Love That Boy: What Two Presidents, Eight Road Trips, and My Son Taught Me About a Parent's Expectations

In his book Love That Boy: What Two Presidents, Eight Road Trips, and My Son Taught Me About a Parent's Expectations, award-winning political journalist Ron Fournier writes movingly about the causes and costs of parental expectations in 21st century America through the lens of his relationship with his son Tyler. He lurches between the two poles of parenthood: what we want for our children - popularity, normalcy, achievement, genius - and what they truly need - grit, empathy, character.

Their journey turns the spotlight on all parents, urging us to do as Ron ultimately does: learn to love our children for who they are, not who we wish them to be. Love That Boy is a deeply personal and honest look at the universal pitfalls of modern parenting. 

Ron Fournier is the senior political columnist for The Atlantic and National Journal, and a frequent contributor on politically themed TV shows, including NBC's Meet the Press, CBS's Face the Nation, FOX News's Special Report, and MSNBC's Morning Joe. He began his family and career in Arkansas, covering then governor Bill Clinton before moving to Washington in 1993, where he reported on politics and the presidency during the administrations of Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Fournier also served as a fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics, where he cowrote the New York Times bestseller Applebee's America. He holds the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi Award for coverage of the 2000 elections, and he is a four-time winner of the prestigious White House Correspondents' Association Merriman Smith Memorial Award.