Do Fathers Matter? What Science Is Telling Us About the Parent We’ve Overlooked

While his central premise might beg the question for any reader who has keenly felt the presence or absence of a paternal figure, science reporter Raeburn (Acquainted with the Night) isn’t out to chide “nontraditional families” but rather wants to “push back against the conventional wisdom” and “replace stereotypes and half-truths” with real data about the relevance of fathers to the family unit, from both sides of the father-child equation. Here he addresses topics ranging from paternal impact on genetic programming and social development to the father’s hormonal changes from conception through infancy. Whisking readers through research in evolutionary biology, psychology, sociology, and genetics to provide a “new understanding of the biology of fatherhood,” Raeburn is on comfortable ground discussing the hard science, such as the discovery of imprinted genes, and his personal concern about the “medical price” paid by older fathers. However, Raeburn pulls his punches when addressing research that suggests “disturbing problems” caused by absent fathers (poverty, promiscuity, delinquency) and instead offers uncontroversial recommendations for public policies that allow dads more time with their kids. That said, Raeburn’s attempt to promote the modern father as a “similarly nurturing and attentive” parent might indeed help, as he hopes, prompt a more informed cultural conversation. Agent: Beth Vesel, Irene Goodman Agency. (June)