When I First Held You: 22 Critically Acclaimed Writers Talk About the Triumphs, Challenges, and Transformative Experience of Fatherhood

According to editor Gresko, this anthology “provides stories of men speaking with unflinching honesty about their experiences as fathers—full disclosure, no secrets or candy-coating.” Indeed, these gifted writers charge full-force into the heart of fatherhood, examining its anguish and challenges as well as its “astonishments and awes.” Although the collection includes fathers in various walks of life—stay-at-home, married, divorced, new, seasoned—there are common threads, such as the omnipresent fear of accidents and illnesses, as well as second-guessing about whether one is a “good” father. The essays often share the awareness of loss of control. As Anthony Doerr observes, there’s a sense of impermanence and a realization that in raising a child “you are taking part in something much larger than your own terrifyingly short life.” Fatherhood inspires others to pray, acknowledge the existence of an afterlife, and finally, as Andre Dubus III writes in his captivating essay, comprehend what it means to live in “a state of grace.” This impressive collection deeply probes both the exterior and interior changes that come with fatherhood. [em]Agent: Erin Harris, Folio Literary. (May) [/em]