His Father Still: A Parenting Memoir by Tim Hollister (2015-09-15) Paperback – 1 Jan. 1666

Prepare to cry a lot. I was reading this a lot on the metro and would be crying without any tissue...Well written, very sad story. The author had a lot of support and used his grief to write an excellent guide to parenting teens who are driving.

The last four years have been a non stop horrible roller coaster ride for my immediate and extended family. It began four years ago when my children's cousin was abducted and murdered. She was 26 and mother of two. Within six months, my brother in law died suddenly of pancreatic cancer, followed by my sister (his wife) 18 months later. Then one year later my nephew was killed in a single car accident. He left four young children behind. In the year that followed we lost a beloved cousin and the Patriarch and Matriarch of our entire family. This does not even include several beloved friends who died suddenly during that same time frame. I have become extremely gun shy when my cell phoine rings. Fifteen minutes from my home, my older children, their spouses and five oif my six grandchildren are going about their lives while I cringe. Three of the boys are teens, doing what kids do, and believing themselves invincible. Like Tim, I have poured through grief books. In fact, I bought another one the day before I bought Tim's. Books on heaven, science and G-d, anything to confirm what in my heart I already know, that death is not the end and I will see them again. But none reached me, until this one. I am still in shock over the loss of my 'Mom' in August. Just when healing begins, it seems that someone else dies. Tim's book did more to help me reconnect with my loved one's than anything I have read.This is not a 'life after death' book, though it certainly confirms that truth. It said to me, you are still a sister, aunt, daughter, cousin and friend. The nature of those relationships has changed but they do still exist.I highly recommend this book for anyone, whether you have suffered a loss or just want to know how best to help someone who has. Thank you for sharing Reid with me, Tim. I feel like I know him. My sister was always such a favorite of our families teens. If I know Becky, she has found Reid and taken him under her wing where he found understanding, acceptance and a really zany, vibrant red head who has helped him turn his part of heaven into every kids dream theme park.

This story is heart-wrenching in the beginning, as we read about the accident which took Reid's life, and the pain of his parents in the aftermath. By the end, however, you can feel the hope and continued love.Tim speaks from his heart and gives everyone a clear view of what it is like to raise a teenager. His great love for his son, as well as his intense grief, is evident all throughout the book.I would recommend this book to every parent.

A so-multi-faceted Baedeker for a journey that no parent anticipates, His Father Still is a memoir of parental, sibling and a community's love and loss which drills deeply and intimately into the accidental death of much-beloved child. Tim Hollister's writing is clear and precise in conveying the challenges to family, friendship and faith of an unspeakable modern tragedy. He never makes any attempt to excuse or revise the unscientific, non-linear way we all live our lives and rear our children. While this is a book about sadness, even catharsis, it is more about strength. And there is a common carbon fiber thread for every parent who has ever loved a child without reservation or qualification, and who can identify with that raw and indescribable passion (yes, with tension) of being a loving parent. Tim Hollister, just as a dad on behalf of all dads and moms, has accomplished eloquently describing his passions and tensions. In this genre, I'd have to believe his book is exceptional.

One of the Amazon reviewers said that the author's writing is fearless and that's definitely true. It's also deeply moving, beautifully written and a credit to Tim Hollister as a writer and a man. Highly recommend.