It's an awesome book. Wonderful in every sense of the world. The first three chapters blew me away. Funny, profound, and beautiful prose.
Here's a paragraph that I can especially relate to:
I say this because there aren't many pleasures I enjoy more than sleep. I sleep till I am done, normally, and haven't set an alarm in years. I'm not lazy, mind you, I just find it odd anybody would program a machine to wake them. God made the brain so it would wake on its own, and as a follower of Jesus, I am a strict adherent to His system. Call me a fundamentalist if you want.
The book was written for guys who have grown up without fathers, but everyone should read this book-- If you had a difficult relationship with your father, if you have a friend who has grown up without a father, or if you are in a position to be a mentor to a fatherless child, then you will be inspired by this book.
In addition to being a great author, Donald Miller is also a founder of The Belmont Foundation. Their goal is to establish long-term mentoring relationships for fatherless boys.
In the United States, there are more than 11 million children being raised by a single parent. Of those, roughly 85% are being raised by single mothers.
According to the information in the back of the book, children from fatherless homes account for:
- 85% of all youths in prison (20X the average)
- 71% of all high school dropouts (9X)
- 63% of youth suicides (5X)
They're also 20X more likely to show behavior disorders and 9-10X more likely to wind up in a chemical abuse center or state institution.
Mentoring can change these odds dramatically.
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