Johnny Bell

The 21st-century father is expected to be actively engaged in the everyday care of his children, as epitomised by the celebrated dad of children's cartoon Bluey, the Blue Heeler Bandit. Fathering: An Australian History explores why men often struggle to meet social and cultural expectations. The authors' groundbreaking research reveals the forces that have shaped Australian family life and fathering since the early twentieth century, and how Australian fathers have managed the evolving role and its responsibilities. Focusing on lived experience and drawing upon a century of personal accounts, Fathering shows how fathers have participated in raising their children as the world changed their family roles and the relationships they form with their children. It reveals how the experience of being a father is as much shaped by social class and material wellbeing as it is by race and ethnicity, geography and sexuality, and by family legacy and personal character. The first comprehensive history of Australian fathering, Fathering transforms our understanding of men's experience of parenthood, showing how fathers from diverse backgrounds, including migrant and Indigenous dads, have negotiated their role in changing circumstances.

The Dirt Court follows Travis, a middle schooler, through the ups and downs of life in foster care. Throughout the story, he learns how to recognize and manage the damaging feelings that linger from his childhood. The Moorings, foster parents, are patient and give him time and space. We follow Travis as he makes mistakes, one that nearly ends his current placement with new friends and foster parents that love sports and Travis. He asks the Moorings if they will adopt him. But earlier wrongdoings while living with them make the judge leery. Everyone is on the edge of their seats, hoping that Travis can stay. Johnny Bell is an educator and high school basketball coach. He has spent the past decade mentoring elementary-age children from various backgrounds. His early childhood was spent living on various military bases while his adolescent and adult life were spent in Gainesville, Florida. He graduated from the University of Florida for undergrad and later a Master's degree in Education. Strong family, faith, passion for helping children, and enjoyment of sports are all equal forces inspiring the books he has written. He loves spending free time with his niece and nephew, and watching basketball. The Dirt Court is his second novel. His first novel Take the Shot was published by Adelaide Books in 2019.