Things My Father Taught Me, Claire Halliday’s follow-up to her book Things My Mother Taught Me, provides much insight into the role and impact a father has on a child’s life. Halliday interviews a number of well-known Australians, successful in their respective fields, and shares their memories, thoughts and feelings about their fathers and their experiences during their formative years.

Melbourne radio presenter Jo Stanley tells how growing up without her father (who died when she was four years old) has influenced her life and her parenting. Author Matthew Reilly speaks of his strict, religious father and of his close current relationship with him, despite both men living in separate countries. Sydney journalist Joe Hildebrand expresses his frustration at the many times he tried to reach out to his father who repeatedly abandoned his family.

Singer Anthony Callea honours his father’s constant support while Anthony was pursuing his music career and when discovering his homosexuality. Ann Peacock recounts the relationship she shares with her politician father, Andrew, revealing the strict yet understanding father he was and the special bond he shares with Ann’s children. TV personality David Koch pays tribute to how much his father and his grandfather were his heroes throughout his life. Celebrity chef George Calombaris describes the similarities and differences he shares with his father and the great example his father set. Halliday shares her own story of her adopted father who raised her and of her biological father she discovered as an adult.

These stories are heartfelt and touching to read. They reflect the changing role of fathers over past decades. What I loved about this book was discovering the deeper lesson each storyteller learned from their father.

Reviewed by Fotini Dangiris