Top Ten Tuesday: Top Pops and Bad Dads

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme 

created by The Broke and the Bookish.

With Father's Day right around the corner, what better time to take a look at some literary dads... the good and the bad.

Juliet's dad in Letters to the Lost

In his own way he was trying so hard to reach Juliet in her grief. And he sacrificed so much to make sure Juliet had the childhood and home life she did. Such unconditional love.

Loren Hale from the Addicted series

Loren Hale as a dad is just... everything. Knowing what he has overcome to get to this point? It's nothing short of remarkable. And I melt a little each time he interacts with his kids.

Park's dad in Eleanor & Park

I remember the first time I read E&P and thought Park's dad was so terrible. Mean, short-tempered, unbending. But he actually understood much more than Park thought he did and he really came around in the end when he was needed most.

Fern's dad and Ambrose's dad in Making Faces

Not one but two fathers in Making Faces were real stand-outs. Both were such gentle men. Fern's father was a pillar of strength for the community and had so much love for the daughter that came late in his life. And Ambrose's father... the man who raised Ambrose as his own. The man whose first concern when his wife was leaving him was only how to keep Ambrose. His love for Ambrose was palpable.

Simon's dad in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

I adored Simon's father. Despite the cringe-worthy jokes and the silly teasing, beneath it all was a father who loved his son for exactly who has was. He had no problem saying he was sorry and letting Simon know how he felt.

King Clarkson from The Selection series

Not only was he a bad king, he was a really bad father.

Jessie's dad in Tell Me Three Things

He wasn't a monster, but I truly disliked Jessie's father for 99% of the book. Yes, he slightly redeemed himself at the very end but up until then he had completely checked out of her life and left her to deal with her grief completely on her own.

Sky's father in Hopeless

No spoilers... but OMG what a monster.

Lily's father in It Ends with Us
A man so violent and abusive that his own daughter had nothing good to say about him at his funeral.

Travis and Dill's fathers in The Serpent King
Of the three fathers in The Serpent King, two of them were total losers. One was physically abusive and one was a religious crackpot in prison on child porn charges. No Father of the Year awards here.

Have you read any of these?
Who is your favorite book dad?