Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 180
Trim: 6½ x 9½
978-0-7425-6425-1 • Hardback • March 2009 • $62.00 • (£48.00)
978-0-7425-6426-8 • Paperback • August 2010 • $42.00 • (£35.00)
978-0-7425-6612-5 • eBook • March 2009 • $39.50 • (£30.00)
Roberta L. Coles is associate professor of sociology at Marquette University.
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introducing a New Concept: Black Single Custodial Fathers
Chapter 2: Choosing to Parent on Their Own
Chapter 3: Being All Things to their Children: Parenting Roles and Behavioral Goals
Chapter 4: Fathering Daughters and Sons: The Role of the Child's Gender
Chapter 5: Negotiating Racial Identity and Socialization
Chapter 6: Is Fathering Good for Fathers?
Chapter 7: Single Custodial Fathers and Institutional Policies
References
Index
About the Author
Coles...makes a major contribution to the literature on single black custodial fathers. Her study is exploratory and descriptive, offering an examination of the meaning of fatherhood held by the 20 single black custodial fathers she interviewed. Her work offers a rich picture of fatherhood embodied by the fathers she interviewed. ... An important book that gets this best-kept secret out in the open.
— Library Journal
Interspersed throughout are compelling portraits of men raising their children and coping with all of the challenges women typically face in child rearing....Coles offers a new perspective on black male fatherhood that defies conventional wisdom on the subject.
— Booklist
Coles should be commended for her tenacity to interpret some black male experiences with rearing children. Recommended.
— Choice Reviews
Roberta Coles, by blending a case study approach and detailed personal narratives, reveals the neglected face of single African American custodial fathers committed to raising their children. Long ignored by researchers and misunderstood by agents of key social institutions, these men share powerful, intimate stories about the joys and struggles of fatherhood in a society conditioned to expect less of them.
— William Marsiglio, University of Florida
I highly recommend that we all read [this] essential book by a leading scholar on the subject of Black American fathers.
— L.A. Watts Times
- A unique in-depth look at the little-studied demographic group of African American custodial fathers
- Draws on qualitative research from interviews with men ages 20 to 76
- Case studies throughout bring the stories of the fathers and their children to life
- Suggests policy changes to improve situations for children and single parents
- Introduces students to concepts of race and ethnicity, gender roles, and family dynamics
- An engaging supplement for courses on marriage & family, race & ethnicity, or masculinity