Five years into fatherhood, Calvin Hennick is plagued by self-doubt and
full of questions. How can he teach his son to be a man, when his own
father figures abandoned him? As a white man, what can he possibly teach
his biracial son about how to live as a black man in America? And what
does it even mean to be a man today, when society's expectations of men
seem to change from moment to moment?
In search of answers, Calvin takes his young son on the road, traveling
across the country to the annual rodeo in his small Iowa hometown. Along
the way, a stop at the Baseball Hall of Fame turns into an impromptu
lesson about racism and segregation. In Niagara Falls, a day of arcade
games and go-karts unexpectedly morphs into a titanic struggle between
father and son. A stop in Chicago rips the scars off of old wounds. And
back in Iowa, Calvin is forced to confront the most difficult question
of all: What if his flaws and family history doom him to repeat the
mistakes of the past?
In this unforgettable debut memoir, Calvin Hennick holds a mirror up to
both himself and modern America, in an urgent and timely story that all
parents, and indeed all Americans, need to read.
