5/8/2023 0 Comments Journal for jordanNo man is too good to get on his knee and humble himself to God.” We see a picture that Charles drew of himself as an angel, bowing.Ī family says grace at the dinner table. In one real entry referred to in the film, Charles wrote, “Never be ashamed to cry. And Charles alluded to faith in some of his journal entries. “I believe in evil, too,” he answered simply. (The movie is based on a true story, and the real Dana Canedy-a one-time editor for The New York Times-says that Charles would pray every morning.)ĭana once pushed back on Charles’ faith: How could he be a soldier-see all that he’s seen-and still believe in God? she asked. One of her first indications: When they go out for breakfast and Charles insists on saying a quick, private, silent prayer. But she gathers the strength to do so (through both her own writings and the stories she tells him directly) and encourages him to read every word his father wrote to him, even as she encouraged Charles to write those words-honestly, even painfully, if necessary.ĭana knows that Charles is different from a lot of the men she’s known before. And talking to Jordan about his father is hard on her. Being a single mom isn’t easy (as the movie illustrates). Though only 13 when given it to read, the teen devours his father’s words-throwing himself into a strict fitness regimen (his dad had been a fitness nut), internalizing lessons about how to treat others around him and even gently edging into the role of his mom’s protector.Īnd while the movie’s focus is really on these two male characters as seen through Dana’s eyes, let’s not diminish this mother’s own role in her son’s upbringing. The movie indicates that the journal serves its purpose in Jordan’s life. He volunteers for dangerous missions that he doesn’t need to volunteer for, because (as Dana says) he’d never let his men do something he wasn’t willing to do, too. For instance, Charles doesn’t request time off to be present for Jordan’s birth: He feels like he needs to be with his men during that critical time. He takes his relationship with her very seriously, and he loves being a father-describing it as one of the best things to happen to him.īut he cares deeply for the men under him in the Army, too-a love that causes friction between himself and Dana at times. He’s curiously old-fashioned in ways that Dana-who lives in New York City-finds at first disconcerting but ultimately charming. If Charles’ journal seeks to helps his son become the man Charles thinks he should be, A Journal for Jordan is a testament to the man that Charles was.Ĭharles is the sort of fella that many a mom and dad would want their daughter to marry: conscientious, protective, dutiful, loving. And for Jordan and Dana, perhaps it’ll be enough. Sometimes, it asks for everything-blood, bone and breath.īut this father’s journal-pen and paper, words and art-remains. He writes for 200 pages, and he’s still not done. He answers the questions that many boys need answered: What does it mean to be a man? A Black man? A good man? He shares stories from his life, freer in thought on paper than he ever has been in person. So-with a little prodding from Dana-Charles starts writing. He’d be foolish to imagine that he’s immune to war’s dangers-that being a father somehow protects him. He’s in charge of 150 young men-giving them the tools they’ll need to fight and live and return home. And sometimes, it asks for even more.Ĭharles knows this, and he knows it well. The Army asks a lot of its people: long hours, long stretches away from family, long trips to scary places. And while Charles plans to be a big part of his little boy’s life, soldiers don’t always get the choice. He has so much to say to Jordan, so much to share. It’s almost impossible when Dad’s 6,000 miles away.Ĭharles Monroe King, an Army first sergeant serving in Iraq, feels every inch of that separation-every millimeter of distance between him and his partner, Dana, and his newborn son, Jordan. Fatherhood is hard enough when two parents live in the same house.
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