Father Yourself First: Everything You Need to Become the Father Your Family Deserves

Henry draws from his popular YouTube channel, Beleaf in Fatherhood, for this empowering debut guide to bettering oneself in order to become a better dad. The author, who grew up apart from his biological father (and was inspired to create his YouTube channel by becoming a stay-at-home parent) notes that dads must first ensure they’re emotionally healthy enough to parent well. That involves “fathering oneself” into a more mentally healthy place—encouraging, protecting, and speaking kindly to oneself as a parent would to a child. He also suggests that dads connect with one another, seek out positive parenting models, and above all focus on being present rather than perfect, since “attention is the most valuable currency we have as human beings.” Drawing deeply from personal experience, the author outlines an uplifting philosophy that parenting is “good work” honored by God, even when it seems thankless. He also makes valuable points about the importance of creating visible models of Black fatherhood in a culture dominated by false narratives of “the absent Black father, the angry Black man, the broken Black family.” First-time dads and dads of faith will find this especially worthwhile. (Nov.)