I finished reading Ghost of My Father by Scott Berkun over the holiday weekend. It’s an intense read about the authors relationship with his father and the impact his father had on the entire family through behavior ranging from affairs to indifference to put downs. It’s about the part of growing up where you see the flaws in your parents and come to terms with them, at least as best can be done. It’s easy to understand the authors pain, though not pleasant at all to read about it as you see his multiple attempts to bridge the divide. It was interesting to see him tackle the problem as an author, interviewing his family – including his father – and then writing about it, something I don’t know that I’d have the courage to do.

It’s impossible to read it without thinking about where you stand with your own parents and if you’ve done enough to see them as adults and as people. I think I’ve done ok on that part, but I still had a restless night after reading the book, wishing my father was still alive so we could talk again, father to son who is now a father.