Glen Waddle, in Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison, repeatedly and violently rapes his preteen step-daughter, once so badly he breaks her bones. A grim tale of poverty and misogyny that asks whether women can save the day. For the story of another bad dad — who tries to break a baby-making record — read The Great Stork Derby, based on an actual contest in which a husband pressures his wife to have babies for cash. Fifty years later, he learns the true meaning of fatherhood. Read more about the book in NOVELS.
