None Call Me Dad is the true, mesmerizing story of a 21st Century dad. On two weeks notice, Ky Owen becomes an adoptive father to a six-year-old son. Five years later, on two days notice, he becomes a father to a teenage daughter. Along the way he assumes the role of father figure to four other kids. “None call me dad,” Owen writes, “But they know that’s who I am.”
Intriguing and imaginative chapter titles chart a journey that turns into a virtual roller coaster ride of parenting an ever-changing alternative family. None Call Me Dad is the freewheeling narrative of facing the challenges of truancy and Type 1 diabetes, hopping trains and “flying a sign,” and kids finding their way on their own terms. At the same time, the book captures the joy and excitement of father-son trips to March Madness and the Rose Bowl, and father-daughter weekends on Broadway in Nashville and the French Quarter of New Orleans. More than a memoir, it is a story of always being there for your kids.
None Call Me Dad is a story of forgiveness, acceptance, and love. Told in the author’s unique writer’s voice, the story is both poignant and funny. Readers feel a father’s angst as he learns to forgive his kids’ mistakes, to accept their life choices, and to continue to show his love. “They’re my kids, and I’ll always be here for them. Even though none call me dad.”
