Lady Word of Mouth: Gary Dietz, "Dads of Disability"

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Gary Dietz, "Dads of Disability"

"I am humbled by the honesty, strength, love, and perseverance shared by these dads of disability. I believe this book will help new dads understand they are not alone and dads like me realize they never were."
--Edwin L. Thompson
"If you were in the least inspired, as I was, by how the writer Christy Brown lived his life, then this book offers that inspiration to the nth. But read with a box of tissues handy and be prepared to have your socks blown off. Wow!"
--Sam Smith
"Dads of Disability is direct and insightful and a valuable resource, not only for fathers, but for mothers, extended family, and health care professionals alike."
--Patti Chadwick

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"I applaud Gary Dietz and the other contributors for telling it like it is, honestly and without apology... The essays and poems included in this book will allow you to see not only the children but also the parents with a clarity that defies expectations.
--from the introduction by MaryAnn Campion, founder and director of the M.S. program in Genetic Counseling at the Boston University School of Medicine

PRINT EDITION LAUNCH DAY: APRIL 15th

Please hit the like button on facebook and see what Gary is doing

Dads of Disability is a collection of 41 essays and poems rich in context and imagery that illustrate a father's perception of and reaction to being a father of a child that experiences disability. From before and through birth, to diagnosis, to the workplace, to serious medical or behavioral issues, to father's support circles, and much more, including aging and death are explored by the fathers themselves as well as the mothers and children in their lives. Each entry focuses on male and fatherhood themes.

This is not a 'how-to' book or a book of '5-ways to do this' or '10-ways to do that.' Rather, this collection uses a storytelling approach to illuminate the emotional lives of these fathers. Dads of Disability will begin or extend the conversation between and amongst fathers, mothers, extended families, care circles, and individuals with disabilities themselves.

This book is for fathers and mothers. For friends and support circles. For care professionals. For teachers. For friends trying to understand their neighbor's challenges. For anyone interested in the variety of the emotional lives of fathers whose children experience a disability.

Regardless of the age of the father, the child's challenge, or even the gender of the essayist (remember, they are not all men!), Dads of Disability strives to paint pictures of a variety of different men who have one thing in common--they deeply love a child who experiences a disability.

Topics of essays and poems include:

- A woman who chooses to live with her ex-husband to enable her children's father to continue to be in their life on a regular basis.

- On his way back from an airplane lavatory, a man gets into an interesting discussion with a flight attendant about fatherhood.

- A husband's rising in the middle of the night is finally understood and accepted by his dedicated and supportive wife.