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Boyhood Reimagined: Stories of Queer Moms Raising Sons
A family with two moms and a son seems pretty ordinary to many Americans in 2025. But with the reelection of Trump, the rise of Christian nationalism, and the ultra-conservative Supreme court, queer moms face ongoing and accelerating challenges to their families. Boyhood Reimagined asks particular questions about parenting and feminism during a time when traditional male dominance continues to shape societal expectations, limit opportunities for women and non-binary individuals, and influence political and economic power structures.
Do queer moms practicing feminist parenting raise sons with a healthy relationship to gender and masculinity? Are sons of queer moms protected from a culture of misogyny? And what important lessons do queer moms of sons have to teach other progressive parents?
Do queer moms practicing feminist parenting raise sons with a healthy relationship to gender and masculinity? Are sons of queer moms protected from a culture of misogyny? And what important lessons do queer moms of sons have to teach other progressive parents?
- GenresParenting
228 pages, Hardcover
Published June 3, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 3, 2025
Boyhood re-imagined is a collection of essays by queer moms with a focus on what it takes to raise a son in a culture where toxic masculinity runs rampant and pre-defined societal norms dictate gender based roles and expectations.
This was a fantastic read and can be best described as a go-to guide on what “Intentional Parenting” truly looks like.
From real-life stories that narrate the hardships of navigating gender based clothing or making their children aware of “invisible work” mom’s do, to explaining the desire to shave one’s legs while keeping their feminist credentials intact - this book is parenting inspiration bundled with anecdotes that make you smile. Each voice in the essays is unique, showcasing life experiences that guide the lesson they wish to impart and the struggle to fight cultural norms that sometimes erode that message.
As a mom raising a soon to be adult son - I wish I had access to this book a few years ago…there’s definitely a couple of conversations I would love to “do-over” but nevertheless will certainly seek to have today.
Boyhood re-imagined is not just a book about queer moms that applies only to queer moms - it’s a book ALL moms should read - because if we want to change what gender equality looks like, the need for consent, being kind, open minded, curious and raise a feminist son - it starts with each of us and our “little” ones.
This was a fantastic read and can be best described as a go-to guide on what “Intentional Parenting” truly looks like.
From real-life stories that narrate the hardships of navigating gender based clothing or making their children aware of “invisible work” mom’s do, to explaining the desire to shave one’s legs while keeping their feminist credentials intact - this book is parenting inspiration bundled with anecdotes that make you smile. Each voice in the essays is unique, showcasing life experiences that guide the lesson they wish to impart and the struggle to fight cultural norms that sometimes erode that message.
As a mom raising a soon to be adult son - I wish I had access to this book a few years ago…there’s definitely a couple of conversations I would love to “do-over” but nevertheless will certainly seek to have today.
Boyhood re-imagined is not just a book about queer moms that applies only to queer moms - it’s a book ALL moms should read - because if we want to change what gender equality looks like, the need for consent, being kind, open minded, curious and raise a feminist son - it starts with each of us and our “little” ones.
April 18, 2025
Boyhood Reimagined is a rich variety of the experience and discussions of Lesbians raising sons. Women discuss their feelings of success and failure, the questions of what is masculinity, what is healthy expression. As one of the earlier cohort of Lesbian Mothers, my daughter was born in 1973, I was encouraged to see how the views of gender have evolved while the essential parts of mothering have stayed the same: how do we make a safe space for our children to become who they are.
The confrontations with homophobia are always part of this story. Some children are open and push back, some children hide; context really matters in this as children move from urban to suburban or rural to urban, and become aware of their social context. Children often don’t report how difficult this is for them. Toxic masculinity is having a peak at this time, so seeing families cope successfully with the harder aspects of masculine stereotypes is hopeful for all of us.
The confrontations with homophobia are always part of this story. Some children are open and push back, some children hide; context really matters in this as children move from urban to suburban or rural to urban, and become aware of their social context. Children often don’t report how difficult this is for them. Toxic masculinity is having a peak at this time, so seeing families cope successfully with the harder aspects of masculine stereotypes is hopeful for all of us.
May 6, 2025
A deeply thoughtful and thought-provoking book. These stories and the questions posed by the authors made me think more deeply and widely about gender, parenting, how our contemporary views have been shaped, and what we might do about that. I was moved by the personal reflections and found myself thinking about them long after I finished the book.
April 14, 2025
Thank you for compiling this thoughtful and inspiring collection of essays that speak to the sometimes heartbreaking challenges and the creative ways queer mothers are helping to nurture the future.
April 22, 2025
The Book the World Needs—Not Just Queer Moms
This collection of essays by queer moms raising boys is the kind of book that doesn’t just speak to a niche—it speaks to anyone asking hard questions about how to raise children with intention, integrity, and courage inside systems that have asked all of us to shrink, conform, or fit inside roles that never quite fit.
What makes this book so powerful is the self-awareness of the parents. They’re not just parenting—they’re reflecting on their relationship to power, authority, to feminism, to patriarchy. They’re asking: How do we raise boys to feel whole in a culture that tried to make us feel small? How do we help them find their own path—whether that means challenging the culture or, at times, conforming to it? How do we teach autonomy without abandoning accountability?
What moved me most was how theory met reality. These aren’t abstract ideals. These are real families, navigating what they hope for and what the world demands. One parent writes, “We knew we held a lot of power over how our sons perceived themselves as men.” Another reflects, “We needed to manage our own stories—of rage, fear, and despair—so that our sons wouldn’t bear that burden.”
These stories are an invitation. To hold influence without control. To break cycles not just by naming them, but by doing the deep personal work to ensure our children don’t inherit our pain.
What also stands out is the honesty about the limits of our ideals. “We still do live in this gendered society,” one parent admits, “and there are some gender lines I’m very comfortable standing on top of but not crossing.” It’s about building a better world from the inside out—without giving in to despair, complacency or apathy. It’s the hard work of living in integrity while living in the world as it is.
It’s a rare gift to see parenting done with this much depth and care. And it’s a gift I hope more people—queer or not, parents or not—take the time to receive.
This collection of essays by queer moms raising boys is the kind of book that doesn’t just speak to a niche—it speaks to anyone asking hard questions about how to raise children with intention, integrity, and courage inside systems that have asked all of us to shrink, conform, or fit inside roles that never quite fit.
What makes this book so powerful is the self-awareness of the parents. They’re not just parenting—they’re reflecting on their relationship to power, authority, to feminism, to patriarchy. They’re asking: How do we raise boys to feel whole in a culture that tried to make us feel small? How do we help them find their own path—whether that means challenging the culture or, at times, conforming to it? How do we teach autonomy without abandoning accountability?
What moved me most was how theory met reality. These aren’t abstract ideals. These are real families, navigating what they hope for and what the world demands. One parent writes, “We knew we held a lot of power over how our sons perceived themselves as men.” Another reflects, “We needed to manage our own stories—of rage, fear, and despair—so that our sons wouldn’t bear that burden.”
These stories are an invitation. To hold influence without control. To break cycles not just by naming them, but by doing the deep personal work to ensure our children don’t inherit our pain.
What also stands out is the honesty about the limits of our ideals. “We still do live in this gendered society,” one parent admits, “and there are some gender lines I’m very comfortable standing on top of but not crossing.” It’s about building a better world from the inside out—without giving in to despair, complacency or apathy. It’s the hard work of living in integrity while living in the world as it is.
It’s a rare gift to see parenting done with this much depth and care. And it’s a gift I hope more people—queer or not, parents or not—take the time to receive.
May 8, 2025
Raising two sons while thinking critically about how our shared masculinity connects and informs our view of the world feels more important now than ever before. Boyhood Reimagined collects some of the most honest and heartfelt explorations of parenting boys through the lens of feminism, compassion, and kindness. The voices gathered here bring together queer, intersectional identities, all with the same intent—to raise the next generation of men who will define how masculinity shapes our world.
I read each of these stories nonstop, seeing my own experiences, feeling the connection between my children and the ones raised in these pages, all the while knowing that this is exactly how systems of oppression can truly be dismantled and retired. This book gives me hope for my children’s future.
Gail Marlene Schwartz and Ada Malone have assembled an outstanding series of essays in Boyhood Reimagined. From this father to all the others out there, this book is for you, too.
I read each of these stories nonstop, seeing my own experiences, feeling the connection between my children and the ones raised in these pages, all the while knowing that this is exactly how systems of oppression can truly be dismantled and retired. This book gives me hope for my children’s future.
Gail Marlene Schwartz and Ada Malone have assembled an outstanding series of essays in Boyhood Reimagined. From this father to all the others out there, this book is for you, too.
May 13, 2025
More than a collection of stories and interviews, this thoughtful, timely book is a living document pulsing with curiosity, love, and insights into parenting beyond prescription.
There are many powerful questions in this profound book, but one struck me as especially central: "Can women who love women raise boys with a healthy relationship to gender and masculinity?" Rather than offering cookie-cutter or idealized answers, this collection treats parenting as an evolving practice, one that resists binaries and embraces wholeness. In their radical honesty, these authors reflect what all parents hope for: that our children be healthy, respected, and loved.
At a time when gender diversity is increasingly under attack, this collection offers a healing nonbinary lens on family, care, and possibility—one that feels both transformative and, in the best way, entirely ordinary. Because yes: Queer love is both.
What a generous and essential book.
There are many powerful questions in this profound book, but one struck me as especially central: "Can women who love women raise boys with a healthy relationship to gender and masculinity?" Rather than offering cookie-cutter or idealized answers, this collection treats parenting as an evolving practice, one that resists binaries and embraces wholeness. In their radical honesty, these authors reflect what all parents hope for: that our children be healthy, respected, and loved.
At a time when gender diversity is increasingly under attack, this collection offers a healing nonbinary lens on family, care, and possibility—one that feels both transformative and, in the best way, entirely ordinary. Because yes: Queer love is both.
What a generous and essential book.
April 22, 2025
This book makes amply clear: there is another way to raise boys, not "hoping for the best" but parenting and teaching them out loud about respect, differences, and acceptance. What's so refreshing is the deep concern the queer moms all showed for raising well-adjusted sons in the absence of fathers - the outcomes speak to their commitment to providing the fullest range of emotional experience while still recognizing that their boys were sometimes quite different in their needs than they expected. I applaud the spirit that went into this book, and the people who made it happen.
July 10, 2025
Incredible!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews