Take this Man: Brando Skyhorse

In his book, Take this Man, Brando Skyhorse argues that he lacked the opportunity to have a father figure that would give him the love that every child yearns for. Skyhorse illustrates how he moved through 5 different “step” fathers whom he felt did not care for him or give him the attention he ever needed. In the first chapter of the book, he describes the men as his “father,” as the mother wanted him to call them, who existed in his life in a similar cycle. He noted, “First I was forced to accept them, then slowly I trusted them, then I grew to love them… Then they left” (Skyhorse 10). All the men five men that came in his life did not last and they left no significant improvement in his life and that of her mother. Because of their shortcomings, Skyhorse continued to look for his actual dad whom he prayed to actually be a better role model.

The lack of manliness in this ‘stepfathers’ is evident throughout the novel. The author narrates his association with Emilio who never acted as a father or husband as expected. Amidst the fact the Emilio lived with Skyhorse’s family, he was never took up the leadership role. It is stated that the “grandmother was the man of the house” and oversaw every activity in the house. She even paid for electricity bills even with the presence of Emilio. Furthermore, Skyhorse’s mother remains tirelessly involved in petty jobs to make ends meet. The author confesses later in the book that although her mother was having relationships, she never received support from the “fathers.” He narrates that, “she leapt from what she called “straight jobs” to sex worker because she felt victimized by a series of menial office jobs” (Skyhorse 118). The mother never got supported by the different “fathers” he had. No wonder he was compelled to feel they were not his parents as his mother wished.

Work Cited

Skyhorse, Brando. Take this Man: A Memoir. Simon and Schuster, 2014.