Published: January 21, 2005

Fathers Organization to Publish Book Highlighting Responsible Fatherhood

Fathers Inc. seeks intimate letters from fathers of all walks of life, about their
struggles of fatherhood for new book

Albany, New York—Fathers, Incorporated will publish and promote a book of letters entitled "When the Tear Won't Fall." The book will compile letters from fathers of all walks of life to speak on the intimate struggles of fatherhood.

Throughout the country, organizations are focusing on the issue of absentee fathers and all its attendant disturbing effects and statistics. “Fathers, Inc. recognizes the need to reaffirm an understanding of the benefit of fathers to the family,” says Kenneth Braswell, Executive Director. Though to do so our main focus will be on the development of fathers, we recognize that there is also a need for maternal involvement and development specifically as those things intersect around parental responsibility.

Fathers, Inc. is a not-for-profit agency dedicated to strengthening the community and family infrastructure by encouraging and enabling the positive involvement of fathers in the lives of their children. We will do this by increasing awareness of father's rights and responsibilities, the programmatic impact through community collaborations, providing support services, training, and assistance to fathers in need of sustenance and direction.

“When the Tear Won’t Fall” will be unique in the sense that many books written on the subject of fatherhood tend to be in the categories of self-help, humor, poetry and how-to. The book will highlight the stories of fathers who have overcome obstacles, and how their life's choices impacted them as fathers. In some instances, the stories will detail how they failed and what it means/meant to them and their children.

The book will also:

• help others to appreciate the struggles of today's father;

• provide for the gathering of information necessary to produce effective programs, support and services that will encourage, re-establish and strengthen the abilities of men to be productive and positive fathers; and

• establish the importance of fatherhood by giving national attention to the impact of the absentee father, for both the father and the family.

The book project seeks to profile the changing image of fatherhood in our society. It will reinforce and reestablish for many that fathers are a critical part of the productive and positive functioning of the family. Because of the changing configuration of family and the increase in absentee fathers, at a most critical time in this society, these letters will explore what it means to be a father, and offer some insight on how to be a good father.

Guidelines, requirements and deadlines for letters can be obtained by visiting our website at www.fathersinc.org or emailing tear@fathersinc.org. Letters can also be submitted via our website. The book is due out by Christmas 2005.