The book "Absent-Father Syndrome" delves into the profound impact that an absent father can have on individuals and their relationships. The author aptly highlights how unresolved issues stemming from paternal absence can perpetuate across generations, influencing various aspects of one's life, particularly intimate relationships.

The book offers insights into the complexities of this syndrome, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and addressing past traumas to break the cycle of hurt and loss. It encourages readers to embark on a healing journey, acknowledging the pain of the past while striving for personal growth and healing in the present.

While the book effectively explores absent-father syndrome's emotional and psychological dimensions, some readers may find it lacks practical guidance or concrete strategies for navigating the healing process. Additionally, the text may resonate more strongly with individuals who have experienced paternal absence firsthand, potentially limiting its appeal to a broader audience.

Overall, "Absent-Father Syndrome" serves as a thought-provoking exploration of familial trauma and its implications for personal relationships, offering valuable insights for those seeking to understand and address the lasting effects of paternal absence.

i just reviewed Absent-Father Syndrome by Dr. Morarji Peesay. #AbsentFatherSyndrome #NetGalley
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It was very interested in reading this book due to the nature of it. It was interesting all the way thru. It was supported by great facts and actual events. I give this book a five stars out of five stars. I think the author did a fabulous job. I will be looking forward to reading the next novel that is written.

*** 2.5 stars ***

This book irritated me on many levels... let me explain.

Dr. MP (Morarji Peesay) is the author of a book that purports its goal is to enlighten and explain the concept of Absent Father Syndrome, which effects everyone in the world, regardless of race, creed, or sex; however, I did not find this to be the case. The more sections I highlighted in this book, the more it became blatantly obvious that the author had written essentially a "soft revenge" letter to his own father (now deceased) on the many ways he had failed him in his own childhood. This was described in (bitter) detail via personal anecdotes and correlated to journal/website articles (albeit extremely outdated, mainly from 2000s-2010s).

This 200-page novella (where only 67% of the book was actual text, and the rest was endnotes, references, and acknowledgements) was, for the most part, directed at young boys without consistent father figures in their lives. There is too much filler in the way of quotes and poems from either directors of counselling groups or from celebrities. There are subsections within chapters describing how male bird and fish species "parent" their offspring (why was this included??) as well as contradictory statements such as, "father involvement is a hallmark of modern fatherhood" (based on a 1987 article) and "the effects of fatherlessness are largely unmeasurable due to the subjective nature of its impact."

This author then goes on to state that he has questioned his own parenting style due to the lack of a caring father in his own upbringing and also shares how "a book editor once told me to keep digging deeper in my memories," which is completely how this book felt - a memoir of tragic emotional and physical abuse tales.

It became completely apparent that the author's bias was based on the fact that he is a male, of a specific ethnic group, and lives in a particular country; I could not relate to this subject matter at all based on these narrow parameters (the only concrete information he provided to support the effects of fatherlessness on female children is that there is a higher propensity to teenage pregnancy and feelings of anxiousness and insecurity, which were repeated ad nauseum and were referenced from 20-year-old articles). There was equally little mention of Hispanic, African American, and Native cultures, from a female standpoint, as well.

While I hope that this author got some closure in regard to his own childhood circumstances, I do not believe that reading this book will be helpful in any way for a "healing journey" for everyone (as quoted in the book summary), as it is non inclusive and unrelatable in most aspects.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This book is hard to read, but I found myself described or rather, I saw my father and my relationship described and while it made me sad, it also explained a lot.

It is so important to understand a relationship with a parent and this book clearly shows how much research the author put in this book.

While there are several facts that threatens to bog down the book, somehow, all the data enhances the book instead of dragging it down.

A must read if you have lived with an absent father.

This book definitely gave me a lot to think about. I think it will find readership in our library, so we will be purchasing.