Dear Father, Dear Son

By: Larry Elder

Narrated by: Neal Ghant

Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

Stunning...a wonderful listen...a handbook for life. Those words of advance praise from another celebrated author scarcely convey just how powerfully mesmerizing is the latest book by New York Times best-selling author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host Larry Elder.

Dear Father, Dear Son is a personal memoir of Elder's troubled - one might even say tortured - relationship with his father, and the astonishing outcome that develops when Elder, at long last, confronts him.

Says Elder: A man's relationship with his father - every boy, every man lucky enough to have a father in his life has to figure that out. My own father? I thought I knew him - even though he seldom talked about himself. And what I knew I hated - really, really hated. Cold, ill-tempered, thin-skinned, my father always seemed on the brink of erupting. Scared to death of him, I kept telling myself to find the courage to "stand up to him". When I was 15, I did. After that, said Elder, we did not speak to each other for 10 years.

And then we did - for eight hours. The result can't be described. It has to be experienced.

As reflected in the book's subtitle - Two Lives...Eight Hours - one extraordinary, all-day conversation between Elder and his long-estranged father utterly transformed their relationship. It is no exaggeration to say the book will likewise transform listeners.

Indeed, calling it stunning, Burt Boyar, co-author of the best-selling autobiography on Sammy Davis, Jr., says of Dear Father, Dear Son: "Above all it is a wonderful read. I am tempted to call it a page-turner but in my case I hated to turn every page because that meant I was getting closer to the end and I did not want it to end.... The book is filled with emotion. It is, of course, a handbook for life. I guess it is that above all things. Any kid who reads it and follows the advice of how to live his life just has to come out well."

Dear Father, Dear Son is the story of one man discovering a son he never really knew. And of the son finding a man, a friend, a father who had really been there all along.

©2012 Larry Elder (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Fathers and Sons

This book had me second guessing my relationship with my own father, and provided a different perspective on motives behind actions and perceived slights. Not that it took the book to point these out, but it was refreshing to see someone else with the same take/epiphany. Regardless of where my relationship with my dad stands, I'm indebted to him for sticking around and being a father. This is a beautiful story of a father and son finally coming to know and understand one another, a story of hard work and overcoming adversity. I loved every minute, and the narration couldn't have fit the story any better. I listened to this back to back, and have shared with many people how much I enjoyed this story and performance.

Gripping story, poignantly read by author

I love the way the story was told in flashbacks from Larry Elder's growing up years, his father's harsh youth, their eight hours of conversation, and finally an heartfelt epilogue. A treasure of a book to help understand how families work and sometimes don't work well. Thank you, Mr. Elder, for writing an honest book.

Fabulous!! A grandslam home run !!

I have always related to the brilliant articulate Larry Elder on talk radio.
This book which I listened to on "Audible" was engaging, beautifully crafted, sensitive, profound, instructive, entertaining, and often funny.
Larry succeeded in bringing me into his family, what it was like growing up in his family, and particularly with his dad.
I could really understand how his dad was both abusive and noble.
I also could internalize that black families have to deal with the ups and downs of life just like white families, but then also have to deal with the challenges of being black that exist.
I have to say that Neal Ghant is flawless in his recitation. He is a master. Couldn't be better. I recommend this book to everyone, and especially those who have enjoyed listening to Larry Elder as I have over the years.

What lovely memories

Oh Larry - this journey of yours was so amazing. Thank you for sharing it with us. I remember listening to your shows everyday and especially the Chief Justice on Fridays. Since those days I've become an Elderada and listen religiously! You are so smart and so engaging! Thank you for being you!

amazing book

I absolutely loved the book. The narrator also did a great job!

Funny, Wise, & Real

Raw feelings of every kind. Larry Elder writes about his family in a way that is natural- you really feel as if you know his father, mother, and brothers. Racism is mentioned, but isn't weaponized in this book. The narrator did wonderfully with the men's voices. Could use some work on the women's, but it wasn't bad, just kind of funny sounding.

Beautiful story

Beautiful story of two different lives. Wish I could forget it so I could listen to it again.

I hardly know how to put this into words...

I have just finished the book, after devouring it in one sitting. I didn't really know anything about Larry Elder prior to "reading" it other than he is the reason Dave Rubin began questioning a lot of his leftist thinking.

This book is revelatory. It's inspiring. It's touching. And having had my own tense relationship with my mother, is so valuable as it gives such a good look at both sides of a parent-child troublesome dynamic, where both sides are right and wrong. It's one of the best books I've ever read.

Greatly spoken personal story.

Family relations described in detail. I am sure many can find some to relate to.

No nonsense, no excuses, all love...

A touching cantation of a relationship between father, son, father needing son, and son needing father.

An amazing and reaffirming book.

Larry Elder is one of those writers that doesn't pepper his writing with superlatives but his intelligence shines through in every word. This book is paced so well; a piece of non-fiction that reads like fiction but never once do you forget that the narrative is underpinned by the slow bubble of forgiveness and reconciliation between a father and son that is (at times) brutally real.

I really enjoyed this book. Can't recommend it enough. I was glued to it.