Rating: 
Summary: The truth about fathers
Review: The breakdown of families, especially in terms of the disappearance of marriage and the collapse of fatherhood, has been carefully studied by a number of authors. One of the most incisive examinations of the problem of fatherless families is Fatherless America.
The book is based on a wealth of statistical information, highlighting the dangerous trend of family disintegration in America. Perhaps most disturbing of the information he uncovers is the fact that "tonight, about 40 per cent of American children will go to sleep in homes in which their fathers do not live". "Fatherlessness," argues Blankenhorn, "is the most harmful demographic trend of this generation". The primary results of this trend are "a decline in children's well-being and a rise in male violence, especially against women."
The problem is not just that of the absence of fathers, but "the absence of our belief in fathers." Recalling the findings of Margaret Mead and others that the supreme test of any civilisation is whether it can socialise men by teaching them to be fathers, Blankenhorn traces the disappearance of the idea of fatherhood in contemporary culture, and the effects this has on our children and our society
While he acknowledges that the so-called traditional family was not without problems, he sees the move to a fatherless society as a far greater dilemma. As fatherhood becomes devalued, decultured and deinstitutionalised, the problems associated with inner city America will only compound themselves. We now know without question that the overwhelming generator of violence among young men is the fatherless family. There are now a multitude of studies available which make it perfectly clear that fatherlessness is the major factor in crime, more than race, poverty or any other social variable.
Paternal absenteeism and the erosion of marriage effect every aspect of life. For example, we now know, contrary to feminist doctrine, that domestic violence is much more likely to occur in homes where the partners are not married. A woman is much more likely to abused by a boyfriend, a de facto or a live in than by a husband. The same is true of child sexual abuse. "What magnifies the risk of sexual abuse in children is not the presence of a married father but his absence." Again, a host of studies have clearly established this point.
With all these studies confirming the importance of marriage and the presence of fathers, one would hope that our political leaders would be reaffirming our national commitment to marriage. The opposite is the case unfortunately. American society is not intent on making sure marriage works, nor is it intent on making divorce less easy to obtain. Instead, it is in the process of deinstitutionalising marriage and fatherhood. It has become a culture of divorce. Instead of trying to reduce divorce, it seeks to make the process more cooperative and amicable. Divorce reform means simply trying to involve fewer lawyers and more mediators. This may be better than conflict and litigation, but it does not deal with the real problem.
When anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski said that "the father is indispensable for the full sociological status of the child as well as of its mother," he was stating a truth that is both simple and profound. Yet we live in a day where simplicity is spurned and profundity is not grasped. As C.S. Lewis once said, "The process of living seems to consist in coming to realise truths so ancient and simple that, if stated, they sound like barren platitudes."
That children need mother and father, and that healthy families are a prerequisite for healthy societies, have been historical givens. Such claims now however are regarded with disbelief. The case for fatherhood and marriage needs to be remade for a sceptical age. Blankenhorn's book is a valuable component in that argument.
Rating:
Summary: A stunning look at the destruction of the American family
Review: We have no shortage of fathers, in the pro-creative, biological/physiological sense of the word. What is missing in our society is the institution of "fatherhood;" the process whereby the patriarch of the family takes his rightful place in the family as leader, provider, protector, and nurturer. Feminists will hate this book because Blankenhorn uses scientific study, statistics,logic, and, at times, rhetoric and polemics to conclusively state that the absence of true fathers is indeed the "most urgent social problem of our kind." Whether unwittingly, or by design, feminists have played a big part in destroying this sacred institution; their call for the "rights" of women did not stop there. There has been a full-scale diminution of fatherhood, to the detriment of all involved, and, ultimately, society. This jeremiad is a must read for anyone, i.e. parents, teachers, ministers, social-workers, and counselors, who are concerned about the state of our youth today. Blankenship proves that without a father, all is chaos in the family. A truly dynamic and passionate book. I cannot believe that there has not been any noticeable public acclaim for this book,but then again I should not be surprised given the antipathy with which academia, the media, and the various and sundry other members of the literati, view the "traditional family." We see how women and children suffer. Where's the outrage?
Rating:
Summary: A stunning look at the destruction of the American family
Review: We have no shortage of fathers, in the pro-creative, biological/physiological sense of the word. What is missing in our society is the institution of "fatherhood;" the process whereby the patriarch of the family takes his rightful place in the family as leader, provider, protector, and nurturer. Feminists will hate this book because Blankenhorn uses scientific study, statistics,logic, and, at times, rhetoric and polemics to conclusively state that the absence of true fathers is indeed the "most urgent social problem of our kind." Whether unwittingly, or by design, feminists have played a big part in destroying this sacred institution; their call for the "rights" of women did not stop there. There has been a full-scale diminution of fatherhood, to the detriment of all involved, and, ultimately, society. This jeremiad is a must read for anyone, i.e. parents, teachers, ministers, social-workers, and counselors, who are concerned about the state of our youth today. Blankenship proves that without a father, all is chaos in the family. A truly dynamic and passionate book. I cannot believe that there has not been any noticeable public acclaim for this book,but then again I should not be surprised given the antipathy with which academia, the media, and the various and sundry other members of the literati, view the "traditional family." We see how women and children suffer. Where's the outrage?
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