{"id":1167,"date":"2016-07-27T15:02:55","date_gmt":"2016-07-27T15:02:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nickduffel.com\/?p=1167"},"modified":"2016-07-27T15:02:55","modified_gmt":"2016-07-27T15:02:55","slug":"book-review-love-that-boy-by-ron-fournier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nickduffel.com\/?p=1167","title":{"rendered":"BOOK REVIEW: “Love That Boy” by Ron Fournier"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p> $\"9780804140485\"$ Ron Fournier spoke right to my heart in his new book, Love That Boy<\/em>.\u00a0 He manages to capture the fears, expectations, joy, and confusion that come along with fatherhood.\u00a0 As a father of four sons, this book was both a reassuring hand on my shoulder, and a punch to my gut.\n

Fournier is a political columnist who has brushed shoulders with three US Presidents, his career taking him to great heights, but also making him something of an absentee father and husband.\u00a0 When his son, Tyler, is diagnosed with Asperger\u2019s Syndrome, on the autism spectrum, Fournier launches on a series of road-trips to try and connect with him.\u00a0 Fournier has to come to grips with the fact that Tyler won\u2019t meet his expectations.\u00a0 Fournier is an avid sports fan, Tyler is uncoordinated and uninterested.\u00a0 Fournier is winsome and driven, Tyler is awkward, quirky, and unpopular.<\/p>\n

The moments between father and son are touching, funny, and heartbreaking in equal parts.\u00a0 Fournier is courageously confessional.\u00a0 He manages to weave other stories into the story of his time with Tyler: stories of the extended Fournier family along with the stories of other families whose children face challenges similar to Tyler\u2019s.\u00a0 Hearing these other stories lends perspective to the central story of a father trying desperately to connect with his son, first on his own terms\u2014with no success\u2014and then gradually on his son\u2019s terms.<\/p>\n

But the real value of this book is in the social commentary that Fournier offers throughout.\u00a0 He begins this commentary with a stinging statement. \u201cA parent\u2019s love is unconditional.\u00a0 A parent\u2019s satisfaction comes with caveats.\u00a0 This is an important distinction: you love<\/em> your kids no matter what, but you expect<\/em> them to be something\u2014smart or popular or successful, maybe a scholarship athlete who marries well and runs the family business.\u201d\u00a0 Ouch.\u00a0 While Fournier goes on to unpack this thought in one convicting passage after another, it never comes off as heavy-handed.\u00a0 This is because Fournier takes on a confessional tone, as if to say, \u201cThese are the hard lessons I had to learn and I want to share them so they become even more meaningful.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s not to say these lessons are anecdotal; Fournier cites studies and stats in keeping with his journalistic bent.\u00a0 This is solid, helpful stuff.<\/p>\n

This is such an important book, working on so many levels to confront an issue that plagues the American family. As parents, we must confront the tendencies to compensate for our own shortcomings in the achievements of our children. \u00a0What\u2019s at stake is being able to really connect with our children as they are<\/em>, and not just our idea of what they could be<\/em>.\u00a0 Fournier finishes the book by laying out three attributes we need to instill in our children: grit, acceptance, and empathy.\u00a0 We can\u2019t instill these characteristics if we are unable to connect with our children on a heart-level.\u00a0 Once again, the stakes are high.<\/p>\n

In my opinion, this book is a must-read for parents, and for dads especially.<\/p>\n

Please Note: This book was gifted as a part of the\u00a0Blogging for Books<\/a>\u00a0Reviewers Program in exchange for my unbiased review of this work. This has in no way influenced my opinion or review of this work.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"