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Failing at Fatherhood: A book for the imperfect father Kindle Edition

by Jack Barr (Author), Bob Russell (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 29 ratings
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Winner Mom's Choice Award


"Why do I fear her so much? Marley is my own flesh and blood, yet I lie here silently as a new father wondering if I will be here in the morning."


When Jack Barr and his wife, Jana, had their first child, they were overcome with joy and excitement. Three days later, as they prepared to leave the hospital, two doctors entered their room debating whether newborn baby Marley, had Down syndrome. Mixed in with the confusion of whether or not their daughter was chromosomally different, Jack and Jana knew their lives would be changed forever.


Failing at Fatherhood embraces Jack's honest struggles as a father, after receiving his child's diagnosis of Down syndrome three weeks after her birth. He excavates the past, examines the present, and explores his future life in a sincere attempt to understand his personal failures as a father during his first year of parenthood. Throughout the book, Jack wrestles with the decision of divorce, suicide, and the existence of God. However, with His ultimate direction, Jack is able to understand the significance of fathers being committed to their children.

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  1. Print length
    168 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    November 10, 2014
  5. File size
    1641 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

I thank God that Jack has written an honest and helpful book that will benefit other parents with similar challenges. But beyond that, everyone who is challenged in life will benefit by this story and Jack's experience. --Bob Russell, retired senior minister Southeast Christian Church

Heartbreaking yet hopeful, Failing at Fatherhood is a compelling, honest look at one man's struggle to become the father that he wants to be. ----S. A. Bodeen, award-winning childrens author, author of "The Compound" and "The Gardener"

Raw. Emotional. Honest. That's Jack Barr, wearing his emotions on his sleeve, in his book Failing at Fatherhood. If you've ever been traumatized by the birth of an imperfect baby, if you've ever found yourself in the pit of despair questioning God and wondering how you will cope, the story of Jack, his wife Jana, and their precious little Marley will not only touch your heart, it will wrench it. But there is hope in their story the hope that only a good God can bring. Read Failing at Fatherhood and prepare to be changed. ----Dr. Woodrow Kroll, former president and senior bible teacher of BACK TO THE BIBLE INTERNATIONAL

About the Author

Three years ago, Jack and Jana did not know God would use their daughter Marley, to forever alter their life plan. Marley was born with Down syndrome and that event sent Jack crashing into a sea of depression. "I could not overcome the question of, Why us God"? Since that day, Jack and Jana have rerouted their plan to align with God's plan. They started, If They Had A Voice, an awareness campaign that focuses on Down syndrome abortions. Their story has been featured on CNN, CNN Mexico, Life Action News, and The Insight Channel. Jack has also released his first book, Failing at Fatherhood, which has been endorsed by Bob Russell, S.A. Bodeen, and Woodroll Kroll. Jack & Jana had a simple plan for their future, but God has forced them to trust in HIS plan.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00OSSQDGA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Trinity Grace Press (November 10, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 10, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1641 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 168 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1940145309
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 29 ratings

About the author

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Jack Barr

Jack Barr

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Three years ago, Jack and Jana did not know God would use their daughter Marley, to forever alter their life plan. Marley was born with Down syndrome and that event sent Jack crashing into a sea of depression. "I could not overcome the question of, Why us God"? Since that day, Jack and Jana have rerouted their plan to align with God's plan. They started, If They Had A Voice, an awareness campaign that focuses on Down syndrome abortions. Their story has been featured on CNN, CNN Mexico, Life Action News, and The Insight Channel. Jack has also released his first book, Failing at Fatherhood, which has been endorsed by Bob Russell, S.A. Bodeen, and Woodroll Kroll. Jack & Jana had a simple plan for their future, but God has forced them to trust in HIS plan.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
29 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

RV camper
5.0 out of 5 stars I recommend this book for everyone
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2014
Verified Purchase
Jack is honest with what he went through--both in his past and when Marley was born. It is hard to lay everything out for everyone to see, and I commend him for it. I taught with Jack and Jana in Bangkok before Marley was born, and I can only imagine what they have gone through. My youngest grandson is autistic and the age of 15, he is a two-year old. I want my son to read this book because I know that he has felt some of the same things Jack felt as failing at fatherhood. I recommend this book for everyone.
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Lindsay
5.0 out of 5 stars apply it andwatch your children and entire family grow stronger
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2014
Verified Purchase
I read this book in a matter of hours. I laughed, cried and felt a greater urgency to be transparent in my own life. Jack's openness and honesty is a guideline into helping others heal. We can't truly reach out unless we bare all first. I hope all of you will buy this book and read it with the willingness to be changed. I work daily with children that are aching for their parents to be available and real with them. Read this, apply it and watch your children and entire family grow stronger. - Craig Beatty (from my wife's account)
2 people found this helpful
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Claudia Johnson
4.0 out of 5 stars ...definitely not a failure
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
Jack was my son's coach his senior year. His positive, enthusiastic, genuine words of love and encouragement still ring in my son's ears many years later. Jana is the positive, sweet constant in their team. I loved their honesty and humor in his writing. Hopefully, the reference to his fifty year old father being "old" was just humor and not honesty. Great stories making me uncomfortable at times...I would surely recommend this to others
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Evie
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is for everyone.
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
To quote my Mom after reading a couple of chapters," Wow! This is a real page turner!"
Jack takes you on his journey of introspection and discovery with visceral honesty. His story reads like a novel as he chronicles his life from childhood to the present.
Intended for father's of down syndrome children, this book is for everyone who has struggled with the inevitable challenges that life and living in faith present. This is a haunting book that will change you and stay with you for a long time.
2 people found this helpful
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Bethany Groot
5.0 out of 5 stars and lives in ways that aren't easy, but necessary (I would say)
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2014
Verified Purchase
Although this book is intended for fathers, it speaks truth, pain, and life in a way that our whole society needs to hear. It challenges us to think about our own parents, families, and lives in ways that aren't easy, but necessary (I would say). Jack's mixture of humor and heaviness makes the read intriguing on many levels, but he also presents a hope that goes beyond his story, and this is what makes his book so much more than just a story. I highly recommend it!
2 people found this helpful
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cindy lee morton
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2015
Verified Purchase
Love this book it is a very emotional and interesting read.I understand how a father should be even thou he had issues at first and reading what he had to go through as a child he taught me a lot of why we need a mom and dad in our life. Loved reading this book so much. I recommend this book to everyone. Thanks For this eye opener into fatherhood.
One person found this helpful
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Joshua Olds
3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read that Misses Out on Being Great
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2015
Having a baby is supposed to be a wonderful time. When you hear that first cry pierce the air, there should be jubilation. And, for Jack Barr, that’s how things were at first. But after a few weeks, he and his wife began to notice abnormalities. A pediatrician broke the news that their daughter might have Down Syndrome. And Jack Barr’s world was shattered.

Failing at Fatherhood stems from a CNN article Jack wrote about the resentment, anger, and frustration he felt after discovering his daughter’s disability. He writes about the year he basically disconnected from his life and his wife, leaving her to raise their daughter. He writes about how seriously he contemplated suicide. And, eventually, he writes about his time of healing and reconciliation, of coming to see the beauty in his daughter’s disability.

Though Jack Barr’s personal story comes in the context of a special needs child, Failing at Fatherhood is more about the areas in which most fathers fail—areas in which Jack failed—and how to avoid them or build success from the failure. Jack talks as one who’s been there and conquered, or, at least, survived. The book talks a lot about his own story and childhood, the influence his own parents had, and his rebellion against and eventual reconciliation to God.

At just around 150 pages, the book is a quick read, though, certainly not always easy. Honestly, I would have liked to have seen the book deal more with the specifics in his daughter’s life. Raising a special needs child can be difficult and Down Syndrome can seem very scary to someone who knows nothing about it. There are a number of special needs parents who have been exactly in Jack Barr’s place, have felt the feelings he felt, and looking for someone to validate those feelings while pushing them forward toward healing. The way in which the book was pitched to me made it seem that Jack was going to focus in more closely on his specific context, and I was a bit disappointed to really only see it on the fringes.

Despite that, Jack Barr’s story is well worth the read. Life is Story, after all, and Jack’s is beautiful tale of redemption. It’s not perfect…actually, it’s quite messy, but his frank and blunt honesty is refreshing. It can’t be easy to throw your failures out there for others to read. Yet that’s become his ministry. Failing at Fatherhood is an honest look into a broken man’s past and what he is now doing different in order to heal and succeed and thrive. It’s a wonderful story of God fixing broken things and using them for his glory.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring! Must read!
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2014
Verified Purchase
Such a heartfelt and honest book that no matter your circumstances, everyone can relate to on some level. Made me stop and think about my own journey through life and the choices I have made....good and bad. Thank you Jack for taking us on your difficult journey with the hopes of helping others while you continue to heal as well! God Bless your family!
2 people found this helpful
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