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The Trouble with Boys
A challenging and highly original look at the socialization of boysthe process that is creating the men of the future.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 8, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 29, 2023
A start of a bigger conversation.
October 5, 2015
About
This book was written by a British journalist and discusses issues surrounding raising boys in the world. She talks about the changing role of women in society and the fact that societal expectations for men and boys are not (boys are supposed to be tough, not cry, be the provider etc.) As they get older, boys need to distance themselves from their mothers and find male role models where many may not have fathers (lost through divorce, death or work). It also raised one point about boys who may start out not doing well in school (or finding success in other ways), eventually "opt out" of mainstream and find their own groups of friends where they can fit in or engage in destructive behaviours.
Pros
- Eye-opening in terms of how easy it is for situations that start out simply to deteriorate so badly
- A lot of material is presented
Cons
- I found the material hard to follow sometimes, could have been better organized and sometimes was confusing
- This is an old book, and it would be good to read more recent research on the subject
- It is not prescriptive. There is information on what could and has gone wrong, but not much help on what to do (except avoid what the families quoted did perhaps)
- By the nature of the research, the subjects are extreme examples
Bottom line
A good read, but if you have time to just read one book on the topic this may not be the best one to read.
This book was written by a British journalist and discusses issues surrounding raising boys in the world. She talks about the changing role of women in society and the fact that societal expectations for men and boys are not (boys are supposed to be tough, not cry, be the provider etc.) As they get older, boys need to distance themselves from their mothers and find male role models where many may not have fathers (lost through divorce, death or work). It also raised one point about boys who may start out not doing well in school (or finding success in other ways), eventually "opt out" of mainstream and find their own groups of friends where they can fit in or engage in destructive behaviours.
Pros
- Eye-opening in terms of how easy it is for situations that start out simply to deteriorate so badly
- A lot of material is presented
Cons
- I found the material hard to follow sometimes, could have been better organized and sometimes was confusing
- This is an old book, and it would be good to read more recent research on the subject
- It is not prescriptive. There is information on what could and has gone wrong, but not much help on what to do (except avoid what the families quoted did perhaps)
- By the nature of the research, the subjects are extreme examples
Bottom line
A good read, but if you have time to just read one book on the topic this may not be the best one to read.
August 3, 2015
This book was written twenty years ago and was helpful in seeing that these issues aren't new. However, that isn't enough to make this book worthwhile. The author is a journalist and not a psychologist and it shows. Her focus on mommy/daddy issues made the whole book lose credibility in my eyes and her reliance on others writing and not research furthered my disappointment. While written only five years later, Raising Cain, is much better, written with a lot of real experience as psychotherapists and research.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews