cover image Letters from Dad

Letters from Dad

John Broome. Grand Central Publishing, $25 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-446-52014-0

In 1991, Broome's son Jack left for Cate, a California prep school he attended in hopes of getting into a prestigious college. Father and son had an especially close relationship, because Jack had been living with Broome for the four years since his parents' divorce. To maintain their connection, Broome wrote his son frequently, and these letters, though of limited interest, testify to his love for Jack. Much of the correspondence deals with values Broome considers important and would like to inculcate in his son, such as integrity, hard work and leadership. He also wants Jack to adhere to his conservative political opinions, and he has written several letters that strike a discordant note as nothing but diatribes against Democratic presidents, unions, communists and social welfare programs. Other letters express nagging concern about Jack's grades and Broome's apparently unfounded worry that his son will drink too much. Broome was recently injured by a drunk driver in a car crash, and included here is an essay Jack wrote about his father's accident. (May)