Mean Dads for a Better America, by Tom Shillue

Tom Shillue is a funny guy who seems to have his head screwed on straight.  In Mean Dads for a Better America: The Generous Rewards of an Old-Fashioned Childhood, Shillue nostalgically recalls his strict and traditional upbringing and concludes that it was just what he needed, and maybe just what all our kids need! 

A child of the 1970s, Shillue recalls that, despite the stereotypes of that decade, more families resembled what we think of as 1950s values.  He writes, "like 99 percent of the country at that time, [his hometown] was a lot closer to Mayberry, with dads that looked like Andy Griffith and kids that looked like Opie."

Most of the book is stories about his childhood.  Shillue has spent a good part of his career doing stand-up comedy, which explains why some of the chapters resemble a stand-up routine.  But beyond the humor Shillue recalls his parents and his childhood with such fondness that you begin to love his folks and envy his home life.  His dad was, in a way, a hard man who struck fear in kids in the neighborhood, not to mention Shillue and his brother, but Shillue writes that he "understand[s] that [he] had a great and fortunate childhood."  He "was not the victim of strict parenting, but a beneficiary of it."

As the son of very traditional parents myself, and just a few years younger than Shillue, I could relate to much of his story.  His family is traditional Irish Catholic; my family is traditional Texas Baptist.  But the experience, parenting style, and, especially, the moral foundation, is similar.  I can agree with Shillue that "my life is better for the great American values that I was fortunate enough to be raised with."  He concludes that "these values can be seen by many as out of step with the times, corny, unrealistic, and unpopular.  But guess what?  They work." Amen to that.


Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!