None Call Me Dad - Softcover

Owen, Ky

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0996399429 ISBN 13: 9780996399425

Publisher: Interrobang Collective, 2016

Synopsis

None Call Me Dad is the true, mesmerizing story of a 21st Century dad. On two weeks notice, Ky Owen becomes an adoptive father to a six-year-old son. Five years later, on two days notice, he becomes a father to a teenage daughter. Along the way he assumes the role of father figure to four other kids. “None call me dad,” Owen writes, “But they know that’s who I am.” Intriguing and imaginative chapter titles chart a journey that turns into a virtual roller coaster ride of parenting an ever-changing alternative family. None Call Me Dad is the freewheeling narrative of facing the challenges of truancy and Type 1 diabetes, hopping trains and “flying a sign,” and kids finding their way on their own terms. At the same time, the book captures the joy and excitement of father-son trips to March Madness and the Rose Bowl, and father-daughter weekends on Broadway in Nashville and the French Quarter of New Orleans. More than a memoir, it is a story of always being there for your kids. None Call Me Dad is a story of forgiveness, acceptance, and love. Told in the author’s unique writer’s voice, the story is both poignant and funny. Readers feel a father's angst as he learns to forgive his kids' mistakes, to accept their life choices, and to continue to show his love. "They're my kids, and I'll always be here for them. Even though none call me dad."

About this title

About the Author

Richard D. “Ky” Owen is a lawyer with Goodwin & Goodwin, LLP, in Charleston, West Virginia. He earned a B.A. in journalism from Michigan State University in 1981 and a J.D. from Hamline University in 1984. Coming from a family of writers, he considers himself a “writer by birth.” None Call Me Dad is his first book.

Review

The odyssey of parenting can be harrowing at best and terrifying at worst.  Taking on the responsibility for the upbringing of another human being is without a doubt, the most important job one can undertake.  But what if that human being is not even your own child?  In None Call Me Dad, Ky Owen shares the pride and pitfalls involved in coaching a child into adulthood. Well-written and smoothly paced, the book moves between the lives of six adolescents, all in need of a dad. Through his eyes, we watch as they struggle, grow, achieve, and fail. He cheers their victories and mourns their defeats. Always ready to lend a hand, Ky offers encouragement, practical advice, and unfailing support. The love he supplies them shines through in his stories.  Drawing strength from his level-headed wife, Ky provides one the most important ingredients  in the recipe for good parenting: stability.  Follow along as he stretches and grows along with his kids, and truly earns the title of "dad".      Melinda K. Henline, M.A., Licensed Psychologist

About this edition

• Publisher: Interrobang Collective
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0996399429
• ISBN 13: 9780996399425
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 358