Notices of new books (taken from www.theibsc.org)
The global debate and discussion about boys continues to grow, and the recent publishing season brings many new and thought-provoking books to the list.
Fuelling a fire, journalist Kathleen Parker’s Save the Males: Why Men Matter; Why Women Should Care paints a picture, among other things, of an anti-male and “boy-bashing” culture, with alarming consequences for masculine identity. Aiming always to poke and provoke, Parker concludes: “Saving the males – engaging their nobility and recognizing their unique strengths – will ultimately benefit women and children, too.”
From a different perspective, and based on a wide range of research and interviews, sociologist Michael Kimmel’s Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men dissects the Guy Code, a bundle of attitudes and behaviours that are as toxic as they are pervasive. “Today’s young men are coming of age in an era with no road maps, no blueprints, and no primers to tell them what a man is and how to become one”, he writes.
Kimmel’s analysis of the causes, inner workings and power of Guyland will resonate with everyone who works with adolescent boys and young men. “As a society, we must be active, engaged, and interventionist, helping America’s guys find a path of emotional authenticity, moral integrity and physical efficacy”. This is an important and engaging book.
Richard Hawley’s Beyond the Icarus Factor: Releasing the Free Spirit of Boys occupies some of the same territory in this elegaic exploration of the “puer myth” – that creative, imaginative energy in boyhood – and of the ways in which our cultural and educational expectations lead to “successful” but hollow men. The story is told with great sympathy and sensitivity, and prompts readers to see their work in boys’ schools in a different light.
Journalist Peg Tyre got our attention with her 2006 article on “the Boy Crisis” in Newsweek. In The Trouble with Boys, she deepens and expands the premise, and probes the contours of and reasons for the growing gender gap in school achievement and engagement. Committed as anyone to gender equality, she nonetheless warns that “we don’t get there by ignoring the very real struggles of schoolboys. Right now, we have 2.5 million more college-going females than college-going males.” Along with an especially deft and smart handling and analysis of the evidence, she shares success stories, reflections and practical tips that offer direction for parents, schools and community leaders.
In Boys Should be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons, pediatrician Meg Meeker maps the trends – ranging from the absence of positive role models to a toxic media culture – that throw obstacles in the way of boys’ maturation to manhood. “My concern is not with what is politically correct, but what is true and what is best for boys”. Reflecting on her own engagement with families, she urges parents (and educators) to understand boys’ nature, and to guide them to positive and principled manhood. The unwavering emphasis here is on the nurturing of boys’ moral character; and her practical guidance to mothers, fathers and mentors is firmly articulated.
Michael Thompson, writing again with Teresa Barker, returns with It’s A Boy!, Understanding Your Son’s Development from Birth to Age 18. The precise mapping of the physical, cognitive, social and emotional stages of boys’ development, a balanced and careful discussion of the research literature, and a trademark gift for story, make this an exemplary resource. It’s a Boy will prove to be an enormously durable and wise guidebook, an essential reference for schools and teachers, as well as parents.
Finally, Michael Gurian joins Barbara Annis in Leadership and the Sexes: Using Gender Science to Create Success in Business. They summarize the neuro-science of gender differences, and focus on the way these play out in workplace relationships, decision-making and corporate leadership. The authors lay out a series of management strategies and exercises to help corporations and organizations become “gender aware”, and harness the power of that understanding. While this book is not in any direct way about schools, some readers may want to think about its application and relevance – what skills boys will need in the workplace of tomorrow, how our schools can mobilize the talent and perspective of all the men and women who teach there.
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