Failing at Fatherhood

"Why do I fear her so much? Marley is my own flesh and blood, yet I lie here silently as a new father wondering if I will be here in the morning."


When Jack Barr and his wife, Jana, had their first child, they were overcome with joy and excitement.  Three days later, as they prepared to leave the hospital, two doctors entered their room debating whether newborn baby  Marley, had Down syndrome.  Mixed in with the confusion of whether or not their daughter was chromosomally different, Jack and Jana knew their lives would be changed forever.


"Failing at Fatherhood" embraces Jack's honest struggles as a father, after receiving his child's diagnosis of Down syndrome three weeks after her birth. He excavates the past, examines the present, and explores his future life in a sincere attempt to understand his personal failures as a father during his first year of parenthood. Throughout the book, Jack wrestles with the decision of divorce, suicide, and the existence of God.  However, with His ultimate direction, Jack is able to understand the significance of fathers being committed to their children.