Carolrhoda Books, 2020
I’m sharing this remarkable photographic picture book a bit late, since it published more than a year ago. And yet it is exactly the right time. Fathers’ Day is just around the corner. This collaboration between succinct writer John Coy and gifted photographer Wing Young Huie is a homage to the purest, simplest ways in which Dads matter. Coy tags himself on his website: author, speaker, educator. To that i would add, Man of Few Words. They are, however, the right words.
Jacket copy quote from text:
“Dads work, dads share, dads laugh, dads fix.”
The spare text (just a few words per page) tags utterly, gloriously mundane photography by Huie in color and black/white. In each image, a father is featured, with offspring (often boys, but not exclusively), with other fathers or multiple generations.They represent a wide range of ages, identities, ethnicities, economic and social standings, and communities, few of them typically featured in such a universal concept book. In an era of selfies and casual “pix”, these images are both familiar and extraordinary. Each is a story in itself, framed and focused to invite our attention, trigger memories, welcome inquiry, and always recognize something deeply familiar. Both intense and minimalist, these pages have a powerful impact.
Often attributed to one of the most iconic sitcom dads of all time, some say,
This book reveals how showing up, being there, taking part in the lives of others is a foundational contribution beyond measure. I hope you’ll give it a good look, and then give it to a dad you know and love, even if your own dad isn’t around anymore.
