Now in paperback!

This book started with a small essay I wrote for Salon.com back in November 2001. Within days of writing that essay, I received more than 100 e-mails from strangers. Their notes emboldened me when a publisher called to see if I would turn the essay into a book.

I've now received a great many e-mails as a result of this book. Many are from our massive extended family -- not the least bit surprising. But many, once again, are from strangers. I've heard from therapists who have used the book to help clients through a grieving process. I've heard from people who lost their fathers when they were young. I've heard from people of all ages who are actively seeking out mentors. And I've heard from people who grew up in great neighborhoods like the one in San Bruno, where I was raised.

The letters have been a joy to read. I'm grateful. So is my family.

Kevin Sweeney

Kevin Sweeney first wrote about his father figures on Salon.com.

As a consultant, he works with corporations to identify and implement best practices in the areas of environmental protection and human rights. His clients have included Rhino Records, Nike, Hewlett-Packard, Chiquita, Ford Motor, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the David & Lucile Packard Foundation. As an an executive with Patagonia, the outdoor company, he led the company's environmental efforts.

Sweeney held senior positions in the Clinton Administration, serving as special assistant to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. He helped lead the Administration's efforts to save the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. He served as press secretary to Senator Gary Hart, in the Senate and on Hart's presidential campaigns.

He has been a television reporter and news analyst. His essays on politics and social topics have been featured on Salon.com and in numerous major newspapers, and he has appeared on Nightline, NewsHour, and Larry King Live.

He is a visiting faculty member at the Haas School of Business on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, and is an advisor to the Center for Responsible Business at Haas. He is on the executive education faculty of the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College.

A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, he lives with his family in Northern California.