Moved by reading about the victims of 9/11, many of whom left behind families with young children, writer Kevin Sweeney was prompted to recall is own experience of losing his father when he was three years old. The resulting memoir, Father Figures (Regan, $22.95, pages, ISBN 0060511923), is both a nostalgic recollection of growing up during the 1960s in a large Irish-Catholic family and a perceptive exploration of grief’s long-term toll. Comforted by friends, neighbors and teachers and mentored by a stoic older brother, the young Sweeney bravely soldiers on after his father’s death. At the age of eight, he decides to “adopt” three adult men to serve as his role models and guides to manhood. Each man unknowingly lends valuable assistance to the boy on his sometimes painful journey through childhood and adolescence. Poignant without being maudlin, Sweeney’s story beautifully conveys the significance of a father’s role and offers hope that even the most profound of life’s tragedies can be endured and overcome.
