Whatever Happened to Daddy's Little Girl?: The Impact of Fatherlessness on Black Women

by Jonetta Rose Barras

What happens to a little girl who grows up without a father? Can she ever feel truly loved and fully alive? Does she ever heal--or is she doomed to live a wounded, fragmented life and to pass her wounds down to her own children? Fatherlessness afflicts nearly half the households in America, and it has reached epidemic proportions in the African-American community, with especially devastating consequences for black women. In this powerful book, accomplished journalist Jonetta Rose Barras breaks the code of silence and gives voice to the experiences of America's fatherless women--starting with herself.

Passionate and shockingly frank, Whatever Happened to Daddy's Little Girl? is the first book to explore the plight of America's fatherless daughters from the unique perspective of the African-American community. This brilliant volume gives all fatherless daughters the knowledge that they are not alone and the courage to overcome the hidden pain they have suffered for so long.

Genres: Nonfiction

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has helped me re-define my relationships and the person I am. There are many things I thought I had healed only to find out that the wounds are still wide open and I still have a long road ahead of me. The abandonment issue is real and needs to be dealt with, especially when it comes abreast in the most intimate moments of our relationships. I have recommended this book time and time again to other women.

[Faloni © · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartfelt memoir and cultural exploration. Barras exposes silent wounds carried by countless Black women raised without fathers. Vivid personal narrative, interwoven with testimonies from others, reveals pain: abandonment, rage, mistrust, longing. She writes “We are legions—a choir of wounded—listen to the dirge we sing” .


Author’s voice remains transparent and unflinching. She examines emotional damage—depression, addictive coping, fractured relationships—and traces its ripple effects across identity and community .


Empowering and urgent: a call for healing, solidarity, understanding. Offers comfort for those who feel isolated, insight for those seeking empathy. Highly recommended. 🌿✨



Rating: 4.5/5 — raw, moving, necessary.

[Talia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has broken me down in many places. There are many things I thought I had healed only to find out that the wounds have been weakly stitched. The abandonment issue is real and something to be dealt with, especially when it comes creeping up in the most intimate moments of our relationships. I am glad that I now have the means to articulate the struggles and fears that I've encountered throughout the years.
Now, all I ask for, are viable solutions to the "problem" of being without a father. I do not get too much of that throughout the book and as a result am sometimes left feeling like a victim with no cure. If anyone has any insight, please share.

[⭐️MidnightSun⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read What Ever Happened To Daddy's Little Girl?...I recognized my own issues. This book isn't just about black women it's for all women. To feeling rejected and unloved by your father for any child no matter their race can break a child's heart. A woman will spend her whole life looking for the love of her father in other men. What I loved about this book is it gives you tips on how to get passed the heartbreak. Acceptance Forgiveness and Self love. You are worth it❤

[Yolanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this book twice and I am going to keep reading it. This book keeps me aware of the issues I deal with on a daily basis. Being abandoned and growing up without my father has had a profound effect on my life. I never knew how to express it but the author certainly did. I found myself crying because she knew exactly how I was feeling.

[CANDICE ANGLIN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forgiveness

This book has given me an insight on me that I’ve never had before. I can go forward and heal because I can go forward understanding it’s not my fault and I just have to forgive.

[Marilyn Diamond]

I have to read this book in the bathtub...It kicks me in my whole soul but I walk through it...

[Dee’s Cozy Corner Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a slow read.

[Matt Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting topic. A good read. A call all men to be the man that God has called them to be.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bought in DC 2000 (I think) and it was the title really that got me. But it is a biography that is masquerading as a cultural science book. Although she does bring up some really good observations, it is a shame that they were not backed up with stats or numbers. That's it, it read like a masters degree final project.