false 4316701 1 <P>Adam Sandler movies, HBO's <I>Entourage</I>, and such magazines as <I>Maxim</I> and <I>FHM</I> all trade in and appeal to one character& mdash;the modern boy-man. Addicted to video games, comic books, extreme sports, and dressing down, the boy-man would rather devote an afternoon to Grand Theft Auto than plan his next career move. He would rather prolong the hedonistic pleasures of youth than embrace the self-sacrificing demands of adulthood. </P><P>When did maturity become the ultimate taboo? Men have gone from idolizing Cary Grant to aping Hugh Grant, shunning marriage and responsibility well into their twenties and thirties. Gary Cross, renowned cultural historian, identifies the boy-man and his habits, examining the attitudes and practices of three generations to make sense of this gradual but profound shift in American masculinity. Cross matches the rise of the American boy-man to trends in twentieth-century advertising, popular culture, and consumerism, and he locates the roots of our present crisis in the vague call for a new model of leadership that, ultimately, failed to offer a better concept of maturity.</P><P>Cross does not blame the young or glorify the past. He finds that men of the "Greatest Generation" might have embraced their role as providers but were confused by the contradictions and expectations of modern fatherhood. Their uncertainty gave birth to the Beats and men who indulged in childhood hobbies and boyish sports. Rather than fashion a new manhood, baby-boomers held onto their youth and, when that was gone, embraced Viagra. Without mature role models to emulate or rebel against, Generation X turned to cynicism and sensual intensity, and the media fed on this longing, transforming a life stage into a highly desirable lifestyle. Arguing that contemporary American culture undermines both conservative ideals of male maturity and the liberal values of community and responsibility, Cross concludes with a proposal for a modern marriage of personal desire and ethical adulthood., reviewing a previous edition or volume</P> 4364499 22 8 2008 Men to Boys: The Making of Modern Immaturity total:9|5:1|4:1|3:1|2:4|1:2| 9 22 25 5 4 0 false false Fri Oct 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 10 08:28:23 -0700 2008 Mon Oct 13 05:38:54 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun May 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 08 19:38:31 -0700 2009 Sun May 10 13:18:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Tue Mar 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 17 06:57:46 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 17 06:57:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Apr 06 15:30:15 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 15:31:09 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 04 06:14:07 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 04 06:43:47 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Fri Oct 02 08:13:48 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 21:33:37 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 02 08:13:48 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Oct 18 09:15:55 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 07:30:54 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 09:15:55 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jun 22 11:53:17 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 11:53:17 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed May 13 13:52:29 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 13:52:29 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Sat Apr 18 10:30:44 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 18 10:30:44 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Mar 18 09:48:35 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 18 09:48:35 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Feb 15 10:57:15 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 15 10:57:17 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Jan 27 15:33:38 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 15:33:38 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Jan 02 11:10:03 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 02 11:09:29 -0800 2009 Thu Apr 09 18:07:27 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Wed Dec 31 06:53:05 -0800 2008 Fri Mar 20 15:26:28 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Thu May 07 20:35:55 -0700 2009 Wed Nov 26 09:43:15 -0800 2008 Thu May 07 20:35:55 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 25 20:33:32 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 25 20:33:33 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Sun Nov 09 11:21:31 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 09 11:21:31 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Mon Nov 03 12:05:55 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 03 12:05:55 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Tue Oct 14 13:09:37 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 14 13:09:37 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=4316701