A Father’s Day Readlist

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

Jane Austen is known for her clever, witty characters, and Mr. Bennet does some of her best work in this area. Austen doesn’t write perfect characters— Mr. Bennet’s role in the celebrated romance between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy is far from perfect. While accusations of laziness and passivity may be warranted, no one can deny that his genuine friendship and deep love for Elizabeth warms the reader’s heart.

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Steinbeck begins this novel with a broken image of fatherhood. Cyrus Trask is a manipulative bully who unabashedly favors his son Charles over Adam. Adam Trask never forgets it. In an effort to break a generational cycle, Adam tries to raise his twin sons with the gentleness and truth that Cyrus lacked. He has moments of both failure and victory, and the reader is invited on the fatherhood journey.

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

In his lessons about justice, empathy, and humility in this book, Atticus Finch makes an impression not only on the book’s fictional community, but on America. His philosophy for parenting is timeless: respect and befriend your children.

Les Misérables, Victor Hugo

For Jean Valjean, fatherhood is the path to redemption, and his route to spiritual and physical liberation. He becomes Cosette’s guardian after 19 years in prison. While raising her, he learns the meaning of sacrifice, responsibility, and love.

Compiled by Grace Mackey