Letters to Our Sons: The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller

by Stephen Graham

'There's no book like it, get it in your life' - Chris Evans

'One of the most powerful things I've read in a long time' - Fearne Cotton

Fathers from around the world and from all walks of life come together in this honest and moving collection of letters to their sons.
What advice do you wish you'd shared before your son's first day at school? When he missed or scored that goal? Or the day he left home?

When was the last time you hugged him?

And what would you do if you had your time again?

Award-winning actor Stephen Graham and psychology lecturer Orly Klein have invited fathers - doctors, builders, actors, prisoners - to put into words the things they couldn't say out loud to their sons. Letters from dads in the world of sport and entertainment are also interspersed throughout the book. Olympian Tom Daley, Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem, football mainstays Chris Kamara and Jamie Redknapp, artist and musician Goldie and Rivals star Danny Dyer have all contributed, as well as documentary-maker Louis Theroux, comedians John Bishop and Romesh Ranganathan, and actors Ashley Walters and Riz Ahmed.

Full of hope, fear, shame and pride, Letters to Our Sons is a raw and extraordinary outpouring of the sometimes messy, often joyful, and always complex realities of modern fatherhood.

Genres: Nonfiction

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 24, 2026

About the author

Stephen Graham is an academic and author who researches cities and urban life. He is Professor of Cities and Society at the Global Urban Research Unit and is based in Newcastle University's School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape.

Professor Graham has a background in Geography, Planning and the Sociology of Technology. His research centres, in particular, on:

•relations between cities, technology and infrastructure
•urban aspects of surveillance
•the mediation of urban life by digital technologies; and
• connections between security, militarisation and urban life.
Writing, publishing and lecturing across many countries and a variety of disciplines, Professor Graham has been Visiting Professor at MIT and NYU, amongst other institutions. The author, editor or co-author of seven major books, his work has been translated into eleven languages

Reviews

[Scott Loney]

A collection of moving letters that I think is best enjoyed slowly maybe picking up 1 or 2 letters at a time rather than reading it like a normal book.

There’s a great mix of heartwarming, heartbreaking and hilarious stories and a few celebrity names hidden in there if you’re a good detective.

A fantastic concept of a book that I really hope Hannah Walters follows up with a sequel for letters from mothers to daughters.

[Jon Drew]

Letters to Our Sons is exactly what the title conveys - a collection of letters written by fathers to their sons. Collected by Stephen Graham, creator of the Netflix show Adolescence, the letters seek to combat the negative influences bombarding young men by strengthening or even opening lines of communication between father and son.

The letter writing fathers range in age, socio-economic and racial background, education and occupations. Letters from dads in prison are alongside letters from businessmen and actors. Each letter is only a page or two, so there are a lot contained in the book. This is not a book you would necessarily pick up and read cover to cover - instead it will be a perennial father's day gift, something a dad can have on his desk or nightstand and pick up when he wants some inspiration or insight into his own relationships with his children. As a new father, there was plenty to relate to and advice and insight that I took to heart.

If anything, this could be a tool to help those fathers who want to communicate better with their sons. Pick up the book, flip through some pages, and realize you are not alone and maybe a letter to your own son can be the first step forward.

[Hank Wu]

I received an advance reader copy of this book and am voluntarily providing an honest review.

Premise
A collection of letters from fathers to sons about lessons, hope, love, and modern manhood.

Liked
* A large collection from diverse sources
* Each letter is only about 1~2 pages
* Good for fans of the show Adolescence
* Covers fathers with sons at different stages of life

Not for Me
* Could be repetitive
* Not enough mention of women in the world

Closing Comment
As described in the introduction to the book, I think this is a good reference for men who are fathers or want to be fathers. While UK-focused, I think the topics covered are pretty universal. Just don’t expect to read it from cover to cover like other nonfiction titles.

[Charlie Wilshire]

4.1
Not sure why they're saying this hasn't been released yet, because it has, I got it off Amazon lol!
I wanted to read this, because it's a perspective I will never have, I will never truly understand the relationship between a father and son, but I now feel like I've learned a lot! Also made me reflect on my own parenting and made me think where I can improve.
I did want a bit more from Stephen himself, we only got a few pages at the front.

[Steven Maidment]

Buy this book it’s really worth the read

[Jane Branson]

The Goodreads info about this title is wrong. The book was published in the UK at the end of September and I listened to the audible audiobook.