US Rep. Bill Johnson pens book about absent fathers

YOUNGSTOWN

U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson’s first book, “Raising Fathers,” addresses problematic or nonexistent father-children relationships.

The self-published book will be available Friday on Amazon.com.

Johnson of Marietta, R-6th, started writing the book four years ago.

While Johnson said his relationship with his four children is strong, that wasn’t the case with his father.

“‘Raising Fathers’ stems from my life experiences growing up in a dysfunctional family without a good father and those who filled in that gap for me as father figures,” Johnson, 62, said. “I had an alcoholic father who was very troubled. My mother spent more time running from my father than being with him. I was in 13 schools in 12 years. After I joined the Air Force out of high school, people became father figures to me.”

Read more about his story in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.