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Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons [Hardcover]

Tim Russert
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (128 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 23, 2006
What does it really mean to be a good father? What did your father tell you, that has stayed with you throughout your life? Was there a lesson from him, a story, or a moment that helped to make you who you are? Is there a special memory that makes you smile when you least expect it?

After the publication of Tim Russert’s number one New York Times bestseller about his father, Big Russ & Me, he received an avalanche of letters from daughters and sons who wanted to tell him about their own fathers, most of whom were not superdads or heroes but ordinary men who were remembered and cherished for some of their best moments–of advice, tenderness, strength, honor, discipline, and occasional eccentricity.

Most of these daughters and sons were eager to express the gratitude they had carried with them through the years. Others wanted to share lessons and memories and, most important, pass them down to their own children.

This book is for all fathers, young or old, who can learn from the men in these pages how to get it right, and to understand that sometimes it is the little gestures that can make the big difference for your child. For some in this book, the appreciation came later than they would have liked. But as Wisdom of Our Fathers reminds us, it is never too late to embrace it.

From the father who coached his daughter in sports (and life), attending every meet, game, performance, and tournament, to the daughter who, after a fifteen-year estrangement, learned to make peace with her difficult father just before he died, to the son who came, at last, to appreciate the silent way his father could show affection, Wisdom of Our Fathers shares rewarding lessons, immeasurable gifts, and lasting values.

Heartfelt, humorous, engaging, irresistibly readable, and bound to bring back memories of unforgettable moments with our own fathers, Tim Russert’s new book is not only a fitting companion to his own marvelous memoir, but also a celebration of the positive qualities passed down from generation to generation.


Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Surprised by the overwhelming and heartfelt reception to Big Russ and Me(2004), Russert follows that memoir of his relationship with his father with a collection of letters he received recounting relationships between fathers and their sons and daughters. Russert, host of NBC's Meet the Press, received 60,000 letters and e-mails from readers with their own touching memories of filial love. Interspersed throughout, Russert recollects moments as a son and as a father, as well as conversations with famous figures, including Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and news reporter Maria Shriver, about their fathers. But the contributors are decidedly ordinary Americans, many with recollections that highlight generational differences of a time when fathers were less than demonstrative. Many recall taciturn fathers who couldn't bring themselves to tell their children they loved them but showed it in myriad ways. Many write of lessons learned about honor from fathers. A man recalls going to a New York Giants game with his father, who passed up an opportunity to sell extra tickets to scalpers and instead sold them--at cost--to another father with his son. Women recall how ties to their father set the tone for later relationships with men. One contributor recalls her father's tolerance as she and her sisters practiced applying makeup on him, going so far as to paint his toenails. Once again, Russert celebrates the relationship between fathers and their children in this heartwarming book. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Tim Russert is the moderator and managing editor of Meet the Press, and the Washington bureau chief of NBC News. He is married to Maureen Orth, and they have one son, Luke.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Random House; First Edition edition (May 23, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1400064805
  • ISBN-13: 978-1400064809
  • Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (128 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

This book will make you want to be a better man. Igor Mordkovich  |  30 reviewers made a similar statement
I either laughed or cried as I read every page of this book. C. Shores  |  29 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
53 of 55 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars INTIMACY, COMFORT, TRAUMA, & LIFE LESSONS. July 29, 2008
Format:Paperback
The book is 297 pages & is divided into 21 chapters. The most crucial ones for me were "Honor, Being There, Forgiveness, Missing Dads, The Protector, Discipline, & 75 Reasons."

What was so refreshing about this book was the theme of basic normalcy & decency that most people seem to have. This book should appeal to most people, but it is not only or truly a book about a "father-son relationship." It came across more as a memoir of intimate vignettes, some of which are negative. One of a son whose father missed out being a a dad because of his drug addiction which eventually killed him.

Two of the more positive stories were when a father comforted his son after he told his dad that he was gay, & Kerry a girl who grew up with a stutter, whose dad held her hand & told her "it's ok". There are many life lessons in these stories that are very applicable to people regardless of their own individual backgrounds, beliefs, & experiences. All in all a very inspirational & intimate read.
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95 of 109 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars 10 star great book May 23, 2006
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ok a book like this may seem sappy, but trust me there are enough stories and variety to speak to everyone. Personally I loved his chapters on fathers titled Forgiveness, The Protector, Baseball, Mr. Mom and Daddy's Girl.

Reminded me a great deal of Tom Brokaws book from people who wrote him after his excellent book The Greatest Generation which is also a must read book in my opinion.

Mr. Russert is such a gifted writer. The kind that you pray will write another book, and then another. There are enough stories of such a wide variety that the book will appeal to males as much as it will to females.

Great gift for Dads as well as their kids. Though provoking and so much wisdom that one comes away a wiser person. A wiser parent.

Mr. Russert and his wife Maureen have one son but having read Big Russ and Me: Father and Son--Lessons of Life and then this book, one comes away wishing a dozen more had been dropped on their porch.
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65 of 75 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book by "The Grand Inquisitor" of Meet the Press, is largely what you would expect - a variety of touching vignettes from sons and daughters throughout America written about both big and little moments with their fathers that became big life lessons for them. Most of them are largely positive - a father telling his daughter that he would marry her if he could to help her get over a break-up with her boyfriend, the touching response of another father to his son telling him that he was gay, one son even using memories of learning to shave with his dad as a child to get over the post-traumatic stress of being a crime victim - specifically the scars from the attack that he saw on his face each morning as he was shaving. However, don't let that make you shy away from this book even if your father was not a great person. There are other letters where the writer has had a terrible role model, such as one man whose father was largely absent from his life due to his chronic drug addiction who ultimately died in a hotel room of an overdose when the man was still a child. The lesson that this son got from his father - "My father missed out on getting to know a terrific son". Thus, there really is something in this book for everyone no matter what your relationship with your father is or was. I highly recommend it, especially if you liked Russert's book about his relationship with his own father - "Big Russ and Me", since it was the publishing of that book that caused all of the people with stories in this book to write to Russert describing their own experiences with their fathers.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Heart Touching
GREAT BOOK ABOUT HOW PEOPLE BECOME WHO THEY ARE THROUGH THEIR FATHERS! I was given this book as a Father's Day Gift!
Published 4 days ago by Phillip C. McDaniel
4.0 out of 5 stars Good reading
Purchased out of respect for Tim. Great reading from this fine author. Great addition to my small but growing library.
Published 13 days ago by Kent A. McDonald
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
This book I loved! In fact I am reading it again....this is a must read. So many life lessons told in such a way you are sure to cry. Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. Horwitz
5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful to give to sons and daughters
This explained a lot to me about my Dad and our relationship.He was raised during the 20s and the depression as well as WWII.I Just gave a copy to my son who has small kids.
Published 3 months ago by cecil t durham jr
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely awesome
He was a fabulous man - I cried when he died and I still miss him. His son makes me happy to watch on TV.
Published 3 months ago by Susan Chamberlin
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely Book
I bought this book for my husband who was a big Tim Russert fan. He loved the book and so did I!
Published 3 months ago by Brenda Bryant
5.0 out of 5 stars I cried, and cried, and cried!
Mr. Russert's book is one of my favorites. I either laughed or cried as I read every page of this book. There were maybe a handful of letters that didn't bring me to tears. Read more
Published 16 months ago by C. Shores
5.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom of our Fathers
An outstanding book. You cannot help but emphasize with all participants. If this book will not stir your emotions and revive precious memories, nothing will. Read more
Published on January 11, 2011 by Michael Brubaker
5.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom of our Fathers---- I loved it.
I loved all the different people's comments about their fathers, and what they passed down, and their love for us. Read more
Published on February 26, 2010 by Janet Hancock
4.0 out of 5 stars nice collection of letters
I really enjoyed reading many of these letters shared in response to "Big Russ and Me."
Published on October 27, 2009 by jrc jr
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Topic From this Discussion
Tim Russert - Sunday Morning will never be the same
We would watch the reruns of Meet The Press on MSNBC. I liked hearing him talk during the entire democratic primaries. He will be miss by everybody at NBC and all the millions of veiwers.
Jun 13, 2008 by CE |  See all 4 posts
Tim Russert
I will miss him too. I was very much looking forward to his take on this election season this fall. RIP, Tim!
Jun 13, 2008 by HardyBoy64 |  See all 5 posts
Russert avoids reality politics & keeps it sweet & clean
WTF??? Mr. Curry seems to have a short attention span....this is a book about fathers and though he opens with that acknowledgment he blathers on about the pledge of alliegence in school??? What is wrong with this person? Stick to the subject and put this opinion where it belongs in a relevant... Read more
Jun 3, 2006 by D. Liston |  See all 2 posts
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