Fatherhood : Rising to the Ultimate Challenge

 “Be there. Those seven letters encompass the tao of fatherhood.” —Etan Thomas

In Fatherhood, beloved NBA player, poet, youth advocate, and devoted dad Etan Thomas speaks from his heart on what matters most in his life: being there for his children. As a highly respected player in the NBA and a leading participant in President Obama’s Fatherhood Initiative, Etan has reached out to young men (often young fathers) in the juvenile detention system and in local communities. He knows firsthand the difference having a father in your life every day can make—and as a father of three, Etan walks the talk in his own life.

Now he brings together a chorus of voices—highly revered professional athletes and coaches, actors and performing artists, politicians and leaders of faith—to weigh in on the importance of being a father in our nation today. Isaiah Washington, Howard Dean, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Taye Diggs, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tony Hawk, Al Sharpton, Chuck D and many more share what they’ve learned from being a father, having a father, or in some cases not having a father around.

Through these inspiring personal experiences, Etan and the men he’s gathered together hope to share the message that by standing up and taking an active role as fathers, men not only find their own lives more joyful and fulfilling--they pass on to the next generation an unshakable legacy of love, wisdom, responsibility, and strength.

 Etan Thomas is an eleven-year NBA veteran, contributes to the Huffington Post, CNN, and ESPN, and is the author of the highly regarded poetry collection More Than an Athlete. He was chosen by the Obama Administration to participate in President Obama’s town hall meetings on fatherhood. Etan lives with his wife and three children in Maryland.

Nick Chiles is a New York Times bestselling author and a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist.