal-illness
256 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow
Content warnings: death, terminal-illness