Amazing Tales for Making Men Out of Boys


Book Description

Stories of heroism, exploration, and sacrifice -- including Apollo XIII and Scott of the Antarctic -- that inspire boys to be courageous, selfless, and open to adventure Tales of brave and selfless deeds used to be part of every boy’s education. We grew up sharing stories with our fathers, uncles, and grandfathers of how other men had lived their lives, met their challenges, reached their goals, and faced their deaths. Becoming a man was about comradeship and standing by your friends whatever the circumstances. And it meant that sometimes it was more important to die a hero than live a coward’s life. Through Neil Oliver’s vivid, stirring accounts we can rediscover the stories that inspire men to perform acts greater than themselves. These are the epics that we should all know by heart; the tales of courage, endurance, and sacrifice that made men out of boys. Amazing Tales for Making Men Out of Boys is packed with classic stories of courage and heroism from around the world and includes four stories especially for the American edition: Omaha Beach, June 6th 1944; The Alamo; The Civil War Battle of Shilo; and The Revolutionary War Sea Battle of John Paul Jones and the Bon Homme Richard.




Men to Boys


Book Description

Adam Sandler movies, HBO's Entourage, and such magazines as Maxim and FHM all trade in and appeal to one character 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. 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. 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.




The Making of Men


Book Description

As parents, we all want our boys to grow up to be happy, healthy and successful. For this to happen, it’s vital we understand their world, their challenges, and how our relationship with them must change as they become young men. Using real-life examples, parenting expert Dr Arne Rubinstein clearly explains the risks teenagers face today, including drugs, alcohol, technology and peer group pressure. He then shows how you can equip your son to make safe and sensible choices. Whether you’re a single mum of a happy-go-lucky eight-year old, or the parent of a troubled teen, The Making of Men is a practical, commonsense guide to helping your son transition from a boy to a young man who is motivated and inspired. ‘Funny, encouraging, gritty and real.’ Steve Biddulph, bestselling author of Manhood and Raising Boys




Raising Boys to Be Good Men


Book Description

"If you are the parent of a boy . . . this is the book you need . . . insightful, enlightened, practical." —Peggy Orenstein, New York Times bestselling author of Boys & Sex From the dad who created the viral tweet supporting his son wearing nail polish, this essential parenting guide shares 36 parenting tips for battling gender norms, bringing down "man up" culture, and helping sons realize their potential. Our boys are in a crisis. Toxic masculinity and tough guy-ism are on display daily from our leaders, and we see anger, dysfunction, violence, and depression in young men who are suffocated by harmful social codes. Our young sons are told to stop throwing like a girl. They hear phrases like “man up” when they cry. They are told “boys will be boys” when they behave badly. The “Girl Power” movement has encouraged women to be whoever and do whatever they want, but that sentiment is not often extended to boys. Just watch the bullying when boys try ballet, paint their fingernails, or play with a doll. But we can treat this problem—and the power lies in the hands of parents. It's not only possible to raise boys who aren't emotionally stifled and shoved into stereotypical gender boxes; it's vital if we want a generation of men who can express their emotions, respect women, and help nurse society back to a halfway healthy place. We can reframe manhood. From Aaron Gouveia, who gained viral fame after tweeting his support for his son’s painted fingernails (and who knows toxic masculinity very well), learn practical and actionable tips such as: Don’t accept different standards for moms and dads Teach boys that “girl” is not an insult and retire phrases like “boys will be boys” Show boys that expressing their emotions and being physical is a good thing Let boys pursue nontraditional interests and hobbies Talk to boys about consent and privilege Model healthy and respectful relationships for boys to emulate Penned with equal parts humor, biting snark, and lived advice, Raising Boys to Be Good Men is the essential parenting guide for raising sons to realize their potential outside the box. ​




From Boys to Men


Book Description

More than an anthology of coming out stories, From Boys to Men is a stunning collection of essays about what it is like to be gay and young, to be different and be aware of that difference from the earliest of ages. In these memoirs, coming out is less important than coming of age and coming to the realization that young gay people experience the world in ways quite unlike straight boys. Whether it is a fascination with soap opera, an intense sensitivity to their own difference, or an obsession with a certain part of the male anatomy, gay kids — or kids who would eventually identify as gay — have an indefinable but unmistakable gay sensibility. Sometimes the result is funny, sometimes it is harrowing, and often it is deeply moving. Essays by lauded young writers like Alex Chee (Edinburgh), Aaron Hamburger (Faith for Beginners), Karl Soehnlein (The World of Normal Boys), Trebor Healy (Through It Came Bright Colors), Tom Dolby (The Trouble Boy), David Bahr, and Austin Bunn, are collected along with those by brilliant, newcomers such as Michael McAllister, Jason Tougaw, Viet Dinh, and the wildly popular blogger, Joe.My.God.




The Boy Crisis


Book Description

What is the boy crisis? It's a crisis of education. Worldwide, boys are 50 percent less likely than girls to meet basic proficiency in reading, math, and science. It's a crisis of mental health. ADHD is on the rise. And as boys become young men, their suicide rates go from equal to girls to six times that of young women. It's a crisis of fathering. Boys are growing up with less-involved fathers and are more likely to drop out of school, drink, do drugs, become delinquent, and end up in prison. It's a crisis of purpose. Boys' old sense of purpose—being a warrior, a leader, or a sole breadwinner—are fading. Many bright boys are experiencing a "purpose void," feeling alienated, withdrawn, and addicted to immediate gratification. So, what is The Boy Crisis? A comprehensive blueprint for what parents, teachers, and policymakers can do to help our sons become happier, healthier men, and fathers and leaders worthy of our respect.




The Men from the Boys


Book Description

Jeff O’Brien - bright, good-looking, and inching dangerously past thirty, is caught between two generations, the Baby Boomers and Generation X. He’s been with his partner, Lloyd, for seven years now, but when Lloyd announces that there’s no passion left between them, Jeff is sent into something of an existential frenzy. Desperate not to end up alone, Jeff haunts the dance floor and roadside rest stops, finding both the sordid and the sublime in anonymous encounters. But it’s love he’s after, so ultimately it’s his bittersweet romance in Provincetown with Eduardo, twenty-two and a vision of gorgeous, wide-eyed youth, that lingers in his mind and seems to hold the answers he seeks. This is a story of a man coming to terms with the accelerating ambiguity of his world, where men die young but old age is actively devalued. It is the story of gay life today, the life being led by thousands of men trying desperately to keep up, and to discover if anything really unites gay men other than desire. It is the story of how the truths of gay life are handed down from gay generation to gay generation. It is the story of what separates the men from the boys.




Man-Making


Book Description

The Ancient Call: For thousands of years, in cultures around the world, when the time was right the men of the village came for the adolescent boys. The survival of their culture depended on making men out of their young males. Today, too many men are not answering this man-making call. The result is an epidemic of lost, damaged, and under-male-nourished boys. The Man-Making book is a practical and inspirational guide for men. It shows them how to awaken and apply their instinctive man-making skills in service to the young males around them. In this book, every man will find something he can do to support a boy or boys on their journey to a positive manhood.




A Boy's Guide to Making Really Good Choices


Book Description

It’s never too early to give young boys a resource that will help them learn the skills for making right choices in life. A Boy’s Guide to Making Really Good Choices is designed to help boys ages 8-12 learn how to think through their options, realize the possible consequences, and develop good decision-making skills. In this book, Jim George uses helpful stories and illustrations to walk boys through the kinds of choices they are likely to face each day—choices to... listen to their parents do their best in school, sports, and activities select friends with care be kind to siblings and others help out at home and use good manners Through the use of real-life scenarios, Jim George equips boys to build good character—the kind that will stay with them for life and honor God’s standards.




Man Maker Project


Book Description

""Father"" is a verb, and fathering is the highest calling of God on men. Man Maker Project is a guide for fathers to intentionally usher their sons into godly manhood. Now more than ever, the reality of unfinished men confronts us at every turn. Without intentional fathering, a boy's core question--Am I a man?--forever echoes in his soul. Every boy needs to hear his father's clear ""yes"" in response. While many fathers know they should do something for their maturing sons, they have little idea how to create such an initiatory process. Man Maker Project offers a practical roadmap that equips fathers to create a unique, modern-day masculine initiation experience for their sons. Rather than a single event or ceremony, fathers can guide their boys through a yearlong process, with the support of a cadre of hand-selected men. This book also challenges fathers to investigate their own stories, as God's mutually redemptive design is for us to be fathered ourselves as we father our sons. Through this modern-day rites of passage process, fathers fulfill their calling, sons find their footing, and society receives solid men ready to strongly and kindly restore the world. For the back cover: ""From incarceration to abuse to just plain missed opportunities, so many boys in our country become 'chronological men' who never arrive at manhood. Chris Bruno has given us the kind of book to carry into the terrain where boys become men. This book is for fathers, mentors, grandfathers, teachers, and anyone who cares about even just one boy."" --Keith Anderson, President, The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, Seattle, WA ""Chris Bruno has given men a great gift in Man Maker Project. This is a stunning work, borne of Chris's own story and his passion for his son. It is a feast of narratives that prove the struggle into manhood is not only worth it, but can display the kindness of God. This is a meaty feast, worthy of all men and fledgling men."" --Jan Meyers Proett, author of The Allure of Hope For the frontmatter: ""For centuries, men in most cultures knew they had a sacred responsibility to guide the boys of their community into healthy manhood. This practice is largely unknown in our own culture. Most men intuitively know they want to pass on some significant teaching about masculinity to their boys, but they have no idea what. In Man Maker Project, Chris Bruno invests his own passion, insight, and experience into this crucial topic. He provides tangible, long-term, meaningful experiences that dads will immediately connect with and use. This book is truly a gift to those boys, their dads, and our culture."" --Craig Glass, president of Peregrine Ministries, Colorado Springs, CO ""Man Maker Project is an answer to many fathers's prayers. 'How do I lead my son into becoming a man?' is a question I've heard from men for many years. I now have a book I will enthusiastically recommend to all the fathers I know. Chris not only outlines a practical path for fathers to follow, but he also reveals how fathers can step into the fullness of who they are as men. You will be enlightened, inspired, and connected to God's powerful plan for you as a father. I'm excited for the many sons who will become men of God through the influence of this important book."" --Bob Hudson, founder and director of Men at the Cross Ministries, Golden, CO ""Every man should read Man Maker Project because it speaks into the struggles and doubts of all men. As a pastor and father of two pre-teen boys, I found myself challenged and provoked. It is here that most books on manhood end, but Chris goes further to give practical steps for creating a learning and experiential environment for sons. This book has given me the tools to be a better man and a better father."" --Brent Rood, pastor at Seed Church in Lynnwood, WA, and founding member of 3Strand Church Network ""I knew from experience that Chris Bruno is a fine therapist. He gently and profoundly guided me thr