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‘The Measure of a Dad’ gets great response

Published:Monday | July 8, 2019 | 12:05 AMKeisha Hill/Senior Gleaner Writer
Hartley Palmer (seated, third right) with participants in the ‘Authors Live’ session, held at the Manchester Parish Library.
Hartley Palmer (seated, third right) with participants in the ‘Authors Live’ session, held at the Manchester Parish Library.

Anyone can father a child, but being a dad takes a lifetime. Fathers play a role in every child’s life that cannot be filled by others. This role can have a large impact on a child and help shape him or her into the person they become.

In his book, The Measure of a Dad, writer Hartley Palmer highlights the important role that fathers do play in the lives of their children. A very profound publication, the book unearths the ultimate parenting story in a patriarchal setting, extolling the depth of a father’s love for his children.

So profound is the storyline in this book that it was recently added to the Jamaica Library Service (JLS) National Reading Competition in the 15-20 age group category. Palmer was also featured on ‘Authors Live’, a recently added initiative of the JLS that encourages reading among young adults and provides an opportunity for participants to engage in meaningful conversations with authors.

Palmer said that when he wrote the novel, it was his intention for it to impact readers around the world. “Seeing it recognised at the national level in this competition is very important to me. It shows that it has made an impact, and it is extremely important to see this being achieved nationally. The National Reading Competition will be aired on television for the world to see. This is awesome!” Palmer said.

‘Authors Live ... Conversation with H.E. Palmer’, was recently held at the Manchester Parish Library and The Measure of a Dad was the selected book for the event. Palmer said that it was a pleasure to receive positive feedback from the event.

“I remember speaking to one of the participants. She explained that she cried at some of the excerpts. ‘The book was so great, I just wanted more, I wanted to read all of it,’ she said. They just wanted to meet the author behind the book which impacted their lives. They also had many questions, from my inspiration to advice on writing, which gave me great joy to answer,” Palmer said.

“Many of the participants who fell in love with the book were young people, which showed me the book has a tremendous future. I was truly encouraged by the participants to keep writing,” he added.

Palmer indicated that when he wrote the book, his main objective was to make readers and people recognise that there are good fathers, and also to open the appetite for the reading of West Indian novels.

“People like to read things that they can relate to, that often speaks about them or speaks to them, encourages them, motivates them, takes them to places they’ve always wanted to be. Let them dream again, let them laugh and be motivated to be their best. That’s what I aim for when I write. If we as writers can achieve this, then eventually more young adults will eventually fall in love with reading, thus recognising the importance,” Palmer said.

According to Melony Leitch, senior librarian at the JLS, they have always sought to include West Indian literature in the competition, where possible, to promote and expose the literature to participants.

“As a family-oriented competition, The Measure of a Dad was a refreshing read. It had a strong story line which promoted good family values and also exposes readers to important life lessons, which could empower young people,” Leitch said.

The audience, she said, were able to better appreciate the concept that a mother cannot father a child, despite the very important role she plays in a child’s life. Additionally, she said, the event addressed some of the stigmas associated with fathers in Jamaica, but also emphasised the fact that there are good fathers who work behind the scenes to provide for their families and give the requisite support in order to raise their children to become productive citizens.

“This was the first in a series of Authors Live presentations the JLS will host with authors whose work we have used in the competition. Based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback received, plans will be made for it to be integrated as part of the activities of the competition,” Leitch said.

keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com