by Jared Cohen
First published 2017
Joseph Cohen writes his first letter to his father, breaking years of silence between them. The correspondence that follows traces their journey from estrangement to understanding. Joseph carries wounds from growing up with a distant, uncommunicative father who left emotional gaps that no government program or surrogate could fill. His father struggles to become more accessible than his own parent had been. Through their exchange of letters, Joseph matures from a hurt boy into a young man with insight and compassion. His father learns to offer the caring, supportive presence he had never received. Their written dialogue creates a paper trail of healing, showing how men without strong paternal models must learn to father themselves through the long, difficult process of stepping back and advising themselves in challenging situations. The letters reveal what the world loses when fathers are absent and what it gains when they choose to engage.
Genres: literary-fiction, memoir, non-fiction, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: estrangement-to-understanding, found-family
152 pages · Paperback · Forever Young Press