Detroit author’s book provokes discussion on absentee fathers in Black America

Detroit, Michigan. – The Detroit Public Library, Main Branch, will sponsor a book launch and discussion on the new book by author Robin Wright King, “Papa Was A Rolling Stone: A Daughter’s Journey to Forgiveness”, on Saturday, March 10, 2007 at 2:00 pm. The event will be held at 5201 Woodward Avenue, Detroit Michigan.

The 184-page book casts a glaring light on a catastrophic social and cultural issue plaguing the African American community: fatherless daughters. The event will feature a short film titled ‘Our Fathers, Our Lives: African American Women Speak’, a dialogue of ten women who discuss relationships with their fathers.

Papa Was A Rolling Stone: A Daughter’s Journey to Forgiveness is a powerful resource for fatherless women who struggle to understand the impact of father absence on their lives and who wish to carve a path to forgiveness and healing. It is a thought provoking account of the painful legacy of fraternal rejection and a tool to enable practitioners to demonstrate the important role that fathers play in emotional development and well-being of their daughters. Statistics indicate that as many as 60 percent of African American children are born out of wed-lock and are raised by single mothers or grandparents. According to sociologist Andrew J. Cherlin, an African American child growing up during slavery was more likely to live with both parents than their counterparts today.

George Haley, Former U.S. Ambassador and brother of Roots author Alex Haley, endorsed the book saying “[T]he book makes a compelling case for parents and everybody concerned about the future of our younger generation to work to prevent fatherlessness..”
Dr. Jeffery M. Johnson, national fatherlessness expert, and President and CEO of the Washington DC based nonprofit, National Partnership for Community Leadership, writes in the foreword “Robin Wright King’s book, Papa Was a Rolling Stone: A Daughter’s Journey to Forgiveness, is a powerfully written account of a daughter’s life without her father. To her credit and catharsis, the book reads like a love letter from a loving daughter to her father who did not play an active role in her life.