Upon closing the cover for Losing Dad, a sense of warm sadness surrounds; the kind of feeling one gets from the helpless aspects
of life. Stories of heartache and loss are plentiful, but a true tale which makes the reader feel like a friendly ear on the other side of the table in
a coffee bar sticks to the ribs. A feeling of not quite knowing what to say to comfort a friend is alleviated by the fact that its only a book.
Personally, I enjoy delving into the sad, the sick and even a bit of the depraved when it comes to stories concerning society's deviants, but
Losing Dad does not paint a picture of a deviant; it portrays a true story of one family's long-term struggle with a father's severe mental
illness. This illness not only takes away the personal father figure the family loved, but it feels like a torturous foray into a world where one's
deepest desire to help is only met with ending frustration. Patience becomes the virtue needed in most situations where parents instill values in their
children, but watching as a parent slips away truly necessitates unconditional love and willingness to continually attempt to understand.
Above all else, this true story sits like coffee grounds in the bottom of the empty cup because no easy answers or conclusions exist to tie up the
account as readers of fiction find. From the perspective of one who watches until the closing justice-served scene in crime dramas and reads the true
accounts of men like Dave Pelzer who combated extreme abuses and managed to obtain a stable lifestyle with the added success and catharsis of an author,
Losing Dad simply feels like a meeting of friends over coffee or hot cocoa, where one friend shares a terrible story and the listener has no
recourse but to listen and extend a hand. Extend your hands, as readers, and pick up a copy of Losing Dad by Amanda LaPera.
