Don, writing the letter to my dad was very cleansing. I actually cried as I was finishing it. I have never cried emotionally over my father before. I actually felt closer to him than I have ever felt. Thanks for giving me that gift. Wally Famous Amos. Dear Dad, I wanted to always tell you that I hate you because you left me when I was only three… Shameka–age 12. You will likely see yourself and your father in this book. Roberts’ unique idea of having the writer talk directly to his father, instead of just about him, makes the exercise very intimate. Each letter captures a moment in time in the writer’s life. Roberts asked them to sit down and, at that moment, write a letter to their father and say whatever they wanted to say to him as if he would read it TODAY.