Half the Child, William J. McGee
Half the Child, William J. McGee
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Half the Child
A Novel

Author: William J. McGee

Narrator: Kieran Larkin

Unabridged: 11 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/20/2020

Categories: Fiction, Family Life

Synopsis

"Half the Child" takes place over four consecutive summers in the lives of Michael Mullen and his son Benjamin, who ages from 2 to 5. Mike is an air traffic controller at New York City's LaGuardia Airport who also is pursuing a graduate degree in Psychology. He and Ben's mother are about to divorce, and the legal stakes keep dramatically increasing, ultimately culminating in abduction. The battle for Ben negatively affects Mike's career, education, financial state, friendships, romantic life, physical health, and emotional well-being. Refusing to relinquish his parental rights leads Mike to personal bankruptcy, temporary homelessness, potentially catastrophic errors at work, and suicidal depression. Yet he steadfastly refuses to consider a life that consists of living apart from his son. With courts continually ruling against Ben's father, it remains uncertain if their bond will survive. Ultimately, they will write their own love story.

About William J. McGee

William J. McGee is an award-winning travel journalist for Consumer Reports and the former editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter. In 2010 the U.S. secretary of transportation chose him as the lone consumer advocate on the Future of Aviation Advisory Committee. He also writes a monthly travel column for USAToday.com and has contributed to Condé Nast Traveler, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Money, New York, Parents, Good Housekeeping, and many other magazines, newspapers, websites, and blogs. Prior to becoming a journalist, McGee spent nearly seven years in airline flight operations management; he is an FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher and served in the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary. He earned an MFA from Columbia University and teaches creative writing at Hofstra University. He lives in Connecticut.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Julienne

This book should be required reading for anyone involved in the care, teaching and protection of children. William has written a compelling story about divorce and child custody. He write the tale from a father's perspective with great sensitivity and poignant insight. There are beautiful moments of......more

Goodreads review by Anna

Beautiful I will be giving as a gift to many this year! Half the Child beautifully illustrates in the most captivating of Novels the range of emotions, conflicts and the never ending cross section of cultural and societal influences in a custody dispute the healthy parent that puts the child first and......more

Goodreads review by Meghan

A story of parental love that offers a refreshing perspective challenging common (and severely limiting) notions of fatherhood. The prose and characters are immensely compelling, as is the pacing. A fantastic choice for book clubs as well!......more

Goodreads review by Richard

Just finished reading this. Wow. As a divorced father of three children, I can vouch for so many of the incredibly real scenes in this novel, and how little the family court system understands about how it hurts children caught up in divorce. Bill McGee artfully places us in scenes so real to me, so......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer

This is one of those books that is hard to put down, and not because it is designed as a simple read. From beginning to end, it is a compelling story that raises as many questions as it answers, challenges the reader to think, and offers a surprising, intriguing ending. I only picked the book up bec......more

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