Fatherhood - by Augustine Sedgewick

Book Synopsis

"Superbly intelligent...[a] rewarding Sapiens-style big history." --The Times (London)

A bold and original history of the invention and transformation of masculinity's most important institution, from the Bronze Age to the contemporary "crisis of men", told through a collective portrait of emblematic fathers who have helped to define our fundamental ideas of familial love, political power, and what it means to be a man.

What makes a father? At least since the beginning of the written historical record five thousand years ago, ideas of paternity have shaped basic human understanding of who we are, where we come from, and what we are capable of--identity and inheritance in all its forms. Yet we know little about where and why the concept of fatherhood arose in the first place, or how it has changed over time.

In this acclaimed book, prizewinning historian Augustine Sedgewick, celebrated for his "literary gifts and prodigious research" (The Atlantic), traces for the first time the origins and evolution of fatherhood in Western culture, from the Bronze Age to the contemporary "crisis of men". With intimate detail, Sedgewick reconstructs the lives of some of history's most famous fathers--Aristotle, Saint Augustine, Henry VIII, Thomas Jefferson, Darwin, Freud, Bob Dylan, and more--to show how, in moments of historic crisis and conflict, men developed new ideals of fatherhood that helped sustain their power and authority within the family and beyond.

Yet the history of fatherhood is not just the story of patriarchy, arguably the oldest and most widespread form of social inequality. Nor is it simply the story of paternal care and affection. Instead, it is the story of how these twin strands became so entangled that they are often indistinguishable. Fatherhood takes us on a journey across hundreds of generations to uncover the roots of modern masculinity and help us see one of the most meaningful parts of our lives in a new light.

Review Quotes

"[A] winsome and erudite study of patriarchy...Sedgwick teases out the contradictions between patriarchy as a doctrine of benevolent control and its reality as a form of constraint and domination that often breeds resistance. He plays on these ironies in elegant, evocative prose...It's fresh and insightful meditation on the paternal dilemma." --Publishers Weekly

"Sharp...Augustine Sedgewick is an undeniably talented prose stylist with estimable dot-connecting abilities...this book engages in interesting ways with assumptions about fathers of nations, faiths, and families." --Kirkus Reviews

"Superbly intelligent . . . [a] rewarding Sapiens-style big history." --The Times (UK)

"A deeply fascinating and strikingly humane read." --The Observer (UK)

"As so much of the conversation about modern masculinity seems limited to snappy, 10-second podcast reels, [Fatherhood is a] welcome intervention and we are in good hands...artfully examined...highly informative...Fatherhood shows that the hidden truth of fatherhood and masculinity is that they are concepts we make and can be remade." --The Financial Times

"A timely read for a point where family roles continue to evolve and be challenged." --The Associated Press

"Sedgewick describes how thinking about dads has changed over time. What is striking is the sheer variety of nonsense that people have believed . . . [but he] concludes on a personal note. When he asks his young son what a father should be, the boy replies that a dad should be 'funny and good at hugging.' As parenting advice goes, that is hard to beat." --The Economist

"What is a father, exactly? To answer this question, Augustine Sedgewick cracks open the lives of those before him, nearly all predating the great feminist thinkers who guide his inquiry. Absorbing, rigorous, and profoundly moving, Fatherhood is an exquisite narrative history that offers new ways of thinking about masculinity and the modern family." --Kate Bolick, author of Spinster

"We have mainly relied on feminist theory to tell the difficult truth and harms of patriarchy, but Fatherhood adds to that important canon. It is an invigorating, impressively researched, and honest read. Anyone doing the work of dismantling and reframing the heavy role of the father will find something here." --Raymond Antrobus, author of Signs, Music

"Fatherhood is a richly absorbing piece of history embedded in a wealth of wonderful storytelling. A pleasure to read." --Vivian Gornick, author of The Odd Woman and the City

About the Author

Augustine Sedgewick is the author of Coffeeland, winner of the 2022 Cherasco International Prize and a New York Times Editors' Choice selection. He earned his doctorate at Harvard University, and his research on the global history of capitalism, work, food, and family has received fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Antiquarian Society, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, among others. Originally from Maine, Sedgewick lives in New York City with his son.