Might it be time to rethink some aspects of fatherhood? What does it mean to be a feminist father? Author Jordan Shapiro writes about it in his new book, Father Figure, a book that Adam Grant describes as a “thoughtful and long-overdue exploration of fatherhood and masculinity in the 21st century that redefines what it means to be a good father.”

Drawing on research in sociology, economics, philosophy, gender studies, and the author’s own experiences, Father Figure explores the psychology of fatherhood from an archetypal perspective, as well as a cultural history that challenges familiar assumptions about the origins of so-called traditional parenting roles. What paradoxes and contradictions are inherent in our common understanding of dads?

More about Jordan: He has a PhD, is father to two children and step-father to two more. He lives in Philadelphia with his partner Amanda Steinberg. He teaches in Temple University’s Intellectual Heritage Program. He’s senior fellow for the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, and nonresident fellow in the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution. His previous book, The New Childhood (2018), received wide critical acclaim and has been published in 11 languages.