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OverviewThe Best Kept Secret studies the often-overlooked group of single, African American custodial fathers. While the media focuses on the increase of single mothers and the decline in marriage in the black community, Roberta Coles paints a nuanced picture of single black dads. Based on qualitative research, the author looks at the parenting experience of these fathers, who may have become single parents through nonmarital births, divorce, widowhood and adoption. The fathers, ranging in age from 20 to 76, discuss their motivations for taking custody of their children, what roles they enact as parents, what they hope for their children, how they socialize their children in a diverse society, how parenting daughters differs from sons, and what parenting has done for them personally. Coles then recommends policy changes to improve the situations for children and single parents-particularly often-unseen fathers. Filled with dynamic interviews and intriguing case studies, The Best Kept Secret shows that single black custodial fathers do exist and looks at the ways raising children has shaped their lives. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Roberta L. ColesPublisher: Rowman & Littlefield Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Dimensions: Width: 16.40cm , Height: 1.70cm , Length: 24.10cm Weight: 0.422kg ISBN: 9780742564251ISBN 10: 0742564258 Pages: 180 Publication Date: 16 March 2009 Audience: General/trade , General Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 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 AuthorReviewsRoberta 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.--Marsiglio, William 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 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 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 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 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 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 Author InformationRoberta L. Coles is associate professor of sociology at Marquette University. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |