Book Details:
- Author: John Sowers
- Category: Religion / Christian Ministry / General
- Publisher: Zondervan (2010)
- Binding: Paperback
- Page count: 144
- ISBN#: 0310328608
Recommendation:
- Review Date: 10/11/10 by Shaun Tabatt
- Rating: Highly Recommended
Review:
The story of the fatherless generation is unfolding all around us. Some parts of the story are being told by the children growing up in fatherless homes, while other parts of the story are being told by the once fatherless children who are now adults. You can hear the cry of the fatherless in their songs, see it in their movies, and read about it on their blogs. “Pop culture captures the dying voice of this generation. In it, we hear poets and prophets crying out for hope in the midst of ruin. Pop culture is a warped mirror of our lives. And if we can just pause to listen, we hear a song of despair rising from the ashes.” (p. 20). While no two stories are exactly alike, there is a common thread of abandonment and pain that comes through in each of them. Although the absence of the father has become commonplace in our culture, it should not be accepted as a normal part of family life. Just because society deems it as normal, does not take away the rejection and debilitating pain felt by the fatherless children. The cry of the fatherless generation needs to be heard and needs to be taken seriously. This new book is giving them a voice.
John Sowers’ new book Fatherless Generation: Redeeming the Story is a book that has been several years in the making. The main catalyst for this book was set in motion back in January 2008. John posted on his MySpace blog asking people to share their stories and experiences of growing up without a father. He was surprised to receive thousands of responses from all over the world. As the number of responses continued to grow, he realized that he had touched on something that has deeply affected an entire generation. This book is his response to their stories.
Fatherless Generation is broken up into two parts. The first part of the book connects the reader with the stories of the fatherless. Over the course of the first six chapters John shares parts of his own story as well as other stories he has learned from his friends and acquaintances and also many of the stories that were shared in response to his original blog post. Through these stories, John illustrates the vast array of emotions experienced by the fatherless as well as the many personal and social problems (i.e. anger, depression, promiscuity, drug abuse, low self-esteem, etc.) they experience as well. With no intervention these same fragile and troubled children will often turn into fragile and troubled adults. Is there any hope? John Sowers believes there is and that is what he presents in the second half of the book.
The remaining eight chapters of the book are a call to action on behalf of the fatherless, a call to mentorship. John Sowers is the president of The Mentoring Project. Their vision as an organization “is to equip and support one thousand churches, which will mobilize ten thousand men and inspire them to become mentors to this fatherless generation of boys.” (p. 96). Using a three part process of loving, modeling, and coaching, these mentors are greatly impacting the lives of fatherless children. God is calling potential mentors to take seriously the plight of the orphan and to help Him rewrite “the broken story of a generation.” (p. 88). A generation that “is an Esau generation–a generation that has lost its birthright and is longing for the father’s blessing, but the fathers of this generation can no longer bless them because they are gone . While this is a tragic reality, it is also a great opportunity to bring healing and reconciliation.” (p. 118). Will you answer the call?
As an adult who grew up as a part of the fatherless generation, I am sincerely grateful to John Sowers’ work at The Mentoring Project and the awareness he is raising about the dire need of the fatherless children in this book. This problem is reaching critical mass in the culture around us and without the church rising up and answering this call, the results will continue to be more and more disastrous. Should this book ever go into a second edition, I would encourage the addition of a chapter addressing some of the challenges faced by the fatherless children who have grown up to become fathers themselves. If this sounds like you, my strong caution is that you need to put your own house in order, ensuring that the mentoring and discipling of your own children is well underway before venturing off to help mentor the fatherless children. It would be a shame to lose your own kids in the process.
Let me close by saying that Fatherless Generation: Redeeming the Story is a timely book that is much needed for this specific time in history. I highly recommend this book for anybody who wants to learn more about the plight of the fatherless. Christian men and women who have a heart for this younger generation should prayerfully read through this book and see if God would call them to be a part of His plan for reconciling this great tragedy.
Author Info:
Dr. John Sowers is president of The Mentoring Project, a movement that exists to inspire and equip the faith community to provide mentors for the fatherless. He has also been part of the White House Task Force conversation on Fatherhood and Healthy Families. John received his Masters of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he wrote his doctoral thesis on the crisis of fatherlessness. John and his wife, Kari, reside in Portland, Oregon.
Disclaimer:
This book was provided by Zondervan for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
Additional Resources:
- Book Excerpt: Available here
- Author’s Website: The Mentoring Project
- Purchase Links: Amazon.com or direct from Zondervan
- Download a PDF copy of this review:
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Great review, Shaun. Do you think the relational part of Sowers’ book resonates with your experience?
Paul,
Thank you for your feedback on my review of Fatherless Generation. My understanding is that you’re referring to this line in the review, “Through these stories, John illustrates the vast array of emotions experienced by the fatherless as well as the many personal and social problems (i.e. anger, depression, promiscuity, drug abuse, low self-esteem, etc.) they experience as well.” I think there are a lot of factors (i.e. home life, peer influences, personality, etc.) that affect the type of personal and social difficulties that may show up in the lives of fatherless children. For me the big challenges were with low self-esteem and fear.
Thanks, Shaun. That makes lots of sense. Each environment would contribute to the issues faced. Do you think then that a male role-model/mentor would go a long way in changing the tide? Did you experience someone reaching out to you?
Paul,
I believe that a dedicated mentor could go a long way in improving the situation. While I never had anybody formally mentoring me over an extended period of time, there were several men who took an interest in me and included me in their family activities. I’m grateful for this, because it gave me a glimpse of traditional family life. As I said in my review, there is also a need of mentors for men who grew up as fatherless children. When they become fathers themselves, they’re often making it up as they go.
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