The Gift of Time: Letters from a Father

Dear Jorge Ramos: I'd never heard of you until I walked by your book in a bookstore last weekend - with the subtitle on the cover - "Letters from a Father" - pulling me to flip through the pages. I was curious what a world-class journalist and T.V. anchorman would have to say to his children - and more importantly I wondered if the rich and famous were torn with the same internal conflicts as the rest of us. Do you struggle with giving "enough time" to your children? Are you conflicted between wanting to professionally develop and succeed and meet the demands of your challenging job - with spending enough time with your family? And my curiosity was confirmed. I was also struck by the number of similarities that we share - we have two children, a boy and girl - we both came to the United States for a better life and for greater opportunities (Yes, what a great country this is) - as children, we both ate meals in silence with our a patriarch brooding and only developed our relationship with our Father (modestly at that) later in life - we have both lived or are living in Miami - we both ponder existentialism - we are both voracious readers - and I learn all of this in an amazing chance connection because of a side-ways glance in the non-fiction section of a book store. (Chopra: nothing is a coincidence). Jorge, I excuse a few shortcomings in your book including the deafening silence about the impact of your children's Mother(s) on their lives and on you. There is a gaping hole in your Letters on this front Jorge. I can only imagine how difficult your marital separation was on you and on Paola when she was three years old - yet, the impact on Paolo was underdeveloped in your letters and I wonder if she really did receive "The Gift of Time" in your transatlantic relationship. Perhaps the pain is better left unsaid or understated as is it understood. You visually described a near-death experience on I-95 on your way to the dentist - yet, you didn't stop to see if the other driver needed help? Or check the papers the next day to say if he was ok? We've all been there in a similar experience. Yet, despite these "few gaps," I wish that I had the talent to articulate what you've shared in this emotionally moving story of your life. If you are a Father with teenage kids, you will find that it's impossible not to be moved by your words and your thoughts. I thank you for taking the time to share this and inspire me to do something similar for my children. And I will recommend your story to other Fathers at every opportunity. While there were so many terrific insights and passages in your novel, I found the excerpts below to be particularly moving: "You (Nicolas) lay down, I gave you a long hug, and you reached out with your hand so I could squeeze it. And I asked myself how much longer this ritual would last. I realize that when I take you to school in the mornings, you don't like to say good-bye with a hug or a kiss; you prefer to just

Este libro es un libro, de lo que un padre les escriba a sus hijas, como un libro de cuentos, un buen regalo para navidad. Despues de leer este libro uno se tiene que dar cuenta, lo importante que es los seres queridos, yo compre 3 libros, para mi madre, para mi tia y uno para un amiga de la famila.

Un relato muy hermoso, conmovedor, honesto de parte de la vida de Jorge Ramos. Libro escrito en un lenguage muy facil, colorido y entretenido. Yo no sabia que el escribiera tan bonito y que ademas hubiera escrito mas libros. Disfruta ese libro tan entretenido!!

What attracted me to purchase the book was the fact the he talks about his children. He mentioned that he wanted to make sure that had the opprtunity to tell his children as much as he could of what they dont know about him so that they get to know him better. Now that i have it, I am almost halfways and I have cried all the way through. He describes his two children, Paola and Nicolas in such a way that I had never read and/or even seen. He is a journalist himself so it is very easy to write and that is what he does but the way he expresses his Love for his two children is just overwhelming and you cant help but cry. I have read the first 8 letters of the 15 letters. The whole book is just AMAZING!!!!!!It is a BIG 10 on a scale of 1 through 10.

Yo esperaba mas de este libro. Mas sorpresas, mas intimidad, mas revelaciones de un hombre que has vivido tanto, disfrutando de tantas experiencias. Sale con el sentimiento que el autor ya guarde su privacidad, y mucho. Por lo tanto, era un libro muy bien escrito, sus ideas y puntas de vista, de buen gusto. In short, I enjoyed Sr. Ramos' life observations very much but as a reader, felt that he still was not willing to express things that were too close to the bone. I wanted to add that as a bilingual person, I enjoy and respect the lifelong work of Jorge Ramos and look forward to reading his novels and watching him transmit the news nightly. I feel he is a very brave and courageous person to admit certain feelings and continue to lead his life of choice.