Overview

DAD@14chronicles the transformational journey of Richard as he reconciles his experiences and de?nition of fatherhood and manhood. This very intimate story takes the reader through his discovery of himself. Richard's childhood experiences in two drastically different environments shaped his views on life. He lived between a racially charged community in Renton, WA and an area of Inglewood, CA that was inundated with gang warfare and a paramilitary occupying police force. As he traveled between the two, he found himself looking for a place to ?t in. As an athlete, sports became his refuge. However, his life as he knew it was interrupted when he discovered he was a father at 14. Richard was forced to deal with his deep feelings of abandonment by his father while learning how to raise his son. Throughout his life, he experienced ups and downs including finding himself incarcerated during the time his son needed him the most. This story of redemption will provide readers with insight into the life of a man who despite it all was destined to be a man who his son could admire.