Great gifts for dear ol' dad

Times being what they are, I suspect most dads find Father's Day a solitary time of the year, one most often observed via greeting card, telephone, or e-mail, if at all. (Let's face reality: As a holiday, Father's Day just doesn't pack the punch of Mother's Day.) Perhaps with that in mind, publishers have begun earmarking books for the occasion -- you know, brain toys to keep ol' Dad occupied.

REVIEWS BY JAMES L. DICKERSON

A Boy's Summer: Fathers and Sons Together by Gerry Spence is an interesting blend of shared memory and practical know-how about father-son relationships. You will remember Spence from the television coverage of the O.J. Simpson murder trial -- he was the folksy lawyer in buckskins -- and from his number one bestseller, How to Argue and Win Every Time. In his latest book, Spence ponders a variety of subjects, from how to make a slingshot to how to appreciate a grasshopper.


In Wishing My Father Well: A Memoir of Fathers, Sons, and Fly-Fishing, author William Plummer seeks refuge at a New Jersey river in an effort to understand the death of his father, a failed marriage, a strained relationship with his own son, and a career that seems stalled. His only guide is his father's fly-fishing diary, a six-hole, loose-leaf binder that taught him more about his father than he had ever learned during his lifetime. This moving and, at times, disturbing account of father-son relationships is highly recommended.


On much the same theme is Joe Kita's The Father's Guide to the Meaning of Life, an insightful look at the lessons the author has learned from his children, and from his deceased father. "At first, men tend to love their kids conditionally . . . ," a 70-year-old father once told Kita. "But with age, you come to love your kids more like their mother always did, unconditionally. You gradually accept them for who they are, you stop trying to influence them, and you just support them." It took Kita a long time to see the truth in that observation. Now that he has, he muses, "Maybe I should be proud that [my son] isn't turning out just like me."


For those single dads lucky enough to receive visits from their children on Father's Day, Dude Food: Recipes for the Modern Guy offers recipes that are sure to please. There's "Peanut Butter Heaven," which features a chocolate-hazelnut spread called Nutella, "Only the Lonely Ravioli," and "Bad-Boy Burgers," a concoction of ground round, spicy sausage, and pork that is practically guaranteed to bring smiles to the faces of sons and daughters who have been indoctrinated by moms into believing that fatty meat kills (to which the authors counter, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.").

Dude Food was written by Karen Brooks, Gideon Bosker, and Reed Darmon. Why it took three people to write this entertaining 96-page cookbook, I cannot explain, except to suggest that perhaps the authors anticipated casualties in the preparation of some of the more daring recipes. A word of advice to dads who prepare the dishes in this book for their children: Make sure the moms are kept in the dark.


More for Dad

Don't Make Me Stop This Car! Adventures in Fatherhood Today show personality Al Roker recounts his experiences as a child and as a parent.

Shaving Lessons: A Memoir of Father and Son Award-winning author Kurt Chandler shares his relationship with his adolescent son at two pivotal moments in a man's life.


James L. Dickerson, author of numerous books, including Goin' Back to Memphis (Cooper Square Press), recently re-issued in paperback, hopes to spend Father's Day with his son.

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