Book Review: Fatherhood in America: Social Work Perspectives on a Changing Society

Fatherhood in America: Social Work Perspectives on a Changing Society, by Carl Mazza and Armon R. Perry, Charles C Thomas Publisher, Ltd., ISBN: 978-0-398-09137-8, Springfield, IL, 2017, 351 pages, $49.95.

    The book Fatherhood in America, edited by Mazza and Perry, provides an excellent collection of works by reliable and respected scholars and authors in the helping professions. The book is presented through five sections, all discussing different contexts in which fathers play an important role from infancy to adolescence. The five sections address: (1) fathers and family composition, (2) nonresident fathers, (3) biological fathering and beyond, (4) cultural dimensions of fatherhood, and (5) fatherhood service delivery.

    Throughout each of the sections, the reader is provided with information informing practice approaches, awareness, considerations, and current research findings. The chapters within the five sections offer readers clear and insightful information, stories, and research findings on diverse topics such as fatherhood and incarceration, fathers and daughter relationships, roles of fathering, and adoptive and gay fathers. Additionally, each chapter speaks to the reader from varying perspectives and worldviews for those working and studying in social work, psychology, marriage and family therapy, gender studies, counseling, cultural and ethnic studies, and sociology. Most will find the contents within this book diversely approached and relevant to just about any helping field of study and practice.    

    Moreover, I found the book to be extremely useful to all levels of social work students, clinicians, and educators. The book may not be as useful for clients because of the density of information presented at the scholarly and academic level. However, some clients may find this book extremely useful in their quest for a broader understanding of the wide range of viewpoints on the topic of fathering, in general.

    The editors of this book carefully selected relevant works to include within each of the sections, speaking volumes to the important topic of cultural sensitivity.

    In searching for relevant literature on the topic of fatherhood, my opinion and experience is such that the literature has a tremendous job to conduct in bridging this topic together. However, Mazza and Perry have put together such a fine collection of works on the topic of fatherhood that this book might just be considered, by some, the best collection of works collated altogether on this topic.

    Anyone working in the field of social work will benefit from having this book readily available to them. Social work professionals often intersect with families and children. This book demonstrates the ability for social change to be affected through means of information sharing. I was pleased to have the opportunity to read an excellent collection of works presented on a very compelling and relevant topic and highly recommend this book to all working and studying in the social work arena.

Reviewed by Jessica McCallister, MSW, online instructor, The University of New England, School of Social Work, Portland, Maine.