Sample Chapter

About

Marvin played catch with his father, Eli, only once—it didn’t end well. Eli never laughed, rarely spoke with his son, and was periodically lambasted by his wife for his lack of ambition. How had a Harvard graduate failed to achieve all that he had once hoped for? 

Now an experienced investigative journalist, Marvin Olasky uncovers the true story of his father’s past in his most personal work to date—facing Eli’s pain and his own in order to understand and forgive. He follows Eli from his Orthodox Jewish childhood in Boston to his days as a commuter student at Harvard to his traumatic experiences in Germany following World War II to his embrace of Reconstructionist Judaism, describing a “spiritual and psychological death by one thousand cuts”—and discovering what he owes to his parents.

Endorsements

“A poignant, intimate, and engaging memoir . . . with honest meditations on themes ranging from anti-Semitism to redemption. Beware: this book is addictive.”

—Robert A. Sirico, Founder, Acton Institute 

“The work of a brilliant writer and thinker, Marvin consoles those who have had difficult parents and shows through his own experience they do not have to determine the course of the lives of their children.”

—Cal Thomas, Syndicated Columnist 

“A sense of longing and loss pervades Marvin Olasky’s tribute to his father—a reckoning with his Jewish heritage that remains sensitive to time and culture, faith and freedom. A beautiful lament.”

—Trevin Wax, Author, Rethink Your Self

“Anyone who has experienced a difficult parent-child relationship will appreciate the wisdom in this book.”

—Wayne Grudem, Distinguished Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies, Phoenix Seminary

The Author

Marvin Olasky

Marvin Olasky is the former longtime editor-in-chief of World magazine. He is an elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, chairman of Zenger House, and the author of over twenty books, including Lament for a Father and The Tragedy of American Compassion. He was a Yale Daily News and Boston Globe reporter and has published articles in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Fortune. He served as dean of the World Journalism Institute and for twenty-five years taught journalism at the University of Texas.

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