Steve Anderson, an educator with years of experience in secondary schooling, co-edited Lessons from My Father alongside publisher Melinda Ferguson. The idea for the book emerged from Steve’s classroom observations of young people affected by absent or challenging father-figures, and his conviction that the stories of fathers and father-figures deserve a place in national conversation.

 

The anthology brings together thirty-two essays from noted South Africans across sports, the arts, activism and business, sharing reflections on the fathers who shaped them—sometimes imperfectly, always profoundly. Steve’s contribution was to help shape the book’s guiding principle: to give voice not only to idealised fatherhood but also to real-life complexity, and in doing so create a space for reflection, connection and hope in homes and communities.

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Through this work, Steve has helped make fatherhood more visible, more human and more discussed—inviting readers of all generations to look at the role of the father-figure, the impact of his presence or absence, and the possibility of healing and growth.