“In this rigorous and beautifully researched volume, Milanich considers the tension between social and biological definitions of fatherhood, and shows how much we still have to learn about what constitutes a father.” —Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity For most of human history, the notion that paternity was uncertain appeared to be an immutable law of nature. The unknown father provided entertaining plotlines from Shakespeare to the Victorian novelists and lay at the heart of inheritance and child support disputes. But in the 1920s new scientific advances promised to solve the mystery of paternity once and for all. The stakes were high: fatherhood has always been a public relationship as well as a private one. It confers not only patrimony and legitimacy but also a name, nationality, and identity. The new science of paternity, with methods such as blood typing, fingerprinting, and facial analysis, would bring clarity to the conundrum of fatherhood—or so it appeared. Suddenly, it would be possible to establish family relationships, expose adulterous affairs, locate errant fathers, unravel baby mix-ups, and discover one’s true race and ethnicity. Tracing the scientific quest for the father up to the present, with the advent of seemingly foolproof DNA analysis, Nara Milanich shows that the effort to establish biological truth has not ended the quest for the father. Rather, scientific certainty has revealed the fundamentally social, cultural, and political nature of paternity. As Paternity shows, in the age of modern genetics the answer to the question “Who’s your father?” remains as complicated as ever.

Having a baby to save a marriage—it’s the oldest of clichés. But what if the marriage at risk is a gay one, and having a baby involves a surrogate mother? Pat Faunce is a faltering romantic, a former poetry major who now writes textbooks. A decade into his relationship with Stu, an airline pilot from a fraught Jewish family, he fears he’s losing Stu to other men—and losing himself in their “no rules” arrangement. Yearning for a baby and a deeper commitment, he pressures Stu to move from Manhattan to Cape Cod, to the cottage where Pat spent boyhood summers. As they struggle to adjust to their new life, they enlist a surrogate: Debora, a charismatic Brazilian immigrant, married to Danny, an American carpenter. Gradually, Pat and Debora bond, drawn together by the logistics of getting pregnant and away from their spouses. Pat gets caught between loyalties—to Stu and his family, to Debora, to his own potent desires—and wonders: is he fit to be a father? In one of the first novels to explore the experience of gay men seeking a child through surrogacy, Michael Lowenthal writes passionately about marriages and mistakes, loyalty and betrayal, and about how our drive to create families can complicate the ones we already have. The Paternity Test is a provocative look at the new “family values.”

What They Are Saying About BREAKING THE RULES; TALES OF A PATERNITY LEAVE DAD "Jerry became the beacon of hope for dads throughout the country, if not the word because of his historic decision to put his family first. His journey down the path of parenting and being granted the first paternity leave will have a lasting effect on future national and global policies. Granting Jerry a paternity leave was one of the most profound decisions made by me and unanimously by members of the New York City Central Board of Education. Reading his Fun Book about how he raised his children, well, it was a treasured experience." Steve Aiello, Past President of the New York City Board of Education. "A story well told, with humor and sensitivity by the father awarded the first paternity leave from the New York City Board of Education 45 years ago." Dr. Hazel Dukes "" Past National President and Board Member, NAACP "Nothing is more important than our relationship with our families. It is the foundation for all we do. This book embraces those relationships and offers insight, encouragement and some humor that enriches us all. Jerry Cammarata is the Godfather of modern parenting." Nicholas Pileggi, Producer, author, and screenwriter. Among his notable works are Goodfellas, Casino, Father Hood, Blye, Private Eye, and City Hall. "Jerry's story provides reassurance by both Moms and Dads, especially in today's online world, that rule books and how-to-guides are not needed for parents or children, and that the greatest joy of parenting is making it up as you go along." Ron Kuby, Civil Rights Lawyer & former Radio Talk Show Host. "Jerry Cammarata has again written of the most essential books for parents and their children." Stan Corwin, author of THE CREATIVE WRITER'S COMPANION. "Government needs to listen to what Dr. Cammarata is saying about being able to enjoy parenting. Government and business must see the family as the center of our culture which will be the future success of our nation. Working toward a national family leave policy is another moment in our civil rights journey. Jerry gets it." David Paterson, Former Governor of New York. "What a marvelous story about finding human parenting skills through observing the animal kingdom, and to better understand how best to live on this planet. Every parent should read this book." Marilyn Vasta, Climate Activist and Psychotherapist.

Literary Paternity, Literary Friendship: Essays in Honor of Stanley Corngold

Winner, 2009 J. Russell Major Prize, American Historical AssociationWinner, 2009 Frances Richardson Keller-Sierra Prize, Western Association of Women HistoriansWinner, 2008 Charles E. Smith Award, European History section of the Southern Historical Association This groundbreaking study examines complex notions of paternity and fatherhood in modern France through the lens of contested paternity. Drawing from archival judicial records on paternity suits, paternity denials, deprivation of paternity, and adoption, from the end of the eighteenth century through the twentieth, Rachel G. Fuchs reveals how paternity was defined and how it functioned in the culture and experiences of individual men and women. She addresses the competing definitions of paternity and of families, how public policy toward paternity and the family shifted, and what individuals did to facilitate their personal and familial ideals and goals. Issues of paternity and the family have broad implications for an understanding of how private acts were governed by laws of the state. Focusing on paternity as a category of family history, Contested Paternity emphasizes the importance of fatherhood, the family, and the law within the greater context of changing attitudes toward parental responsibility.

Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in children born out of wedlock. Such a situation is of great concern because the poorest demographic group in America is children in single-parent families, which puts great strain on the welfare rolls and adversely impacts the economy. And one should not neglect the influence on the children, who often go through life without a father. Everyone who fathers a child is obligated to at least contribute financially to child support, rather than dodge that responsibility. Consequently, the government has increased its efforts in child support enforcement by establishing paternities through DNA tests and attempting, with the aid of state and local agencies, to apprehend so-called 'dead-beat dads'. This book presents background information on paternity establishment and its process, while describing several relevant federal programs and policy options. Included are analyses of genetic testing and the legislative history of this issue. With the increase in single-parent families and the problems they face, the topic of paternity establishment holds great importance to today's society, and this book is a valuable tool in understanding the facts around the issue.