Overview

Steve's life has been consumed with the quest to create a family. As a boy raised Catholic in the Midwest, he grew up thinking he was straight and would marry a woman and have children. When he was confronted with his attraction to men and the eventual realization that he was gay, he gave up that dream of having a family and chose the route of gay singledom. As the times changed and he gained greater self-acceptance, he re-ignited his dream for a family and started the arduous journey toward parenthood. Determined To Be Dad chronicles his trials and tribulations of self-discovery to acceptance to building a new reality and, finally, to the joys of creating his own family through adoption. With this tender and painful story, Steve offers his journey as a tribute to his desire for familial connection, overcoming self-imposed handicaps, and facing the harsh realities of two men trying to create a family. This is the story of faith, resilience, and the ubiquitous need for love and family.

Full Product Details

9781951591113

Table of Contents

Reviews

Millennial LGBTQ people are looking at creating families at a much higher rate than previous generations and still face some of the same roadblocks. Steve's story of coming out and then his odyssey of creating his family is a must-read for anyone pondering their own journey of becoming a parent. Steve provides both practical information about the hoops he jumped through during the process and his stories of self-discovery that brought him to the realization that he could be a father. --Rev. Stan J. Sloan, CEO, Family Equality Steve's journey of becoming a dad demonstrates the human experience of wanting to belong and the need for resilience to be our authentic selves. He writes of many intersectional experiences where he finds commonality with different communities and how those experiences have shaped his life. I highly recommend Determined To Be Dad for anyone facing roadblocks on their journey of self-discovery. --Carin Taylor, Chief Diversity Officer, Workday As more companies create inclusive policies and cultures that are fully supportive of LGBTQ employees, it is inevitable that more queer people will be creating families. Steve's journey of building his family and navigating his career in corporate America provides a great testament to what's possible when everyone is encouraged to be authentic. LGBTQ professionals considering becoming parents must read this book. --Erin Uritus, CEO, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates Determined To Be Dad is a page-turner. Two men creating a family faced turbulence and uncertainty. While compassion, determination, and love, might seem like ordinary concepts, when it comes to living them in the face of real life's adversity, it's easy to lose faith. How becoming a loving father to two adopted children, loyal husband, trusted friend, and good citizen created the deeper meaning in his life. --Svetlana Kim, Award-winning Author of White Pearl and I: A Memoir of a Political Refugee, co-author of The Last of the Four Musketeers: Allen Joe's Life and Friendship with Bruce Lee, and speaker The reality is that we all feel included and excluded at various times in our lives. Steve's experiences on both sides of this paradigm have shaped his values and how he shows up in the world. His tender story of coming out to creating his family gives us all hope that we can build the life of our dreams. --Jennifer Brown, CEO, Jennifer Brown Consulting, and Author of How to be an Inclusive Leader: Your Role In Creating Cultures of Belonging Where Everyone Can Thrive For me and so many other LGBTQ people, creating a family is a long process of research and planning. It's an exploration of what it means to be a family. Determined To Be Dad shares the story of Steve's own deeply personal exploration of identity, family, and parenthood. His experiences overcoming the hurdles of building a family will give hope to any aspiring parent. --Dr. Vivienne Ming, Theoretical Neuroscientist, Author, Co-Founder & Executive Chair of Socos Labs

"""Millennial LGBTQ people are looking at creating families at a much higher rate than previous generations and still face some of the same roadblocks. Steve's story of coming out and then his odyssey of creating his family is a must-read for anyone pondering their own journey of becoming a parent. Steve provides both practical information about the hoops he jumped through during the process and his stories of self-discovery that brought him to the realization that he could be a father."" --Rev. Stan J. Sloan, CEO, Family Equality ""Steve's journey of becoming a dad demonstrates the human experience of wanting to belong and the need for resilience to be our authentic selves. He writes of many intersectional experiences where he finds commonality with different communities and how those experiences have shaped his life. I highly recommend Determined To Be Dad for anyone facing roadblocks on their journey of self-discovery."" --Carin Taylor, Chief Diversity Officer, Workday ""As more companies create inclusive policies and cultures that are fully supportive of LGBTQ employees, it is inevitable that more queer people will be creating families. Steve's journey of building his family and navigating his career in corporate America provides a great testament to what's possible when everyone is encouraged to be authentic. LGBTQ professionals considering becoming parents must read this book."" --Erin Uritus, CEO, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates ""Determined To Be Dad is a page-turner. Two men creating a family faced turbulence and uncertainty. While compassion, determination, and love, might seem like ordinary concepts, when it comes to living them in the face of real life's adversity, it's easy to lose faith. How becoming a loving father to two adopted children, loyal husband, trusted friend, and good citizen created the deeper meaning in his life."" --Svetlana Kim, Award-winning Author of White Pearl and I: A Memoir of a Political Refugee, co-author of The Last of the Four Musketeers: Allen Joe's Life and Friendship with Bruce Lee, and speaker ""The reality is that we all feel included and excluded at various times in our lives. Steve's experiences on both sides of this paradigm have shaped his values and how he shows up in the world. His tender story of coming out to creating his family gives us all hope that we can build the life of our dreams."" --Jennifer Brown, CEO, Jennifer Brown Consulting, and Author of How to be an Inclusive Leader: Your Role In Creating Cultures of Belonging Where Everyone Can Thrive ""For me and so many other LGBTQ people, creating a family is a long process of research and planning. It's an exploration of what it means to be a family. Determined To Be Dad shares the story of Steve's own deeply personal exploration of identity, family, and parenthood. His experiences overcoming the hurdles of building a family will give hope to any aspiring parent."" --Dr. Vivienne Ming, Theoretical Neuroscientist, Author, Co-Founder & Executive Chair of Socos Labs"

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available