Latino children’s author, and illustrator Edwin Fontánez examines his relationship with his father from childhood to adulthood in One Last Song for My Father: A Son’s Memoir. Drawing from his personal journals, the author recounts a rural childhood in Puerto Rico filled with joyous moments as well as chaos caused by his father’s alcoholism and gambling. When his father was diagnosed with senile dementia at age 76, Fontánez’s 16-year-long journey began trying to understand his father’s life from an adult perspective. Through conversations with family members and friends, a picture emerged of his father as an energetic, independent man who was a talented craftsman and an eager (if not so talented) musician. Even through his long mental illness, music was the one thing that kept his father’s spirit alive.

Stories of colorful neighborhood characters, the humiliations of poverty, family dynamics, and lush descriptions of the island’s topography paint a vivid picture of rural life on the island. Enhanced by artwork and family photos by the author, One Last Song for My Father is a memoir filled with humor, empathy, love, and ultimately healing.

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