Fear Fathers and Family

When A Family Reaches For The American Dream     When Jon Masters Was 10 His Parents Seeking Access To The Americanupper Class Cut Off Their Families Became Episcopalians And Made Himpromise Not To Tell Anyone They Had Ever Been Jews - Not Any Woman Hemight Marry And Not His Brother Who Was In The Crib In The Next Room.For More Than 30 Years He Lived Parallel Lives: In One He Wasconstrained By His Parents' Fears Of Exposure; In The Other He Acted Asif His Family'S Past Did Not Exist And He Could Be Whoever He Wanted Tobe.      Within The Family His Father Was In Charge Threatening Todie If The Secret Was Revealed. In His Public Life Jon Believed He Was Immune To The Consequences Of Denial. He Went To Top Schools Wasmentored By High Ranking Superiors And As A Young Naval Officer Wasmarked For Success Among A Circle Of Seasoned Washington Policy-Makers.       By The Time He Was 40 It All Started To Come Apart. He Didn'T Knowwho He Was. By Then He Was A Father And A Husband. He Had Noconfidantes And Held His Wife At Arm'S Length For Fear Of Exposing Thesecret And Terrified Of The Consequences Of Doing So.      This Is The Story Of What Brought Him To That Point And What He Did To Protecthis Children Save His Marriage Maintain His Career And Nourish Hissoul. Family Took Precedence Over Power And Healing The Family Traumabecame His Priority. Helping His Children Become Independent CaringAnd Accomplished In Ways Of Their Own Choosing Was His Goal..      Though Fashioned As A Memoir Jon Masters Has Actually Written A Compelling Guide In The Vein Of Covey'S 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People. What Haunted (And Inspired) Masters May Seem Specific But The Themes Are Universal--Ethnic Self-Consciousness Dark Family Secrets Difficult Parent-Child Relationships--And How One Moves Beyond Them Into That Elusive American Dream. Masters' No-Nonsense Life-Lessons And Evolving Priorities Are Conveyed At A Page Turning Pace. He Is A Riveting Storyteller A Mentor For Everyone Who Wants To Make It Or Has Children They Hope Will Reach For The Sky. --Dr. Ron Taffel Internationally Recognized Therapist Author And Educator On Family-Life Issues .      Jon Masters' Memoir Fear Fathers And Family Aligns One Man'S Life Along The Crooked Paths Of History And Family Anti-Semitism And Secrets. Charged With Preserving The Secret Of His Jewishness As A Child And Learning To Embrace The Power Of Truth As A Man Masters Models How To Navigate The Complexities Of Love And Identity To Become The Father And The Man He Can Proudly Show The World. --Gail Mellow President Of Laguardia Community College.      Jon Masters' Fear Fathers And Family Is A Vivid And Candid Portrait Of A Classic Father-Son Conflict. The Dominating Father In Mr. Masters' Engaging Memoir Challenges His Son'S As Well As His Family'S Identity By Demanding Assimilation As A Secret And Unchallenged Commitment. As Mr. Masters Narrates His Passage From Repressed Jew To Enrolled Episcopalian He Treats His Readers To An Insightful Evaluation Of The Social As Well As Spiritual Values That Plagued So Many Families Of Immigrants In Mid-Twentieth Century U.S.A. Fear Fathers And Family Achieves That Rarity Among Intimate Memoirs--A Painful Personal Confession That Dramatizes An Aspect Of Our Social History. --Sidney Offit Author Of Novels And Two Memoirs Conducts Writing Workshops At The New School And Hunter College