Wow thank you for this ARC! I am writing this review with tears in my eyes. A horrible day but may his child's life live on through this story.

This story broke my heart into a million tiny pieces. I cannot imagine the pain that any parent goes through after losing their child. Especially those that were taken away from them in unimaginable ways. Robert Parker poured his heart and soul onto these pages as a form of healing in the aftermath of his daughter’s murder during the Sandy Hook School Massacre. When Parker was describing the day and how long it took to find out what was going on, I had tears streaming down my face. For the surviving families involved in mass shootings, I had no idea what they went through from being attacked online and in public and being told that their loved one never existed and that the shooting never happened. Why can’t the world just let these families grieve? I am glad Parker, and other families were able to sue Alex Jones, behind the conspiracy theories. I listened to the audiobook and Parker was his own narrator. He did a great job portraying heartbreak and his and his daughter, Emilie’s, story.

Thank you to Grand Central Pub for the #gifted audiobook
All opinions are my own

Most everyone is aware of the horror tale that is Sandy Hook. What some may not know is the public attack upon the families by conspiracists post December 12, 2012. Attacks so vile and debilitating to the families that a lawsuit was launched against one Alex Jones, the head of InfoWars, a money making machine, far right conspiracy-oriented talk show. Eventually, Jones was found liable for nearly 1 billion in damages.

All that is covered in A Father's Fight. But more than that, it is a glimpse into the heart and mind of the author (who also narrates the audiobook) and his way forward. Robert Parker wisely along with his wife, choses counseling as a way to process this unimaginable grief as protection for their family and marriage. Within the context of the current grief, his past trauma of childhood abuse surfaces and how he managed that is in direct conflict with being able to process this new horror.

Those looking for salacious tidbits will not find them in this book. This is a tale of personal growth through a horrific experience and how it impacted his own life and that of his immediate family and friends. Further, as Parker steps out of his comfort zone and into the public eye for the lawsuit, there is hope.

My hope for books such as these is informing the reading public that there are real people behind these way too often occurrences and to not be involved in the feeding frenzy afterwards that has become entertainment for many.

☆ALC REVIEW☆
Publication date: November 19, 2024


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This memoir and story from Robbie Parker was incredibly moving and powerful! It was absolutely heartbreaking and definitely made me cry especially when I heard Robbie choke up narrating it. The love this man has for his late daughter, Emilie is amazing and allows him to fight and advocate for others!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Robbie Parker, and Dreamscape Media for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is such an interesting story told by Robert Parker, the father of one of the Sandy Hook victims. I listened to the audio version of this book and the author reads the book himself. It amazed me that he could do this. This is not a feel-good story but an important read to try to understand why things like this happen.

Thank you to the author and to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my review.

This is a book that the reader has to go into with eyes wide open. I should preface this that I support gun control, I taught Pre-K the year that the Sandy Hook shooting occurred, and I have so much anger and sorrow about this shooting. I wanted to hear the victim's families tell their story, but I now have a 7 year old of my own, so this was particularly difficult to listen to. I honestly felt like I couldn't go on after listening to the first 20-30 minutes. I became very emotional, and felt very sad and sick after turning off the audiobook.

But, like the grieving memorial that Robbie Parker and his wife Alissa walked through at the new Sandy Hook Elementary school, I felt myself moving from sorrow, to lightness, winding through a path with my emotions. I think it takes an incredibly strong person to write about his daughter's murder and act as a guide through grief himself. After the initial sadness, there is anger over Alex Jones, then nostalgia over happy memories, and a journey through Robbie and his family's grieving process.

I don't think I am the intended audience for such a book. Yes, I am a mother, and the Sandy Hook shooting affected me deeply as a US citizen, voter, and teacher. But I have not walked this path myself. I do think that a parent who has lost their child will find this to be cathartic and reflective of some of their own grieving process.

While I don't think this book was written for me, a stranger who was deeply saddened and scared after the events of December 14th, I'm so glad I read it. It helps me learn what a grieving parent has gone through. It showed me how dangerous conspiracy theorists are and how victims can be revictimized. It also gave me a release valve as I struggled through the newest iterations of Alex Jones working their way into our government. I read this the week of the 2024 presidential election. The sorrow that Robbie and Alissa have had to bear helped me put my own frustrations and sadness in perspective. I have my children, safe, healthy, and whole. I am so very lucky. This book reminded me that my suffering is insignificant compared to the losses that others have experienced.

A Father's Fight is written and narrated by one of the fathers whose daughter was murdered in the Sandy Hook school shooting in December 2012. He sets the book with enough background of the shooting from over a decade ago to understand the setting for the "infowars" with Alex Jones and the devastation this brought to these families. This was a 5 star book for me; that it was read by the author only added to the depth. I listened to it in one day. I can't imagine wrestling with the devasting loss this family was navigating only to have the added layer of what Alex Jones put them through. *I received a complimentary copy from the author/publishing company in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Wow, this ended up being a one sitting read because it was so compelling that I couldn’t move on with my day until I finished it. Robbie’s willingness to tell this story with transparency and vulnerability is what makes this book so successful. His family was not allowed to grieve the most unimaginable loss of their daughter in the Sandy Hook school shooting because they were faced with such hate from A.J. and countless other conspiracy theorists. It’s a testament to Robbie’s character that he is still willing to open up to the world with this book. It’s a beautiful tribute to Emilie Parker, the Sandy Hook families, and trauma survivors everywhere.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.