Books on Raising Boys
The following books are only a few of the many books on the subject of raising and educating boys. We encourage you to read one or more of them to best understand the needs of your sons. By clicking on the book title you will be taken to the Amazon.com listing for the book. Once there you can read reviews of the selected book.
Why Gender Matters
What Parents and Teachers Need to Know about the Emerging Science of Sex Differences
by Leonard Sax
In the feminist conception of gender flexibility, no set rules apply: girls can play with trucks; boys can play with dolls. But pediatrician and psychologist Sax argues that our theories about gender's fluidity may be wrong and to apply them to children in their formative years is quite dangerous. Sax believes the brains of boys and girls are hardwired differently: boys are more aggressive; girls are more shy. Sax believes modern gender philosophy has resulted in more boys being given behavior-modifying drugs and more girls being given antidepressants. Much of his argument makes sense: we may have gone to the other extreme and tried too hard to feminize boys and masculinize girls. Sax makes a compelling argument for parents and teachers to tread lightly when it comes to gender and raises important questions regarding single-sex education, which he supports. His readable prose, which he juxtaposes with numerous interviews with school administrators, principals, scientists and others, makes this book accessible to a range of readers.
Boys and Girls Learn Differently
A Guide for Teachers and Parents
by Michael Gurian
Educator and author Gurian and his co-writers argue that from preschool to high school, brain differences between the sexes call for different teaching strategies. While it's widely accepted that, in general, boys do better in math and girls in language, the authors claim that, until recently, society has taken the politically correct but scientifically inaccurate classroom view that children of both genders learn best in an "androgynous classroom."
Raising Boys
Why Boys Are Different and How We Can Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men
by Steven Biddulph
The author describes in an insightful and practical way what boys need to become strong, responsible, sensitive men. Instead of encouraging us to stifle boys' natural propensities for competition and aggression, the author offers effective and practical guidelines for channeling them.
Raising Cain
Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys
by Daniel J. Kindlon, Michael Thompson
and Teresa Barker (contributor)
Kindlon and Thompson make a compelling case that emotional literacy is the most valuable gift we can offer our sons, urging parents to recognize the price boys pay when we hold them to an impossible standard of manhood. They identify the social and emotional challenges that boys encounter in school and show how parents can help boys cultivate emotional awareness and empathy--giving them the vital connections and support they need to navigate the social pressures of youth.
Real Boys
Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood
by William S. Pollack
Based on William Pollack's groundbreaking research at Harvard Medical School over two decades, Real Boys explores why many boys are sad, lonely, and confused although they may appear tough, cheerful, and confident. Pollack challenges conventional expectations about manhood and masculinity that encourage parents to treat boys as little men, raising them through a toughening process that drives their true emotions underground. Only when we understand what boys are really like, says Pollack, can we help them develop more self-confidence and the emotional savvy they need to deal with issues such as depression, love and sexuality, drugs and alcohol, divorce, and violence.
What Stories Does My Son Need
A Guide to Books and Movies that Build Character in Boys
by Michael Gurian and Terry Trueman
The author shows parents and teachers how to harness the media's influence to teach boys the lessons they need in today's confusing moral environment. The author gives particular ethical lessons for many great movies and books.
The War Against Boys
How Misguided Feminism Is Harming Our Young Men
by Christian Hoff-Sommers
Despite popular belief, American boys tag behind girls in reading and writing ability, and they are less likely to go to college. Our young men are greatly at risk, yet the best-known studies and experts insist that it's girls who are in need of our attention. The highly publicized "girl crisis" has led to many changes in American schools, politics, and parenting...but at what cost?
The Good Son
Shaping the Moral Development of Our Boys and Young Men
by Michael Gurian
Selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the Best Books of 1999, The Good Son is the definitive guide to the moral and emotional development of our boys and young men. Within its pages, Michael Gurian widely credited as the founder of today's "boys movement" takes readers through a complete parenting program, showing how to instill virtues in boys at each stage of life.
The Wonder of Boys
What Parents, Mentors and Educators Can Do to Shape Boys into Exceptional Men
by Michael Gurian
The author describes in an insightful and practical way what boys need to become strong, responsible, sensitive men. Instead of encouraging us to stifle boys' natural propensities for competition and aggression, the author offers effective and practical guidelines for channeling them.
Disclaimer
The information on this page is mean to be a resource on the development of boys. It is not meant to offer any professional treatment or diagnosis. Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart does not endorse any of these books and the opinions and discussions held by the authors are not necessarily the opinions of Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart. If you have any questions about the information contained in any of these publications, please direct your correspondence to the various publishers of the books.
