Daddy Issues

 Daddy Issues, Camisha Broussard, Camley Publishing, 2022

This is one person's memoir about her difficult relationship with her father.

Like many little girls, the author very much wanted her daddy around, to help her grow up and be her protector. When he was there, which was not all the time, he at least tried to be a father. As the years went on, and the appearances became less frequent, he became more interested in alcohol than in his daughter.

Throughout the book, set in Chicago, the author looks at the good parts of the man he was, rather than being upset that he wasn't the type of father that she wanted.

The author had both grandmothers, and several aunts, living within a couple of blocks of her. They had very strong opinions about things like colorism (light-skinned vs. dark-skinned black men). A couple of them also really liked their liquor.

This book is really good. It starts with the author comparing the father/daughter relationship to a male and female ballet dancer on stage at the same time. The quality of the writing does not drop from there at all. Here is a gem of a story.