
The Council of Dads
My Daughters, My Illness, and the Men Who Could Be Me
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $17.09
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Bruce Feiler
-
By:
-
Bruce Feiler
About this listen
Now a major NBC prime time drama
The uplifting story that touched the world and inspired families everywhere to rethink what matters most in their lives...
As a young dad, Bruce Feiler, New York Times best-selling author and television host, received shattering news. A rare form of cancer was threatening not only his life but his family's future as well. A singular question emerged: Who would be there for his wife and daughters if he were gone?
Feiler reached out to six extraordinary men who helped shape him and asked them to be present in the lives of his daughters. The Council of Dads is the unforgettable portrait of these men, who offer wisdom, humor, and guidance on how to live, how to love, how to question, how to dream.
The source for NBC's blockbuster series, here is a singular story that offers lessons for us all - helping us draw closer to the ones we love, appreciate what's most precious, and celebrate the power of community.
This audiobook includes an episode of the Book Club Girl Podcast, featuring an interview with Bruce Feiler about The Council of Dads.
©2010 Bruce Feiler (P)2010 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
-
Life Is in the Transitions
- Mastering Change at Any Age
- By: Bruce Feiler
- Narrated by: Bruce Feiler
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bruce Feiler, author of the New York Times best sellers The Secrets of Happy Families and Council of Dads, has long explored the stories that give our lives meaning. Galvanized by a personal crisis, he spent the last few years crisscrossing the country, collecting hundreds of life stories in all 50 states from Americans who’d been through major life changes - from losing jobs to losing loved ones; from changing careers to changing relationships; from getting sober to getting healthy to simply looking for a fresh start.
-
-
Superb Observation, Concept and Topic.
- By Amazon Customer on 02-06-22
By: Bruce Feiler
-
The Secrets of Happy Families
- Surprising New Ideas to Bring More Togetherness, Less Chaos, and Greater Joy
- By: Bruce Feiler
- Narrated by: Bruce Feiler
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author and New York Times family columnist Bruce Feiler found himself squeezed between caring for aging parents and raising his children. So he set out on a three-year journey to find the smartest solutions and the most cutting-edge research about families. Instead of the usual family "experts", he sought out the most creative minds - from Silicon Valley to the set of Modern Family, from the country's top negotiators to the Green Berets - and asked them what team-building exercises and problem-solving techniques they use with their families.
-
-
Well worth reading, even if you can't do it all!
- By Amazon Customer on 02-28-13
By: Bruce Feiler
-
Hidden Potential
- The Science of Achieving Greater Things
- By: Adam Grant
- Narrated by: Adam Grant, Maurice Ashley, R. A. Dickey, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We live in a world that’s obsessed with talent. We celebrate gifted students in school, natural athletes in sports, and child prodigies in music. But admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distance we ourselves can travel. We underestimate the range of skills that we can learn and how good we can become. We can all improve at improving. And when opportunity doesn’t knock, there are ways to build a door.
-
-
Nope
- By Anna OConnor-McClure on 10-27-23
By: Adam Grant
-
Never Enough
- When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—and What We Can Do About It
- By: Jennifer Breheny Wallace
- Narrated by: Jennifer Breheny Wallace
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the ever more competitive race to secure the best possible future, today’s students face unprecedented pressure to succeed. They jam-pack their schedules with AP classes, fill every waking hour with resume-padding activities, and even sabotage relationships with friends to “get ahead.” Family incomes and schedules are stretched to the breaking point by tutoring fees and athletic schedules. Yet this drive to optimize performance has only resulted in skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and even self-harm in America’s highest achieving schools.
-
-
If you live or work in one of these communities, you will see yourself
- By Paula on 09-04-23
-
Good Inside
- A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be
- By: Becky Kennedy
- Narrated by: Becky Kennedy
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the past several years, Dr. Becky Kennedy—known to her followers as “Dr. Becky”—has been sparking a parenting revolution. Millions of parents, tired of following advice that either doesn’t work or simply doesn’t feel good, have embraced Dr. Becky’s empowering and effective approach, a model that prioritizes connecting with our kids over correcting them. Parents have long been sold a model of childrearing that simply doesn’t work. From reward charts to time outs, many popular parenting approaches are based on shaping behavior, not raising humans.
-
-
Sounds Wonderful, Does Not Work
- By R. Humphrey on 01-08-23
By: Becky Kennedy
-
Fair Play
- A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live)
- By: Eve Rodsky
- Narrated by: Eve Rodsky
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fair Play is a time- and anxiety-saving system that offers couples a completely new way to divvy up chores and responsibilities. Rodsky interviewed more than 500 men and women from all walks of life to figure out what the invisible work in a family actually entails and how to get it all done efficiently. With four easy-to-follow rules, 100 household tasks, and a series of conversation starters for you and your partner, Fair Play helps you prioritize what's important to your family and who should take the lead on every chore from laundry to homework to dinner.
-
-
For Coupled People
- By Brandy Patrick on 10-02-19
By: Eve Rodsky
-
Life Is in the Transitions
- Mastering Change at Any Age
- By: Bruce Feiler
- Narrated by: Bruce Feiler
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bruce Feiler, author of the New York Times best sellers The Secrets of Happy Families and Council of Dads, has long explored the stories that give our lives meaning. Galvanized by a personal crisis, he spent the last few years crisscrossing the country, collecting hundreds of life stories in all 50 states from Americans who’d been through major life changes - from losing jobs to losing loved ones; from changing careers to changing relationships; from getting sober to getting healthy to simply looking for a fresh start.
-
-
Superb Observation, Concept and Topic.
- By Amazon Customer on 02-06-22
By: Bruce Feiler
-
The Secrets of Happy Families
- Surprising New Ideas to Bring More Togetherness, Less Chaos, and Greater Joy
- By: Bruce Feiler
- Narrated by: Bruce Feiler
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author and New York Times family columnist Bruce Feiler found himself squeezed between caring for aging parents and raising his children. So he set out on a three-year journey to find the smartest solutions and the most cutting-edge research about families. Instead of the usual family "experts", he sought out the most creative minds - from Silicon Valley to the set of Modern Family, from the country's top negotiators to the Green Berets - and asked them what team-building exercises and problem-solving techniques they use with their families.
-
-
Well worth reading, even if you can't do it all!
- By Amazon Customer on 02-28-13
By: Bruce Feiler
-
Hidden Potential
- The Science of Achieving Greater Things
- By: Adam Grant
- Narrated by: Adam Grant, Maurice Ashley, R. A. Dickey, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We live in a world that’s obsessed with talent. We celebrate gifted students in school, natural athletes in sports, and child prodigies in music. But admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distance we ourselves can travel. We underestimate the range of skills that we can learn and how good we can become. We can all improve at improving. And when opportunity doesn’t knock, there are ways to build a door.
-
-
Nope
- By Anna OConnor-McClure on 10-27-23
By: Adam Grant
-
Never Enough
- When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—and What We Can Do About It
- By: Jennifer Breheny Wallace
- Narrated by: Jennifer Breheny Wallace
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the ever more competitive race to secure the best possible future, today’s students face unprecedented pressure to succeed. They jam-pack their schedules with AP classes, fill every waking hour with resume-padding activities, and even sabotage relationships with friends to “get ahead.” Family incomes and schedules are stretched to the breaking point by tutoring fees and athletic schedules. Yet this drive to optimize performance has only resulted in skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and even self-harm in America’s highest achieving schools.
-
-
If you live or work in one of these communities, you will see yourself
- By Paula on 09-04-23
-
Good Inside
- A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be
- By: Becky Kennedy
- Narrated by: Becky Kennedy
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the past several years, Dr. Becky Kennedy—known to her followers as “Dr. Becky”—has been sparking a parenting revolution. Millions of parents, tired of following advice that either doesn’t work or simply doesn’t feel good, have embraced Dr. Becky’s empowering and effective approach, a model that prioritizes connecting with our kids over correcting them. Parents have long been sold a model of childrearing that simply doesn’t work. From reward charts to time outs, many popular parenting approaches are based on shaping behavior, not raising humans.
-
-
Sounds Wonderful, Does Not Work
- By R. Humphrey on 01-08-23
By: Becky Kennedy
-
Fair Play
- A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live)
- By: Eve Rodsky
- Narrated by: Eve Rodsky
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fair Play is a time- and anxiety-saving system that offers couples a completely new way to divvy up chores and responsibilities. Rodsky interviewed more than 500 men and women from all walks of life to figure out what the invisible work in a family actually entails and how to get it all done efficiently. With four easy-to-follow rules, 100 household tasks, and a series of conversation starters for you and your partner, Fair Play helps you prioritize what's important to your family and who should take the lead on every chore from laundry to homework to dinner.
-
-
For Coupled People
- By Brandy Patrick on 10-02-19
By: Eve Rodsky
-
Buy Back Your Time
- Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire
- By: Dan Martell
- Narrated by: Dan Martell
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How you use your free time will make or break your success. The secret? It’s not about working harder or finding more time to do work. It’s about designing the freedom to engage in the high-value work that brings you energy and fulfillment. This is at the heart of the message that has made Dan Martell the world’s most popular SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) coach. Now, in his first book, Buy Back Your Time, he teaches entrepreneurs at every level how to scale their business, fast, while avoiding burnout.
-
-
From Pain Line to Peace: This Book 📕 is My Escape Route to Time Freedom”
- By dayana on 09-18-24
By: Dan Martell
-
Driven to Distraction
- Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood
- By: M.D. Edward M. Hallowell M.D., John J. Ratey
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Through vivid stories of the experiences of their patients (both adults and children), Drs. Hallowell and Ratey show the varied forms ADD takes - from the hyperactive search for high stimulation to the floating inattention of daydreaming - and the transforming impact of precise diagnosis and treatment.
-
-
Informative
- By JD Herbert on 02-06-18
By: M.D. Edward M. Hallowell M.D., and others
-
Ikigai
- The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
- By: Héctor García, Francesc Miralles
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bring meaning and joy to all your days with this internationally best-selling guide to the Japanese concept of ikigai - the happiness of always being busy - as revealed by the daily habits of the world's longest-living people.
-
-
Not insightful but inspirational
- By A. Yoshida on 02-27-18
By: Héctor García, and others
-
Firekeeper's Daughter
- By: Angeline Boulley
- Narrated by: Isabella Star LaBlanc
- Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.
-
-
Che Meegwetch
- By Nix on 03-18-21
By: Angeline Boulley
-
The Power of Moments
- Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact
- By: Chip Heath, Dan Heath
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While human lives are endlessly variable, our most memorable positive moments are dominated by four elements: elevation, insight, pride, and connection. If we embrace these elements, we can conjure more moments that matter. What if a teacher could design a lesson that he knew his students would remember 20 years later? What if a manager knew how to create an experience that would delight customers? What if you had a better sense of how to create memories that matter for your children?
-
-
Easy to create your own defining moments
- By A. Yoshida on 12-15-17
By: Chip Heath, and others
-
The Intentional Father
- A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character
- By: Jon Tyson, David Kinnaman - foreword
- Narrated by: Jon Tyson
- Length: 4 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Self-initiation is killing our young men. Without strong mentors, boys are walking alone into a wilderness of conflicting messages about who they should be as men. It's no wonder that our sons are confused about what the world expects from them and what they should expect of themselves. The Intentional Father is the antidote. This concise book is filled with practical steps to help men raise sons of consequence—young men who know what they believe, know who they are, and will stand up against the negative cultural trends of our day.
-
-
powerful, insightful, best of all, applicable!
- By Brian on 07-13-22
By: Jon Tyson, and others
-
Sisters First
- By: Jenna Bush Hager, Barbara Pierce Bush
- Narrated by: Jenna Bush Hager, Barbara Pierce Bush
- Length: 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A young girl's wish is granted when a new sister arrives. While the baby can't do much, over time the big and little siblings become inseparable, playing and dancing, imagining and laughing. By each other's sides, they are smarter, kinder, and braver than they ever thought they could be. And they are forever sisters first.
-
-
A great book
- By John A. on 03-03-22
By: Jenna Bush Hager, and others
-
Mean Baby
- A Memoir of Growing Up
- By: Selma Blair
- Narrated by: Selma Blair
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first story Selma Blair Beitner ever heard about herself is that she was a mean, mean baby. With her mouth pulled in a perpetual snarl and a head so furry it had to be rubbed to make way for her forehead, Selma spent years living up to her terrible reputation: biting her sisters, lying spontaneously, getting drunk from Passover wine at the age of seven, and behaving dramatically so that she would be the center of attention. In a memoir that is as wildly funny as it is emotionally shattering, Blair tells the captivating story of growing up and finding her truth.
-
-
Poor little privileged girl...
- By Tesa Fisher on 09-20-22
By: Selma Blair
-
Everything Happens for a Reason
- And Other Lies I've Loved
- By: Kate Bowler
- Narrated by: Kate Bowler
- Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God's disapproval. At 35, everything in her life seems to point toward "blessing". She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son. Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer.
-
-
Please give me back the lost hours of my life!
- By Charles on 03-24-19
By: Kate Bowler
-
Tell Me More
- Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say
- By: Kelly Corrigan
- Narrated by: Kelly Corrigan
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's a crazy idea: trying to name the phrases that make love and connection possible. But that's just what Kelly Corrigan has set out to do here. In her New York Times best-selling memoirs, Corrigan distilled our core relationships to their essences, showcasing a warm, easy storytelling style. Now, in Tell Me More, she's back with a deeply personal, unfailingly honest, and often hilarious examination of the essential phrases that turn the wheel of life.
-
-
hard but worth it
- By erssmith on 09-19-18
By: Kelly Corrigan
-
Bella's Gift
- How One Little Girl Transformed Our Family and Inspired a Nation
- By: Rick Santorum, Elizabeth Santorum, Karen Santorum
- Narrated by: Rick Santorum, Diana Batarseh
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Four days after Rick and Karen Santorum welcomed their eighth baby into the world, they were given the devastating news that their little girl, Bella, was going to die. The full story of life with Bella has never been told until now. This inspiring family memoir explores what it means to embrace and celebrate the life of each person and find hope even in the midst of painful challenges.
-
-
A Lovely Story of Life and Loving Our Lord
- By Beck on 12-19-22
By: Rick Santorum, and others
-
Chicken Soup for the Soul 20th Anniversary Edition
- All Your Favorite Original Stories Plus 20 Bonus Stories for the Next 20 Years
- By: Jack Canfield, Amy Newmark, Mark Victor Hansen, and others
- Narrated by: Amy Newmark, Suzanne Toren, Mark Victor Hansen
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 20th anniversary edition of the original Chicken Soup for the Soul is brimming with even more hope and inspiration - the stories you've always loved, plus bonus stories, plus 20 bonus stories from today's thought leaders.
-
-
I was sad to note profane words
- By Will gladney on 03-12-21
By: Jack Canfield, and others
What listeners say about The Council of Dads
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- julie
- 03-08-16
insightful! Moving to introspection
this book provokes the opportunity to look deep at myself and my voice. It inspires me to discover myself and to discover my friends around me that really know who I am, that could offer to my children a little more about me, or to see myself a little clearer. through this book I had the incredible opportunity to take this emotional journey with the writer and discover myself along the way. Was inspiring was insightful it was thought provoking emotional spiritual and the I'm a better person for having experienced myself along the way
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Crissy
- 05-10-12
Memories of my dad
Would you consider the audio edition of The Council of Dads to be better than the print version?
I enjoy listening to the author tell their story.
What did you like best about this story?
being reminded of the precious nature of the father-daughter relationship.
What about Bruce Feiler’s performance did you like?
You can feel the emotions in his voice
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
all of it!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Hoshmana
- 05-08-20
Heartwarming and heart wrenching
This book lovingly touched on a father’s deep love for his daughters. I cried throughout the listen. Beautiful.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Subhash
- 06-03-10
Awesome
Will give you goosebumps to learn how to raise a child.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ms Caster
- 03-28-20
Mindblowing
In order to be a caring dad, one must also have a band of people helping stand behind you as well. Bruce has left a legacy for us and for his daughter's. He shows us in this book how to not only take time for ourselves, but for our family, and for those whom we love and adore. May we all learn that one important lesson in life!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!