Customer Reviews

Father Found

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Father Found is a provocative, riveting and emotionally chilling sophomore effort by RM Johnson. The story is graphically violent and not for the weak of heart that faint easily; this is not a warm, fuzzy book. In Father Found we travel down the mean-streets of Chicago with Zale Rowen who's on a mission to reunite every child with its father. The mission isn't a bad one but its one that's to the expense of everything else in Zale's life including his health, relationships with others and mental well-being. Zale and his partners, Frank and Martin, utilize measures to reunite fathers with family members which are sometimes ruthless, questionable and in some instances just downright violent. Zale justifies his actions by his past; Frank justifies his actions by his past, and Martin well he is just so confused and mixed up that he fits in with the other two dysfunctional characters. Johnson does a superb job in providing vivid imagery and scenery to help the reader witness the actual acts that occur throughout the book as well as the emotions of the key characters. These men were filled with so much rage, anger and conflict that sometimes one had to put the book aside and shake off that negative feeling before continuing on. Father Found was very well written and was raw, gripping and intense along with being very violent, dark and depressing. The plot twists and turns were shocking and emotional and oftentimes left you aching in the pit of your stomach. In the end, Johnson tried to leave us on an upbeat note but it might have been too little, too sugar coated and too late. I recommend this book to all that enjoy excellent writing no matter the subject/title; books that challenge you emotionally and books which are insightful and hard-hitting.

"Father Found" is dark, deep, fantastic. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the page. My husband was ready to hook me up to an I.V. The kids lived on pizza and pop tarts for two whole days. I was about to start reading "The Harris Men" but my husband hid the book. Not until I cook enough meals to last through a reading, he insists. Need I say more?

Or Zale will be coming to get you! Man! Talk about drama. This brother did not play. He went all out for those fellas who were trying to duck out on their kids. I've never read anything like this in my life. 'Father Found' is some seriously heavy stuff. R.M. Johnson took me places no book has ever tread before.

THIS BOOK IS GREAT. AS A SURGEON, I RARELY GET TIME TO READ, BUT SOMETHING ABOUT THE COVER OF FATHER FOUND GRABBED ME, AND ONCE I READ THE JACKET I KNEW I HAD TO GET IT. THIS BOOK KEPT ME UP ALL NIGHT. I WAS EVEN READING IT ON BREAKS AT THE HOSPITAL. THE WRITING IS MASTERFUL AND THE CHARACTERS ARE DARK AND LAYERED, JUST LIKE I LIKE 'EM. IT'S GREAT TO KNOW THAT EXCELLENT LITERATURE IS NOT A THING OF THE PAST. FATHER FOUND WAS ENOUGH TO MAKE ME WANT TO START READING FICTION AGAIN.

I recently saw this author in my hometown, Richmond, CA, after I was dragged to his booksigning by a friend of mine. It was a Sunday and the Lakers were playing their last game against Portland. I still can't believe I went. Nothing comes between me and Shaq, sometimes not even friends. Apparently it was meant to be. It was one of the best things I ever did. I had never heard of him, even though I had seen his book "The Harris Men" before, but never connected who the author was. Boy, was I impressed. I bought "Father Found" because I was impressed with his reading. This book is excellent. It is gripping, intense, deep, dark, a page-turner. I'm glad I got the chance to see him. I can say I witnessed history in the making. This author is going to be big, an important literary voice for our time. This is the best book I've read in the past five years. I just went out and bought "The Harris Men". I can't wait to dive in.

Father Found is an exquisitely woven story around the real-life social issue of child support and neglect. Traveling through Chicago's dark side, it is a story that we can all relate to at some point either directly or indirectly. Zale Rowen is a tough, hard-core guy on a mission, even though that mission threatens his own life. Martin and Debra Carter have their own shocking secret--a secret that was unexpected, and one that is revealed fairly early in the story. But there's more than that one issue for Martin and Debra.

There is action and drama throughout the story, making it hard to put down. While out of town, I read it over the course of three days and would have read it a lot faster if I not had to go to work. The story grabbed me from the first page. Make this thrilling novel a part of your reading collection. You'll be glad you did.

Excellent. I read it right after I finished reading 'The Harris Men.' I live in Fort Lauderdale and it's the middle of hurricane season so it's always dark and rainy here with thunder and lightning everywhere. Perfect. The book opened with a rainy scene. I dove right in and was completely captured by Zale's disturbing behavior. When I saw Mr. Johnson at a booksigning, he read the scene where Martin stalks his wife, so when I actually got to that scene in the book it was like I could hear his smooth voice resonating in my head with every word I read. I can't wait to get my hands on his next book (the sequel to 'The Harris Men'). I highly recommend this author.

Father Found is wonderful novel. I read Mr. Johnson's first novel "Harris Men" and thoroughly enjoyed it. I anxiously awaited his next novel and was not dissapointed with "Father Found"

The characters and plot of this novel were thought-provoking, energetic and overall intense. The character of Zaleford Rowen shows how committed a person can be to a cause that they truly believe in. The others characters such as Martin and Debra were also intriguing. I highly recommend this novel for those who are interested in reading insightful and hard-hitting commentary on the subjects of parenting and relationships.

I enjoyed the Harris men... and actually thought this would be a continuation of that one, since it ends with them finding their father... (hence, Father Found)...

It wasnt, but thats neither here nor there. This book was just not that entertaining... Kinda depressing... dark... on the serious side... violent...The message was sincere, but it just didnt make for an entertaining book. Spent the last few chapters skimming through the pages.

I found the story with Martin and Debra to be most interesting, but when the subplot switched back to Zale and the main issue at hand, things slowed down.

Perhaps if you are someone who wasnt raised by their father, or vice versa, this may touch a chord in you, but to the casual reader, it may be a bit tedious.

This novel is very intriguing because the story does not necessarily fit the title. Although the story is about a man and an organization which has as its goal the reunification of fathers with their families, the behavior of the main character along with the other significant characters was in conflict with the stated goals of the organization.

Zale the main character, although sincere in his beliefs, is pretty brutal in his idea of how a "real father" should behave and interact with his children. Interestingly enough, Zale has absolutely no frame of reference because he had no father or father figure. Consequently, he buys into the fairytale, idealistic view of fatherhood and runs his organization from that viewpoint. In the long run, his attempt to impose his will on others had the very real potential of doing more harm than good. Likewise, his partner Martin, believed in the goals of the organization however he was single handily responsible for the permanent elimination of a father who wanted to have contact with and a relationship with his child.

This novel and the characters are full of conflicts and hypocrocies which is why it is very intriquing. Also of interest is that Zale in particular says he is committed to the black community and wants his organization to benefit the black community yet he places his emotional health and physical safety in the hands of 2 white individuals. I enjoyed this book. There is a lot going on in this book and with these characters and I thought the author was successful in bringing that to the forefront.