Fatherless America: Confronting Our Most Urgent Social Problem

A detailed study states that the father figure is an increasingly absent member of the family unit and offers statistical information and projected consequences that are related to the rise in absent fatherhood. 40,000 first printing. $30,000 ad/promo. Tour.

"The most urgent domestic challenge facing the United States...is the re-creation of fatherhood as a vital social role for men," says Blankenhorn, founder and president of the Institute for American Values, a private New York City research organization. His compelling presentation of the "culture of fatherlessness" describes more than the physical absence of a father from the family; what is most troubling, he maintains, is the growing belief that fatherhood is an unnecessary function. The author examines various demographics of fatherlessness and presents his recommendations for rediscovering the goal of "a father for every child," cautioning that unless the trend of fatherlessness is reversed, the "decline of child well-being and the spread of male violence" will not be arrested. Although this and others of his conclusions are arguable, Blankenhorn provides much worthy fodder for debate.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About 40 percent of children grow up without fathers, making the subject a lively one in the professional journals on the family. In his critical survey of this discourse, and its spillage into the popular women's magazines and movies, Blankenhorn considers and disputes the rationales put forth in favor of or as explanation for single motherhood. On economic grounds alone, the phenomenon is an obvious social disaster, yet the notion of father-as-primary-breadwinner, the pros declare, is pass{‚}e and not that intrinsically important. Far better to crack down on deadbeat dads or play up roles of ersatz fatherhood: the stepfather, the live-in boyfriend, or the divorced man who restores his relations with his children, {…}a la the movie Mrs. Doubtfire. Blankenhorn avers that none of these solutions, including wringing out the alimony from slackers, adequately supplies the meaningful, day-to-day, monetary and emotional sustenance children need. Because the gender role of father is a single, multifaceted package, it cannot be replaced by the amicable divorce or the single mother, however heroic. Traditionalist in tenor but au courant of alternative models of fatherhood, this clearly written call to stop the rot and proposals for doing so should be widely heard, as seems likely, for the author is a "usual suspect" on the issue for quotation-hunting newspaper reporters. Gilbert Taylor

Fatherlessness has been a hot-button issue since 1992, when Vice President Dan Quayle lambasted TV's Murphy Brown for "mocking the importance of fathers." This book sets the tone for further debate on the issue. Blankenhorn, chair of the National Fatherhood Initiative and founder/president of the Institute for American Values, criticizes the growth in the number of fatherless families and the development of a culture of fatherlessness. Detailing how the social role of fathers has been diminished and devalued, he theorizes that devalued fatherhood has led to higher incidences of crime, domestic violence, child sexual abuse, and child poverty. He then critiques eight predominant father roles in contemporary American society. Blankenhorn calls for a revival of the "good family man," offering 12 proposals to reinvigorate the role of fatherhood. Copius notes append the text. A valuable resource for social planners and the general public.
Michael A. Lutes, Univ. of Notre Dame Lib., Ind.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.