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Sep 15, 2007

Kelly rated it:

We got this as a gift -- it isn't a book I would have sought out. It's kind of funny -- I brought up this book at Thanksgiving dinner at the in-laws and my ultra-Conservative right wing SIL scoffed at it! Anyhow, Dobson's views on parenting are way too colored by his political views. If I listen to him my sons are going to grow up to be homosexual because my husband is out of town too much and I take on the lion's share of the parenting. Yeah, I'll make a note about that. (Hey -- by that vi More...

10 comments like (9 people liked it)

Nov 03, 2007

Jane Leacock rated it:

I am raising three boys. I received this as a gift and was appalled at the anti-feminist, homophobic, religious morality rhetoric contained within this book. It is a dangerous misrepresentation of imperical psychological data to formulate correlations that are not only incorrect but also insulting. The level of chauvinism and bigotry are astounding. The author includes amusing antecdotes and a few remedial suggestions for raising boys. However, this only hides the fact that he wants you to rais More...

4 comments like (8 people liked it)

Jun 26, 2007

Jessica rated it:

I wanted to be turned off by this book by a very conservative author, but Dobson raised so many important points about raising a strong, confident, secure, creative little dude that I reluctantly learned a lot. However, stereotypes abound.

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Nov 11, 2007

Kimberly rated it:

I was given this book as a gift as well. I saw this other comment written by Jane Leacock "I am raising three boys. I received this as a gift and was appalled at the anti-feminist, homophobic, religious morality rhetoric contained within this book. It is a dangerous misrepresentation of imperical psychological data to formulate correlations that are not only incorrect but also insulting. The level of chauvinism and bigotry are astounding. The author includes amusing antecdotes and a few rem More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 29, 2007

Beth rated it:

This is a very dangerous book for mothers and fathers of boys. There is puntitive parenting tactics and worse there are scare tactics and unproven theories used to promote detaching of young children from their mother's. PLEASE, if you do read this book, read it as an opportunity to educate yourself against the Christian movement towards puntitive discipline, control and breaking of a child's spirit. I have lost all respect for Dr. Dobson after reading this book. Parts of it are so disgusting More...

1 comment like (7 people liked it)

Jul 13, 2010

Jen rated it:

Dr. Dobson does not hide his political agenda in anything he is apart of, this book included. Some of his views may be a bit right wing, even for me. However, no one can deny the cold hard facts he lays before his readers in Bringing Up Boys.

Dobson scientifically analyzes biological data, he compares Christian perspective with secular world views/perspectives and he manages to do it all in a loving grandfatherly sort of way. His critics felt attacked by his book--I felt challenged. Y More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 23, 2008

Megan rated it:

Overall I like this book, especially the first few chapters. I learned a lot about how boys think and how they are wired which helps me understand all the boys in my life better I think. But I did end up feeling hugely overwhelmed and depressed by the end as he goes on and on about all the horrible things our children will be faced with in this wicked world. Yes, there are parts of this world that are wicked but there are a lot of beautiful and happy things too and instead of feeling hopeful More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 17, 2012

Jessica rated it:

Never before have I been disgusted by the fact that I spent money on a book. If I could give it zero stars, I would.

I ordered the book online after just seeing the title on a suggested reading list, and since I'm all for reading up about parenting lately and it had 4 stars, and well, I have a boy, I went ahead and ordered it without knowing anything about it or the author.

In reading the first chapter, I recognized the author and realized that his ideas were likely to be More...

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Jan 13, 2011

Randi S rated it:

I'm reading "Bringing Up Boys" by Dr. James Dobson (founder of Focus on the Family). I LOVE it! It has just affirmed what I know to be true: that my husband is a MAN, a REAL man (who I love to death), and that raising a boy is so important (not that raising a girl is unimportant, but if you read the book, you'll understand that it's just really different).

This is not my point to this post. It is actually about why we feel disconnected to others. I'm sure if we dig deep down, More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jul 20, 2010

Lara added it

Oh.

This book was recommended to me by a friend who has pretty different views from mine, but I love her anyway. I had never heard of this Dr. James Dobson person (hi, apparently I live in a cave), and I thought it would simply help me understand the minds of dudes a little better since I'm pregnant with a boy and have always felt like I don't "get" boys.

My friend had told me the book was perhaps more religious or conservative than I would normally read, so I f More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 06, 2011

Kat rated it:

This book was loaned to me by a friend who had purchased it, but not read it. I only finished this book so that I could do a comparative review to Raising Boys: Why Boys Are Different-And How to Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men but after reading it, I realized that this book is far more comparable to I Am America than any serious or informative text on raising boys.

Despite the fact that Raising Boys is vague on details, out of date and amateurish in the more intimate areas More...

13 comments like (29 people liked it)

Nov 01, 2011

Sara rated it:

I gave up on this book. Several people had recommended this book to me. When I bought Bringing Up Boys, I was hoping to gain insight into raising my little one. Based on the recommendations I received, I thought the book would give advice on how to raise boys in different situations. I was greatly disappointed. Instead of advice, the book was filled with Dr. Dobson's personal opinions about parenting - most with which I disagreed. I am a Christian, but I found Dr. Dobson's views to be very narro More...

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Jul 26, 2011

Keisha rated it:

While I am very Christian, and religious, I found this book to not really feel Christian. Dobson flat out berates feminists, homosexuals, and anything "liberal" to the point where I felt it went against typical Christian doctrine to love others and not judge others. While I'm sure much of the information he presented was well-researched, I felt it was too biased and out of context. I actually felt uncomfortable reading some sections and in the end knew he was wrong about many of his th More...

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Oct 25, 2010

Lois added it

This was one of the lemons. This book came highly recommended to me and is by a well respected author. However, the book was of little/no use to me.

Here are some of the reasons this book was no good:

1) In his chapter about how schools are geared toward female sensiblities and can make it difficutl for boys to succeed - his solution was to home-school your child or send him to a private, all-boy school.

2)There is a chapter on how to prevent homosexuality. More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 11, 2011

Megan rated it:

I had a tough time deciding how many stars to give this book. I didn't agree with everything he wrote (he's a bit extreme) but he has me curious enough that I want to read his book on discipline; I figured I'd better go with the higher rating if I am going to keep reading his works.

This book is packed full of statistics (circa 2000) that made my blood run cold. But he also offers helpful insights for child rearing. The first half focuses on the vital role of involved fathers, and th More...

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May 24, 2011

Christina rated it:

This is the gold standard of Christian parenting books written by THE expert. Not everyone will agree with everything in this book, but it's hard to argue with godly advice and years of experience in this field. I particularly like the conservative and very biblical approach, compared to some other popular yet secular parenting books. This book shares my morals, values and convictions. I particularly liked the insights in Chapter 9 on homosexuality and have recommended it to several friends. More...

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Aug 03, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

I am in line with mostly everything Dobson says, although I must say I was a bit discouraged to read about all of the negatives we are up against in the first half of the book! I guess I would rather remain in denial...but I know I needed to read about those issues! The book definitely made me think about how I will raise my son, and that I definitely need to first rely on God to guide us as parents. I thought the comments on schooling were interesting. They challenged my thoughts about what More...

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Feb 22, 2011

Michelle rated it:

I wavered between giving it one and two stars but decided that the hands-on advice about how to be the rudder to the crazy speedboat that is "boy" was pretty useful. How to be an authority and not wishy-washy. Not being afraid to be a parent versus a friend. These things I agree with.

There are a lot of studies cited, but even more Bible Scripture. That really watered it down for me. At the end he goes as far as to say that the only way to live a truly fulfilling and whole l More...

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Jun 08, 2010

Natalia rated it:

While I did not agree with everything, I greatly appreciated the advice given by Dr. James Dobson. When raising boys, it is extremely important for the father to be not only a good role model, but also an active participant in the life of the child. This is not to relegate the mother to the sidelines. The entire family must grow up together. The parents, together as a united front, must have the boys' best interest in mind. The parents must be vigilant to protect them from the many differen More...

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Nov 27, 2010

James rated it:

I appreciate that Dr. Dobson tackled such a relevant and important topic. His book consists of a tremendous amount of research and there are innumerable helpful insights. I freely admit my bias that I am considerably to the left of Dr. Dobson, socially and politically, and this is why I had resisted reading his book for so long. However, as a Christian counselor who specializes in treatment with adolescent boys, I stifled my pride and read Bringing up Boys. It was both a good and a bad decis More...

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Jul 06, 2011

Lauren rated it:

Though some of his language and anecdotes are a little dated, this is overall a very thoughtful book. I was hoping for more practical advice, though there are tidbits sprinkled throughout the book.

I don't think it deserves much of the negative criticism I read in some of the other reviews - he never says he "hates" anyone; there is very little discussion of punitive discipline and he balances any mention with the reminder to discipline in love; he does not think a woman is l More...

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May 01, 2009

Steven rated it:

Excellent defense of everything boy. Opens with great examples of ways in which boys and girls differ and why that is and why it matters.

Dobson understands the problems boys face in school, particularly, and why the institution is inherently feminized, not because so many teachers are female, but because schools cater to female strengths, like sitting still and working with fingers, rather than larger movements and more active pursuits. And Dobson does not argue that any of that is More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 04, 2009

Stephanie rated it:

This is absolutely one of the most influential books I've ever read. Make no mistake, Dobson is EXTREMELY conservative, even for me, and I'm pretty right leaning. However, much of what he said, not just about boys, but about society in general, rings true. There are chapters on the degeneration of society and mini history lessons about things you've always heard of, but weren't alive for or old enough to understand the ramifications -- like the feminist movement, postmodernism, the rise of the p More...

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Jan 13, 2009

Brenda rated it:

I decided to read this book to gain insight on raising a son in a world that constantly innundates our kids with violence, sex, drugs, and other negative things. I really didn't get much out of this book. Most of the advice in this book are sheer common sense. I did, however, enjoy the chapters on the biological differences in boys and girls. The book focused a lot on the important role fathers play in raising sons. The chapter on the mom's role was pretty skimpy and didn't offer much advice for More...

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Sep 30, 2010

Linda rated it:

I like Dr. Dobson's no nonsense approach to teaching what he believes. His comments may need some factual backups, but mostly I believe what he has to say is correct. I was amazed at how the the boys of this generation are being affected by working mothers and split families. Our sons are in great need of love, understanding and compassion and the hectic pace at which most of us live has fragmented their lives. Dr. Dobson's work is helping parents find their voice and their love for their sons. More...

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Sep 12, 2011

Heidi rated it:

The first time I read this book I was pregnant w. my boy but it actually taught me a lot about my husband as well. It is very interesting and informative and an easy non-fiction to get into.
I just read several people's reviews on this book and I find a lot of them downright HILARIOUS. First of all, Dr. Dobson bases his "views" on scientific research not just his opinions. Second, WHY OH WHY, do Christian folks feel the need to share a book based on inherently Christian parenti More...

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Jan 15, 2012

Elizabeth rated it:

Dr. Dobson presents advice and information with Biblical backing and personal experience. From the differences between boys and girls to the difference of relationships between fathers and sons and mothers and sons, to the representation of males and maleness in today's culture, "Bringing Up Boys" covers a wide range of topics emphasizing the importance of present, Godly parenting.

As a future stepmom of two boys, I greatly appreciated Dr. Dobson's perspective and will defi More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Mrsyounger rated it:

This was a great book. As I read, it made sense of the things I saw in my students who were boys and even some of the things my Hubby does and thinks! Dobson walks the reader through how boys are different, mentally, physically, behaviorally, and how those differences impact the way a father or mother relates to them. He discusses the impact of current cultural trends, and how they will affect young boys. He speaks to the single parent, grandparents and other adults in a growing boy's life.
More...

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Apr 10, 2009

Jodi rated it:

I picked this book up to see if it might give me some insight into raising my little boy! The book was a little dry at times and there were things I agreed with and some things that bothered me. The things I agreed on that boys ARE different from girls - they play rougher, they can turn anything into a gun or a sword (even if there are none of these toys in the house. It is amazing how a paper towel tube can be a sword or a block can be a gun. Where do boys pick up these things from non-viol More...

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Feb 02, 2008

Skylar rated it:

This book is written for parents who are attempting to raise their boys with traditional Christian values in a culture that inundates them with violence, sexuality, and moral relativism. If you don't fit that category of parent, you probably shouldn't be reading this book; it is only going to irritate you (as I see it has many people). Now, I do fit that category of parent, and I will say that even I find Dobson to be sometimes over the top. This book makes it sound rather as if there is a pedop More...

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