Actor Stephen Graham is set to launch a book brimming with messages from fathers to their sons, inspired by his “experience of making Adolescence”.
Penned by Graham and psychology lecturer Orly Klein, Letters To Our Sons is due for publication in October next year. The book will contain advice dads wish to impart to their sons, as well as their views on what it means to be a man.
Fathers are invited to contribute their entries via the book’s website. The site explains the aim of the book is to foster “open and honest conversation between fathers and their sons”, and it is hoped that it will be gifted by fathers to their sons “when they haven’t got the words”.
Graham shared: “After my experience of making Adolescence, I was really surprised with the amount of dads that came up to me, and told me the kind of conversations they’ve been having with their sons.
“We came up with this wonderful idea to ask you dads out there to write some letters for a book, where you can really talk to your sons and communicate with your sons, because a good friend of mine told me about this beautiful idea that Orly had with her son when he turned 13.”
Klein added: “We asked a load of men who we loved and admired to write him a letter on what they believe makes a good man, and what they wish they’d have known when they were younger.
“And we ended up with all these letters with amazing like nuggets of wisdom in them and life lessons for him to sort of carry through now for the rest of his life in becoming a man.”
Graham explained the letters “can be about anything”, with Klein noting that “they can be funny, they can be sad, they can be moving”, and emphasising that contributors don’t need to be “a great writer”.
The 52 year old Kirkby-born actor continued: “Please, please, please, please, please, put pen to paper or get that keyboard out, get someone else to help if you want.
“I’m dyslexic, but I’m still going to do one so my missus will probably help me, but get your letters in please so we can read them, and you can help us make a book that can hopefully talk to generations to come.
“So please help us make this book.”
For each letter submitted for the publication, publishers Bloomsbury will be donating to the MANUP? charity and social enterprise dad La Soul, both organisations which support young men with their mental health.
Netflix’s Adolescence stars This Is England actor and co-creator Graham as Eddie Miller, the father of 13 year old Jamie, portrayed by Owen Cooper, 15, who witnesses armed officers storm into his home to arrest his son.
Eddie is subsequently selected as Jamie’s appropriate adult, supporting him during the police interview and discovering the full scope of what his son stands accused of.
The series, co-written by Graham with Jack Thorne, explores so-called incel (involuntary celibate) culture, which has spawned misogyny online and harassment through social media platforms. Adolescence has sparked a national debate about online safety, with Graham and Thorne attending a parliamentary meeting on the topic at the invitation of Labour MP Josh MacAlister.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also commended the show, encouraging Parliament and schools to view it, and revealing that he had watched the programme with his own children.