Fatherhood — Part of An Expanded Review of Justin Baldoni’s ‘Man Enough’

Justin Baldoni digs deep into how messy — and beautiful — the journey toward fatherhood can be

Anthony Eichberger
7 min readFeb 18, 2022
Photo by Steven Van Loy on Unsplash

Fatherhood has long been a concept that is undervalued, taken for granted, or outright dismissed. Many fathers whose children need them will end up making themselves unavailable (be it physically, financially, or emotionally). Others weren’t fortunate enough to have the opportunity to know their fathers. And there are also men who want nothing more than to embrace fatherhood in profound and spiritual ways…but our society, for one reason or another, won’t let them.

In Chapter 9 of his book Man Enough, Justin Baldoni reflects on his own recent experiences as a young father. He relates that to his family’s history of paternal strife. By processing the lessons passed onto him through his own male elders, Baldoni makes sense of how he hopes to provide his children with a more nurturing alternative. Narratively, he serves as a conscience for other men who will delve into their individual struggles with navigating the experience of parenthood.

This is Part 9 of an eleven-part series examining Baldoni’s book.

Part 8 can be viewed HERE.

Chapter 9 (“Dad Enough”)

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Anthony Eichberger

Gay. Millennial. Pagan/Polytheist. Disabled. Rural-Born. Politically-Independent. Fashion-Challenged. Rational Egoist. Survivor. #AgriWarrior (Deal With It!)