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Rapprochement Between Fathers and Sons: Breakdowns, Reunions, Potentialities

Author(s) : Louis Rothschild

Reviews and Endorsements

After its foundational preoccupation with a child’s relationship with his or her father, psychoanalysis took a radical turn towards the maternal, a turn that lasted for over half a century. Louis Rothschild's book is both an outstanding representative of the subsequent “return to the father” and a unique explication of psychoanalytic thought on its own. Crisscrossing between mythology, fiction, film studies, children's literature, and contemporary psychoanalytic praxis, Rothschild unveils a portrait of fatherhood as an amalgam of strength and tenderness that spurs the offspring’s autonomy while allowing on-going dependency as well. The word “rapprochement” in the title of his book embodies not only the blend of firmness and compassion in fathering, but also the heuristic benefits reaped by psychoanalysis’ interaction with related disciplines of humanities. This is a book of great literary elegance and impressive psychological wisdom.
Salman Akhtar, MD, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Jefferson Medical College, Training and Supervising Analyst, Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia


There is a lack of nuanced explorations of contemporary masculinity beyond stereotypes in psychoanalytic and psychosocial writing. Louis Rothschild's Rapprochement between Fathers and Sons: Breakdowns, Reunions, Potentialities takes the reader on an imaginative, rich, and often surprising journey through good-enough fatherhood, holding, and its failures. The book draws on a wide range of literary narratives while situating its subjects in their historical and social context. I would highly recommend it.
Lene Auestad, Dr of Philosophy, founder of the conference series Psychoanalysis and Politics, associate member of the Norwegian Psychoanalytical Society

Rothschild advocates for a new masculine parenting ideal that combines nurturing and strength, challenging contemporary culture’s privileging of detached rationality. In an era of dual-income families, he argues for father-son relationships that embrace both dependency and autonomy while acknowledging inevitable breakdowns and recoveries
Ken Fuchsman, Psychohistory News Newsletter of the International Psychohistorical Association, Volume 43 – Number 4 – Fall 2024