Widsom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It was interesting reading stories of fathers and families, and their struggles and happiness. We live in such a different world now, most of the entries in this book took place in the 50's through the 80's, and that was a totally different generation. Nonet...

Nice collection of very sentimental vignettes about fathers, from their sons and daughters. I listened to the audio version and had to stop because the emotions were too strong.

After Tim Russert published memories of his dad in Big Russ and Me, he received an overwhelming response from other men and women wanting to tell of their own memories, good or bad, of their fathers. Wisdom of our Fathers is the result of those letters he received. Many are heartwarming, filled with wonderful memories of a hardworking father who took the time to invest in his children’s lives. Letter after letter revolve around one central and all-important theme to each writer – the fact that each one’s father created meaningful moments, not by the things he bought them, but simply by being there for them.

Each letter conveys the love that the authors have for their dads and, as a father myself, makes me want to ensure that no show more matter what happens, that I create special memories for my children. As some stories tell, some fathers didn’t even know that something seemingly so insignificant that they did could have such an impact on his children.

Perhaps the only negative point is, oddly enough, Russert’s contributions before each letter. The letters would certainly do well on their own, and Russert’s comments came across as his simply wanting to add his $0.02 to each. While I’m sure they were intended to introduce and summarize the story that followed, it really only distracted from the story itself.

In a time where fathers are constantly being portrayed on television as bumbling idiots, this book sheds light on what true fatherhood means. show less

My mom found this book on the book exchange rack at her library. It's a sort of follow up book to Russert's book about his father. Many people sent him stories about their fathers after reading his book. Some of those stories are compiled here. There are many and you should find at least one to touch your heart. It made me miss my dad and my stepdad.

Russert has collected and edited letters from throughout America, and most of them are very interesting and emotionally moving.
They would be a good source for encouragement lessons or church talks.

Because of the generation that responded, a lot of the letters could have been written about my own father.

However, I just got tired of reading them about half-way through, as there was no way to make notes or index the content.

I still miss Tim Russert. He was a sane voice in the midst of a host of partisan political talking heads. I didn't read his first book, too busy, but this one caught my eye and I decided to give it a try. I'm really glad I did because it brought back so many good memories of my own father (1924-2004). People around the country have shown that Dad's are very special and they expressed it very well.

My thanks go out to everyone who shared their stories with Tim Russert and thus with the rest of us.

Another great book. Really, it is just a series of small stories about the fathers of various people. It is easy to identify with many of the memories/stories and reminds us that we should appreciate our own fathers.
After reading this, I bought a copy for my own father.