Novel Thoughts: Great reads for Father’s Day | Community

Last month, I celebrated great mothers in literature, so it’s only fitting that I now turn to the great fathers that can be found in books. Fathers are important people, so in honor of Father’s Day this month, here are a few of my favorite books that also have wonderful fathers in them.

First and foremost, no mention of American literature would be complete without this novel, which also won the title of America’s best-loved novel in 2018 when PBS held the Great American Read. Have you guessed it? It’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” That book has been a favorite of mine since I first read it when I was a youngster, and the character of Atticus Finch has withstood the test of time as a paternal role model still today. It probably helps that Gregory Peck played the part so admirably in the 1962 film adaptation, but reading Atticus never gets old.

Next in my esteem of fathers in literature is Bob Cratchit from Charles Dickens’ beloved classic “A Christmas Carol.” I have read that story so many times, but it always feels like I’m reading it for the first time, and Cratchit’s love for his family and his special connection with Tiny Tim is simply heartwarming. It’s so heartwarming, in fact, that it warms the cold heart of Ebenezer Scrooge so much that he becomes a better person.

When my children were young, I loved to read them stories about the Berenstain bears, and in one of my favorite stories called “Big Red Kite,” Papa Bear teaches the children the importance of never giving up. He’s not often a central character in the stories, but his guiding presence runs throughout the books, and he’s loving, yet firm, with his children.

After reading “Guess How Much I Love You” by Sam McBratney over and over to my kids, we’d often tell each other what the father nut brown hare says to his son at the end of the story: “I love you right up to the moon and back.” It’s the perfect bedtime story to read to your child or grandchild.

There are many great books that have father figures in them. Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo takes in and later adopts Cosette. Arthur Weasley is a wonderful father to his many children, but he also serves as a wonderful stand-in father for Harry Potter. Jim becomes a clear father figure for Huck Finn in their journey down the river, which is symbolic of a much more important journey.

In one of my favorite book series, “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” by Alexander McCall Smith, the lead detective is a woman named Precious Ramotswe. Throughout the many books, Precious is often guided by fond memories of her highly respected father, Obed Ramotswe, and her husband, Mr. JLB Matekoni, is a stellar father figure to the two foster children that Precious takes in.

If I were to choose a father figure from literature for myself, however, it wouldn’t be a fictional one. My choice would be Ralph Waldo Emerson. In my opinion, he’s one of the wisest men who ever lived and who also managed to share that wisdom for posterity through his many essays. In addition to having his own children, he also served as a father figure and friend to Henry David Thoreau.

Good fathers are all around us, in literature and in life, so let’s celebrate them this month with a good book and a good hug.