Rad Families

January 23, 2017
Moniz (editor of Rad Dad) once again collects a variety of stories from parents often excluded from mainstream parenting books. Moniz connects this book to his previous title, describing it as “less sequel, more evolution,” and many of the essays are written by fathers, though voices from other kinds of parents (and some non-parents) are included. The essays are short and personal, discussing parenting from a variety of viewpoints: anarchist, feminist, incarcerated, mentally ill, non-white, queer, and trans. Along with essays, Moniz includes interviews, lists (“How Fathers Can Help Fight Patriarchy”), and “Ask a Dad” entries that read like excerpts from an online discussion forum. The book is positive and inclusive, and the writing is always serviceable and at times rises to beauty. Most authors employ terminology that sounds straight out of a seminar on critical analysis of race and gender (“Any self-pity others would foist upon me seemed strictly a function of straight privilege”). The book has the informal, do-it-yourself vibe of the zine culture and its sincerity and earnestness are strengths. Moniz advises readers to dip in and out, but a linear read-through will also leave the reader inspired by the many possible approaches to parenthood.

January 1, 2017

Writing professor Moniz's Rad Dad started as a zine over ten years ago, and this reviewer had the pleasure of critiquing that title in 2011 during its growing pains. Now, with a few more kids, Rad Dad has a full-fledged family, and this latest offering exhibits growth in depth and advice. These collected essays, written by various contributors, are raw, inspired, and artful, capturing the joys and pains of parenting with no apologies and no lack of grace. As such, some entries will speak more to readers than others, but the truth and beauty they evoke is elegant and grounding, celebrating the victories and struggles of a generation of parents: "I did not grow up in a family where anything seemed possible. The future did not really exist because surviving the present was the priority." Topics range from sex to incarceration to adoption and include the viewpoints of mothers and fathers both new and seasoned, introspective and wishing for a do-over. VERDICT For the literary-minded, this Rad Dad collective is a gem of inspired thought, though this reviewer still loathes the book jacket.M

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