Customer Reviews

The Song of Father-Son: Men in Search of The Blessing

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Just finished "Song of Father-Son..." Wow!!! For some reason, after page 60, I couldn't put the thing down. Finished it early this morning, slept a bit, sent my 17 year-old daughter off to school, and broke down in tears. I work for myself, so I was able to indulge this morning and think about things. My mom died while I was in college and I never received the blessing from my father. My strongest relationships since my mother's death have mainly been with women. I've always felt that I should develop stronger regular relationships with men but never quite knew why. This book lays things out so well. It speaks untold universal truths about men's lives and why many of us feel so uncomfortable in our own skins -- even into middle age. I have always been attacted to biography and memoirs, but Peter Putnam's stories hit closer to home than anything I've read. Even my 15-plus years of therapy don't come close. I truly believe Putnam's words touched both my heart and soul.

I find Peter Putnam's take on father-loss, very refreshing, and clear cut. As a middle-aged man who lost his father at thirteen, I wish I would have had this type of book to help me years ago. Through all of his stories and shared ideas The Song of Father-Son touches on a wide spectrum of father son experiences, as a result, I feel less alone. It helps me to realize that my own father-loss isn't just about my father's death, at my young age, but as much about the things I didn't get when my father was alive.

This book is not about the glass being half empty, but instead, it's about what's in the glass, and how this lack of blessing is multi-generational. He has provided me the opportunity to understand my own father better, and his father, while steering me towards ways to lessen my own feeling of loss. The message of the book, Men in Search of the Blessing, spoke to me deeply. He put his finger on many of the things I never got from my father that I so desperately wanted.

I recall the scene in Roots when Kunta Kinte took his son up on a mountain top, right after he was born, and held him up to the moon while welcoming him to the world. Peter has included many blessings, following chapters, that illustrate ways to satisfy the longing so many of us men have for a different type of father son connection.

What long-awaited and wonderful work--helping men understand themselves, their relationships with their fathers and how to communicate "what it means to be a man" with their sons. Absolutely beautiful! I am purchasing this book now. I cannot wait to get this book into the hands of many!

The Song Of Father-Son: Men In Search Of The Blessing by Peter H. Putnam is a guide for young men and their fathers everywhere. As told by Putnam, many young men in modern American society have never received "The Blessing", a traditional gift given by a father as his son enters or prepares for manhood. In a tradition common to all three of the Abrahamic faiths, The Song Of Father-Son knowledgeably embraces the power of giving a son his father's full conviction and endorsement through the means of an empowering blessing which all growing young men should rightfully receive as a part of their familial legacy. For its ideals and pertinence within the context of these modern times in America, The Song Of Father-Son is strongly recommended reading for all fathers wanting to raise their sons up to manhood with, one day, sons of their own.