Through heartfelt essays and poetry, Latino children’s book author and illustrator Edwin Fontánez examines his relationship with his father from childhood to adulthood. 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. As an artistic young man, he searched for connection with his often remote father while dealing with the stresses of growing up in a machista Hispanic culture.
After leaving the island in his twenties to further pursue his education and a career on the mainland, he began to forge an identity independent of his upbringing while still trying to retain his cultural roots. When his father was diagnosed with senile dementia at age 76, a 16-year-long journey began to try 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 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.
También disponible en español: La última canción para mi padre
PRAISE FOR ONE LAST SONG FOR MY FATHER
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“One Last Song for My Father is more than a celebration of one man’s life. It’s a cultural and psychological exposé that represents an aria of understanding, love, and cultural identity…”
—D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“A moving portrait of a father-son bond…Impressive”
—BookLife by Publishers Weekly
“As beautiful and readable as it is memorable. Captivating from cover to cover…”
—Kirkus Reviews
“An elegant elegy for an imperfect man, Edwin Fontánez’s One Last Song for My Father is a gorgeous blend of alliterative prose, lyrical poetry, and lush metaphoric writing.”
—Self Publishing Review
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“Of all the senses that connect us to the corridors of our brain, that affect our emotions, memories, and creativity, one of the most potent of them all is the sense of smell…” READ MORE
ISBN 978-0-9831891-4-5
Adult non-fiction. English. Perfect bound. Soft cover. 276 pages.
NOW IN DEVELOPMENT AS A PLAY!
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