Aasha M. Abdill draws on four years of fieldwork in Bedford-Stuyvesant to dispel stereotypes of black men as "deadbeat dads." She presents qualitative and quantitative evidence that confirms the increasing presence of black fathers in their communities, arguing that changing social norms about gender roles in black families have shifted behaviors. Abdill shows how supporting black men in their quest to be—and be seen as—family men is the key to securing not only their children's well-being but also their own.

Aasha M. Abdill draws on fieldwork in Bedford-Stuyvesant to dispel stereotypes of black men as deadbeat dads. She presents qualitative and quantitative evidence of black fathers' presence and shows how supporting black men in their quest to be—and be seen as—family men is key to securing not only their children's well-being but also their own.

Aasha M. Abdill is an independent scholar who advocates for the inclusion of marginalized voices in the scholarship informing initiatives dedicated to family and community socioeconomic empowerment. Abdill, a proud HBCU alum, also holds advanced degrees in quantitative methodology from Columbia University and sociology from Princeton University.

Colvin W. Grannum, President and CEO, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation:
Fathering from the Margins reflects brilliant insight borne of compassion. Abdill’s is a unique scholarly endeavor emanating from a respect and love for Bedford-Stuyvesant and other marginalized communities. Her work fills a gap in ethnographic studies, dispels long-held myths and misperceptions about black fathers, uses hip-hop to illuminate black men’s pain and aspirations concerning fatherhood, and derives research-based policies to address the growing national trend of female-headed households. In this book, Abdill offers a breakthrough analysis for policy makers and practitioners who understand the pivotal role of strong families and communities.

Roberta Coles, author of The Myth of the Missing Black Father:
Has involved fatherhood among low-income men existed all along with no public recognition, or is such parenting increasing through changing social norms and cultural forms? The answer is not exclusively one or the other. In exploring this question, Aasha M. Abdill has written a beautiful and honest ethnography of low-income black fathers in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant community that neither romanticizes nor pathologizes them. She traces the strategies fathers use to fulfill societal expectations of provision and caretaking and to reconcile the 'cool pose' with warm parent-child interactions. Through her keen observations and interviews with fathers, teachers, mothers, and grandmothers, Abdill handily illustrates how fatherhood is a collective enterprise that by its public practice generates more of the same.

Elijah Anderson, author of Code of the Street and The Cosmopolitan Canopy:
Fathering from the Margins is a captivating and well-written ethnographic study of African American fatherhood today. This work illuminates the everyday life of the urban ghetto while specifically dispelling stereotypes that black fathers are less involved than fathers of other races. Insightful and engrossing, this book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the black community today.