Family Man: The Biography of Dr. James Dobson

Dr. James Dobson is a man without secrets, according to this biographer; Dobson's life and beliefs are open for all to see in his speeches and writings. Now readers get a well-rounded and thorough look at this evangelical leader whose books Dare to Discipline and The Strong-Willed Child are influencing a second generation of parents. Buss does a masterful job of weaving together the many facets of Dobson's life and career as gleaned through interviews with family, friends, business associates and Dobson himself. Readers will learn of Dobson's early life as the child of an itinerant evangelist, his courtship and relationship with his wife Shirley, his first career as a psychologist and medical research program administrator, and the birth and growth of Focus on the Family. The struggles are there as well: Dobson's workaholic tendencies, recent health scares, and Focus leadership issues. Especially interesting is information on Dobson's interview with convicted serial killer Ted Bundy and Buss's assessment of Dobson's political influence and aspirations. The book is filled with Dobson's trademark humor, but also his religious convictions and concern for the endangered modern family. This is no light read for folks interested in a little dirt on Dobson; it is a meticulously researched examination of one of the most influential modern evangelical Christians.