A Startling Opening

Craig Melvin begins his memoir Pops: Learning to Be a Son and a Father with a startling fact: his father, Lawrence Melvin, was born in a federal prison in West Virginia in 1950.  For decades the two never discussed it. Craig says he did not confront the subject until he was 41 and began writing the book.

Family History and Addiction

Growing up in Columbia, South Carolina, Craig viewed his father as physically present but emotionally absent. 
Lawrence worked the graveyard shift at a postal facility.  He also battled alcoholism and gambling. Craig describes his father’s video‑poker habit and DUIs.

The Mother’s Role

Craig’s mother, Betty Jo Melvin, held the household together. She worked hard, managed the children, and filled gaps left by her husband. Craig says she made sure their lives did not revolve around his father’s addictions.

From Anger to Understanding

Initially, Craig says he resented his father. He writes: “I didn’t think he was capable of change.”  Over time, through long conversations and interviews with his father, Craig came to a different view. He realised his father had no blueprint for being a dad because he himself lacked a father and grew up under harsh circumstances.

Fatherhood and Legacy

Now a father himself to two young children, Craig reflects on how his past shapes his present. He lives with his wife, Lindsay Czarniak, and their kids in Connecticut.  He says his father’s story taught him this: “You can only blame someone for so long before it starts to eat away at your soul.”

A Memoir of Redemption

Pops is less a traditional career memoir and more an investigation into family, fatherhood, healing and resilience. It does not ignore pain. It acknowledges shame, addiction, generational trauma, and systemic racism.  Yet it also affirms possibility: the possibility of change, forgiveness, and building a better future.