In this deeply learned book, poet and translator Robert Bly offers nothing less than a new vision of what it is to be a man.Bly's vision is based o...
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reviews
Jun 12, 2008
Ruzz
rated it: 
Having just pushed through the deep lakes of thought Bly makes us dwell in, and having exhausted a lot of energy traveling miles and miles of metaphor I feel short of power to describe this book.
I can say that I am, and few would disagree, the least among you to be found in a drum circle, or even drinking starbuck's. Which is not to say that I am better, only more stubborn about these things. And now further admitting my manhood is not at all comfortable with the idea of needing a " More...
I can say that I am, and few would disagree, the least among you to be found in a drum circle, or even drinking starbuck's. Which is not to say that I am better, only more stubborn about these things. And now further admitting my manhood is not at all comfortable with the idea of needing a " More...
Feb 06, 2008
Dan
rated it: 
Of all the books I've read I think this one generates the most controversy among amateur reviewers like me. I take that as evidence of the book's relevance and power. Cutting to the chase, I love this book.
Mr. Bly is writing about the strange and puzzling fact that the village elders do not teach boys how to become men. They haven't for at least a couple of generations. Their silent message to boys is: either imitate me, or figure it out for yourself. It's a cop out with terrible con More...
Mr. Bly is writing about the strange and puzzling fact that the village elders do not teach boys how to become men. They haven't for at least a couple of generations. Their silent message to boys is: either imitate me, or figure it out for yourself. It's a cop out with terrible con More...
Oct 07, 2008
Carrie
rated it: 
Oh, man. We all know how it's said that we can't judge books by their covers, or at least that we shouldn't...but this book can be judged easily with a quick glance at the back cover. Here is the author.
Note the "ethnic" vest over the button-up shirt and velvet ascot. This sums up, metaphorically, my experience of the contents of the book. A little bit hippie, a little bit new-age fetishist, a little bit ladies-man-of-the-1970's...and a little bit straightlaced and con More...
Note the "ethnic" vest over the button-up shirt and velvet ascot. This sums up, metaphorically, my experience of the contents of the book. A little bit hippie, a little bit new-age fetishist, a little bit ladies-man-of-the-1970's...and a little bit straightlaced and con More...
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Sep 26, 2011
Kevin
rated it:
Bly is sly. He talks about men without isolating women, without excluding the Divine Feminine from the male experience.
In a day and age where the alpha male has been replaced by the only rational option, the beta male, Bly offers a third way, the nurturing Father.
I really like the way Bly brings in fairy tale, mysticism, some gnosticism, and paganism, and um, even mythicism and also um the kitchen sink to describe the male ego in all of it's complexity.
The most telling, for me, is More...
In a day and age where the alpha male has been replaced by the only rational option, the beta male, Bly offers a third way, the nurturing Father.
I really like the way Bly brings in fairy tale, mysticism, some gnosticism, and paganism, and um, even mythicism and also um the kitchen sink to describe the male ego in all of it's complexity.
The most telling, for me, is More...
Dec 04, 2010
Ben
rated it:
Iron John is commonly regarded as one of the major men's books written over the past few decades. In many ways it functions as a secular Wild at Heart. It's an easy read that covers a lot of deep issues relating to masculinity.
There's a lot to like about this book, as well as a few problems. I'll start with the good stuff. First, I love the mythological approach Bly takes to masculinity. He's considered one of the foremost figures in the Mythopoetic Men's Movement, and for good reason More...
There's a lot to like about this book, as well as a few problems. I'll start with the good stuff. First, I love the mythological approach Bly takes to masculinity. He's considered one of the foremost figures in the Mythopoetic Men's Movement, and for good reason More...
Nov 13, 2010
Jack
rated it: 
Iron John is peppered with meaningful insights, but it is also insufferably fruity.
Bly frames Iron John as a book primarily for men ready to do this kind of “inner work;” men around the age of 35. If you’re going to really change manhood, you have to reach out to young men, too. A movement for 35 year old men has no future. Group therapy culture can’t replace authentic, organic masculine experience. That’s a problem I still see with the men’s movement, though I think this is changing. More...
Bly frames Iron John as a book primarily for men ready to do this kind of “inner work;” men around the age of 35. If you’re going to really change manhood, you have to reach out to young men, too. A movement for 35 year old men has no future. Group therapy culture can’t replace authentic, organic masculine experience. That’s a problem I still see with the men’s movement, though I think this is changing. More...
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Oct 04, 2010
joel
rated it:
This is the first book I have read in what I think will be a shift to non-fiction for a little while. It was recommended to me by a person that I think my be considered a "mentor" in the book itself. I am not exactly sure on what scale I will rate this book and the ones that I anticipate reading after it. However, I am going to attempt to write about each of them in some way. Here goes.
This was the most frightening book I think I have ever read - it hit close to home. More...
This was the most frightening book I think I have ever read - it hit close to home. More...
May 18, 2008
Donn
rated it:
This book is why I love Robert Bly. The modern man is lost, disheveled, and more broken everyday because there is no guidance to lead him into maturity, and through self-discovery. Utilizing the myth of Iron John, Robert Bly offers some answer to the wounds we receive in life, and how those too are means for us to grow well.
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Aug 12, 2011
A review of the audio book edition:
Robert Bly recycles an ancient story and uses it as a host to introduce what he believes to be the characteristics of masculinity and what it means to be a man. He cuts through the many layers of civilization that have covered the modern man and the many layers of city life that have isolated him from being in touch with man's world and attitude. He introduces provoking thoughts that makes one see previous and coming life events and actions of the elderly in a More...
Robert Bly recycles an ancient story and uses it as a host to introduce what he believes to be the characteristics of masculinity and what it means to be a man. He cuts through the many layers of civilization that have covered the modern man and the many layers of city life that have isolated him from being in touch with man's world and attitude. He introduces provoking thoughts that makes one see previous and coming life events and actions of the elderly in a More...
Jul 19, 2010
Ivan
rated it:
I liked this book a great deal. The author basically goes at great length over the symbolism of all the details of the tale of "Iron John". Bly regards it as a metaphor for the process of initiation of boys to manhood that got lost in the last couple of centuries. He presents the relevant mythological, historical and cultural backgrounds and goes from there, drawing conclusions what for instance "the golden ball" stands for, and then attempts to look at the contemporary world
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Dec 17, 2009
Jasonlylescampbell
rated it:
A wild and all over the place look at the soul of man in America. Iron John is a powerful myth/legend/story about the journey of male birth ... women give birth to boys, but men must give birth to men. Our society is so messed up in this regard ... just when we need grandfathers, they are shipped off to Phoenix and old folks homes, so the boys just hang out with more boys who know nothing. My grandfathers are both dead and have been for years. This is a book about necessary fierceness and decisi
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Dec 03, 2011
Jaybird
rated it:
Fasinating book that may change some aspects of how you understand what it is to be human (whether you're male or female). Modernity has been good for us in so many ways, but we've also trashed a lot of ancient understandings in return for an ever more "efficient" society. These understandings once gave people a deeper sense of their place in the universe, in society and in their families. Many of us have today have nothing like this, and consciously don't even know what's missing.
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Aug 21, 2010
Chris
rated it:
I read this after hearing about it at a weekend self-probing intensive put on by The Mankind Project. It was a very enlightening, moving weekend for me and much of the principals of the tools I learned there were rooted in this book.
Having read it now, a few months later, after having processed much of what I came to learn about myself then I feel I have new sources to go to gain greater depth and self perception. It has also made me incredibly curious to go back and reread the old More...
Having read it now, a few months later, after having processed much of what I came to learn about myself then I feel I have new sources to go to gain greater depth and self perception. It has also made me incredibly curious to go back and reread the old More...
Oct 15, 2010
Jill
rated it: 
Interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book and then the author puts so much stock into myths and fables and makes light comments about and out of context remarks concerning Christianity, and that was irritating. If you're going to cite an example, at least make sure you're accurately representing what was posited in the source. I do view men differently after this read and think the story has many lessons...although - many times throughout I wondered if this was really compo
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Aug 18, 2011
Shane
rated it:
Modern feminist thinking has placed significant emphasis on "the inadequacy of men, and on the evils of the patriarchal system, [and] encourages mothers to discount grown men." The preface articulates that the images of adult manhood given by popular culture are tired and worn out; they are unreliable. Bly taps into older, more ancient imagery to uncover how boys can mature into strong, confident men. This book is deep, mentally exhausting, and at times difficult to follow.
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Jul 05, 2011
Ilhan
rated it:
I learnt about this book while reading the book "Manhood".
This book is based on a very interesting myth and has some good ideas about how one progresses to manhood, but I believe that it paints too bleak a picture for men coming of age today. I find Robert Bly's outlook rather negative at times, and am suspicious of the fact that at one point in the book, he talks about how he can't "feel anything in the heart area" (emotions of that type) and feels blocked in th More...
This book is based on a very interesting myth and has some good ideas about how one progresses to manhood, but I believe that it paints too bleak a picture for men coming of age today. I find Robert Bly's outlook rather negative at times, and am suspicious of the fact that at one point in the book, he talks about how he can't "feel anything in the heart area" (emotions of that type) and feels blocked in th More...
Dec 04, 2009
Laura
rated it:
I read this book in attempt to understand the opposite sex. This is a book about how boys become men, and the stages a man moves through as life unfolds. There is a story within the story too. It is a fairytale about a boy and the Wild Man. I like the Wild Man story very much, and the author's interpretation of it less so, only b/c I generally prefer the real thing over interpretations. Certain essences get lost in translation and/or interpretation. It's very well written. Kudos to Robert B
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Jun 24, 2011
Aric
rated it:
A cross between Jungian psychology, Poetry, and Fairy Tales, this book neatly intersects many of my primary interests. Written by the poet Robert Bly, it's odd journey through the archetypal psychic development of men in western culture, focusing on the uses of and need for initiation rites and spiritual life, and a Jungian interpretation of the fairy tale "Iron John". There are some remarkable insights here, though also some pretty specious claims.
Dec 30, 2011
paul
rated it:
You've seen a herd of goats
Going down to the water.
The lame and dreamy goat
brings up the rear.
There are worried faces about that one,
but ah, now they're laughing, because look,
as they return,
that goat is the leader!
There are many different kinds of knowing.
The lame goat's kind is a branch
that traces back to the root of Presence.
Learn from the lame goat,
and lead the herd Home.
-- More...
Jan 14, 2011
Lily
rated it:
Billed as a man's 'Female Eunach', the story of Iron John and the role of the Wild Man in men's development is a brilliant and thought-provoking look into how fairy tales shape men's development. A little repetetive in places, perhaps, this is nonetheless an excellent read for anyone interested in gender psychology, or the literary theory and development of fairy tales.
Mar 24, 2010
Rob
rated it:
as a male having developed this philosophy on my own years prior to reading iron john, really helped focus my thoughts and ideas about myself as a man. i recommend this book to anyone looking to find them self and connect with their masculinity, especially in these times. probably one of my favorite books ive ever read.
Jan 10, 2011
Jon
rated it:
Robert Bly takes the secularist approach on the subject of masculinity. Some strange ideas are tightly wound with some very profound ideas in this mystical book. A couple of chapters took a push to get through but it was mostly enjoyable and thought provoking.
Nov 05, 2009
Robyn
rated it:
Interesting analogies by this fine poet. He finds parallels between different societies' myths of how boys become men. I loved some of the deep history -- "Iron John" from the Brothers Grimm is based on a story 20,000 years old. Gorgeous stuff that rings true.
Jun 07, 2011
Ian Drew
rated it:
You don't have to be macho, you don't have to be soft, as a man you have your innate own fierceness that has nothing to do with useless aggression and everything with standing up for what you believe in and what you love.
Sep 03, 2010
John
rated it:
This is a book that looks at what make's men...well men. The author goes back to myths and legends that are common to many cultures and examines what their view of manhood was and how that translates to today's culture of civilization. I enjoyed it even if I don't completely buy into the author's worldview.
Jul 28, 2009
Steven
rated it:
The bible for men interested in going into the backwoods (but never five miles from a 7-Eleven), playing Indian, beating on drums, and sitting around in a circle fondling their penises in a communal display of primal manhood.
Aug 22, 2008
Sam
rated it:
this seems like an important book to me. Bly speaks in poetry, symbols and myths, which is a strong point, but a common critique of him is that he tends to "over-interpret." Again, that's also part of the book's strength -- it's meant to inspire and engender creativity in others, so if it errs on the side of drama...oh, well. For me, Bly has sparked an interest in myth and fables -- finding greater meaning in the ancient stories with which we are all familiar.
I found i More...
I found i More...
May 17, 2011
Sandra
rated it:
I like Robert Bly. I think he would be a great guy to have as a good friend of one's parents. This book is an interesting read and sheds some perspective on the other half of the population.
Aug 10, 2011
Milkman3367
rated it:
Bly makes many interesting observations on the state of the American male, but some of them are confusing to the reader as they tend to be random thoughts which are loosely connected to ancient mythologies.
May 02, 2011
Apocryphal application of recurring mythological ideas to describe the necessary life path of the man. Some very interesting principles if you're willing to wade through the detritus.
