I don't know if I would blanket "recommend" this book to anyone who has boys, but I think it definitely opens your eyes to how we as a society in general unwittingly stereotype our boys, and by doing so run the risk of hindering their growth and development. Even though I couldn't help feeling like I was reading a medical journal article the whole time (ok, maybe it wasn't quite that bad), I did come away with some pretty important learnings and some very useful information. The author's research -- and plenty of examples to back it up -- made me reflect on how I'm raising my own son. While I don't feel I've failed him or caused any significant damage yet, I'm certainly going to be more mindful about how I treat him and I really hope to apply some of the lessons I've learned from reading this book.

Thoughtful but tends just slightly toward too touchy-feely and too much toward the exceptional cases. About half of the content would relate to the average boy in a two-parent family. It's worth reading once if you parent boys. There are some good points about the inequality in the treatment of boys vs. girls -- girls receive a disproportionate share of the attention and much more leniency in certain matters.

This is a thoughtful book, and I do think it's a wonderful thing that Dr. Pollack is doing in recommending we look at the gender straight-jacketing that boys are suffering. Clearly, we are failing our boys when you look at the statistics. However, it was just a big too wordy and he made the same points over and over. It would have had just as much impact and been more entertaining if it had been more thoroghly edited.

I re-read this for my first year of college. Boy did it help. It helped me earn my A+ in all three of my Early Childhood Education classes. She even sent me an email asking if I would give her my copy to borrow so she could read it. Along with that email she said I wrote the best Final Essay out of 78 Students. Over half of them were already ECE professionals just taking the class for continued education requirements.

This is a fabulous book on adolescent boys, parenting, american culture and how these all interact to create generations of emotionally straight-jacketed boys, who turn into angry men, unable to express the full range of human emotion. I highly recommend it!

Although a bit dated, (I'd love to see some up-to-date research/studies)
this book challenges the sterotypes we foster regarding masculinity and the male identity.
A must read for parents and teachers, as some of the subtleties were eye opening in regards to the ways I myself can unknowingly perpetuate the male identity myths.
Lots of research and academic studies to back up the author's conclusions.

If you have a son YOU must read this book. So good

The forward to this book was written by Mary Pipher and the approach that Pollack too is not dissimilar that that Pipher used in 'Reviving Ophelia'. Oh but Pollack was not as concise as Pipher. I thin he could have made his points in 200 or so fewer pages because he became very repetitive. But I will also admit that reading it in :20 min spurts didn't make it flow any better - but the too when I read more solidly the past few days the last 175 pages was still a slog. The ideas underlying the words are very interesting and has given me a deeper understanding not only of little boys but men tool. The portion on the importance in supporting boys as they run up against the 'Boy Code' and feel the restraints of conforming should be required reading for parents and teachers, as should be 'Reviving Ophelia'. I'm giving my copy to my brother and his wife for all the times my 2 year old nephew tries their patience, and if the next is a girl I'll have to get them a copy of Pipher's book as well.

Highlights the complexities of boyhood, manhood, and growing up. Pollack challenges the oversimplified narrative of boyhood, and frames the process of maturing within the context of both static and changing societal expectation, while acknowledging the individual experience of boys and men.

BTDT. 5 years ago this might have been thought provoking for me. However, this book contained nothing new for me now, 5.5 years in to raising boys. The book was fairly predicatable - let boys be who ever they want to be, boys can cry and like pink, the involved father means a stronger better behaved son. Again, old news.

Must read book for ALL boy Moms!!!

It was a great deal of information to work through but I was satisfied with the end. A good deal of stories to read and relate to. I will keep this book right by side for reference.