Finding Fatherhood

by Rob Kozak

When recently divorced Rob Kozak's eight-year-old son Bobby moves from Canada to Australia with his mother, Rob's entire life changes. But although his son is literally on the other side of the world, Rob soon discovers that the vast distance between them is not insurmountable. Originally started as a journal to help him cope with the loss as well as record the joys of yearly visits with his son, Finding Lessons Learned from Separation is the story of how Rob managed to maintain a loving, involved relationship with Bobby, even at such a great distance. It is also a delightful chronicle of their adventures together over six extended Australian holidays. During the months he was away from Bobby, a period referred to as the "desert times," Rob reflected on and wrote about what it takes to be a good man and a good father until he could be back in the oasis of Bobby's company.
Part memoir, part Australian adventure and part portrait of a touching and unbreakable bond between father and son that couldn't be severed by geography, Finding Fatherhood will inspire, bring comfort and offer hope to parents who are separated from their children.

252 pages, Paperback

Published November 24, 2017

Reviews

[Sherrianne Talon · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the “ex” in the book and Bobby’s mom, this book brought some happy tears to my eyes. Not only did it bring back some great memories but it let me inside some of those father/son times. The surprises we planned for Rob’s arrival so that Bobby never knew what to expect to the times we all headed out as an extended family and just all enjoyed time with the kid who was the centre of all our lives.

It’s a good example of how staying amicable and as family can make a huge difference in a child’s life and we are proof that divorce doesn’t mean the end of a child’s family and, in fact, can extend it.

And as the mother of a now fully grown adult Bobby, I can say we did a very good job! It’s a great read and sets a fine example of how it can work when you put the child first and that kid on the cover? Gosh he’s adorable!!!

[Aranka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve spent the last year reading all the books on my shelf and finally got to this one I picked up in 2018. Rob was one of my law profs and started a speech club at my school which I really enjoyed.

I liked this book a lot. I’m not a parent so I can’t relate to the parenting aspect but I enjoyed the philosophical musings and travel logs. It was very well written and had effective use of font changes. I was especially impressed by the detail Rob must have written down in order to be able to recall his travel so deeply.

I’m around Bobby’s age so I liked the mention of different movies they saw in theatres as I was a theatre buff with my dad seeing many of the movies mentioned at that time.

Would have been great to have a little less on New Zealand in the last couple chapters and a few more philosophical thoughts sprinkled in. Also would have loved to hear what Bobby is up to now (or was in 2017).

[Annet Maurer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for any dads dealing with long distance separation from their kids. Rob obviously worked hard at staying connected with his son across the world and this book is about that journey. This was mostly in the first half, dealing with the new changes.
It’s also a detailed travel diary (esp in the second half) and is interspersed with his musings on various topics, and various deep thoughts about life.
As I know Rob a little bit personally and as I know Australia well, it was interesting to read. It was really great to see a separated parent relationship handled so well.
I’m just not sure the second half would translate as well as the first half for those looking for more about handling the long distance. It also would’ve been great to have an update near the end. But great job to Rob for putting his story out there and becoming a published author!