Dancing with Daddy

As a young child, Barbara Ann Gareis adored the charming man who made her giggle with glee as he twirled her around the living room. Not only did her father earn her devotion as a dance partner, his vocation as a police officer also made her feel safe and protected beyond anyone else.

Dancing with Daddy: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Hope is the bittersweet chronicle of one woman's profound devotion and fraught dynamic with her beloved father through his life. After Gareis shares the treasured times of her childhood waltzes perched on Daddy's shiny shoes, she mines the more turbulent times of her early years, which included tragic deaths of numerous loved ones and pets, and the rebellious fallout of her teenage days.

With candor and depth of emotion, this stirring and intimate work highlights how precious every moment is when spent with those who have our heart. When Gareis witnesses the near-death of her parents, she is moved to close the rift that had grown with her father. However, when tragedy strikes yet again, Gareis must muster her deepest reserves of strength to witness her rock solid protector face his own struggles.