This book traces the lives of the author and other African-American women she interviewed about their African-American fathers. The author states that the most powerful relationship an African-American woman will ever have with a male is the one she has or doesn't have with her father. Whether present or absent Houston-Little asserts: fathers impact their daughter's lives in ways that sometimes defy description. If young African-American girls grow up with a loving, involved father in her life, the young girl seems to do well and lead a balanced life. She doesn't appear to be haunted by…
This book offers chapters by different authors discussing their experiences with group therapy and interventions encouraging fathers to play a greater role in their children's lives and practice other positive family behaviors. Small groups have the greatest potential to affect such changes for a number of reasons, the editors write, possibly because most social behavior occurs in small groups. Such groups are more effective in enhancing learning and create positive interdependence among members, especially in faith-based interventions. The editors also recognize the importance of the…
This book analyzes how the absence of African American fathers affects their children, their relationships, and society as a whole, while countering the notion that father absence and family fragmentation within the African American community is inevitable. It begins by offering possible explanations for the decline in marriage among African American families, including the limited economic prospects of many men who live in the inner city that impacts their ability to provide for a family. The book then considers marriage from an economic perspective, emphasizing that it is a wealth-producing…
