Review of The Child Support Felon

[Lisa P Cowling]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Child Support Felon" by Thomas Blackshear.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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The Child Support Felon is a fascinating book that addresses child support, one problem many failed marriages face. Thomas Blackshear tells the sad tales of his experiences with the court and the mother of his two kids, Sonny and Diamond. Despite having custody of his first daughter, Starr, from another mother, he still fights tooth and nail just to be a part of his other kids’ lives. However, Corrie would rather have him rot in jail while the children suffer in certain areas than let go of her personal grudges. In this book, Thomas shares a wealth of wisdom garnered through his years of learning, both from his parents, who were divorced, and the length of time spent chasing after his children’s wellbeing. Find out more as you read this book.
 
One of the things I loved about this book was that the author chose to be unbiased in his statements concerning parents and how responsible they could be with regards to raising children. He maintained an honest and objective view, regardless of his gender. I also loved the fact that the book was captivating and straight to the point. Most importantly, there was just so much to learn from reading the book. The subject that the book discusses is a core element that adds to its substance, as the rate of divorce in today's society is at an all-time high. The fight for custody often leads to children lacking parental care in certain areas. As a parent, I learned the importance of putting the needs of the child, or in this case, children, above personal grudges. I followed the author's journey keenly because there was so much to learn. I lean towards the author's suggestion that our child support system needs a total overhaul, even though I do not completely agree that it is punitive.

Although this book was professionally edited, there were instances where the author used both past and present tenses together in his narration. Here is an example from page 72: "When I get to the courthouse, the sheriff who drove me to my hearing in 1998 recognized me, but I didn't recognize him." Many other times, this alternative use of past and present tenses happened between immediate sentences and paragraphs, like on page 56. I would suggest looking at the book a second time to correct these issues. This was my least favorite aspect of the book.

I rate this book five out of five stars. The wisdom in this book cannot be quantified. I like that the author took his time to tell his story. The tense issue mentioned above did not affect my satisfaction with the book. I could not rate it lower.

I would recommend this book to parents who are struggling with child custody and other necessities of child upbringing. More of us need to read this book so that more opinions on whether the child support system should be changed will be heard.

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The Child Support Felon
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes

[Yasmine Zaki Muhieddine]

Child support has unfortunately become a very common issue nowadays. It is interesting to read this from the father's perspective. While most fathers have to be forced to pay for child support, this one is fighting to be in the lives of his children. I will add it to my shelves.

[Cara Wilding]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Child Support Felon" by Thomas Blackshear.]

The Child Support Felon is a fascinating book that addresses child support, one problem many failed marriages face. Thomas Blackshear tells the sad tales of his experiences with the court and the mother of his two kids, Sonny and Diamond. Despite having custody of his first daughter, Starr, from another mother, he still fights tooth and nail just to be a part of his other kids’ lives. However, Corrie would rather have him rot in jail while the children suffer in certain areas than let go of her personal grudges. In this book, Thomas shares a wealth of wisdom garnered through his years of learning, both from his parents, who were divorced, and the length of time spent chasing after his children’s wellbeing. Find out more as you read this book.
 
One of the things I loved about this book was that the author chose to be unbiased in his statements concerning parents and how responsible they could be with regards to raising children. He maintained an honest and objective view, regardless of his gender. I also loved the fact that the book was captivating and straight to the point. Most importantly, there was just so much to learn from reading the book. The subject that the book discusses is a core element that adds to its substance, as the rate of divorce in today's society is at an all-time high. The fight for custody often leads to children lacking parental care in certain areas. As a parent, I learned the importance of putting the needs of the child, or in this case, children, above personal grudges. I followed the author's journey keenly because there was so much to learn. I lean towards the author's suggestion that our child support system needs a total overhaul, even though I do not completely agree that it is punitive.

Lisa, I haven't seen the topic of child support discussed in quite a long while. It made me wonder how much has changed in present day society as compared to the past. For instance, it seems like I'm seeing more single parent fathers these days; are more women paying child support? It's disheartening to see failed relationships that become hostile, with the ultimate impact being to the children. I'm glad to see that the author was fair and impartial in his writing. This is not a topic I know much about, so it is interesting to me. Your review made me reflect on what my thoughts of the system were, and if I perceived it as punitive in nature. I only know what I've seen, which is not a great measure, so I'd definitely have to read this book if I expect to have any educated opinion on it. I enjoyed reading your review and look forward to reading more from you! Until next time...