About the Book: In Fatherhood, historian Augustine Sedgewick traces the evolving meaning of fatherhood—from its murky origins in the Bronze Age to the present—through thought-provoking profiles of influential figures like Plato, Henry VIII, Charles Darwin, and Bob Dylan. He reveals how the role of fathers has oscillated between personal love and wielding authority, often shaped by societal shifts and crises of masculinity. The Cold War era, for instance, saw the rise of the familiar “dad” figure: protector, provider, and friendly companion—embodied in suburban Little League nostalgia—but burdened by impossible expectations. Sedgewick ultimately argues that these paternal myths are socially constructed and, if understood as such, can be dismantled to forge more authentic, human-centered definitions of fatherhood today