The Wonder of Boys : What Parents, Mentors and Educators Can Do to Shape Boys into Exceptional Men

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Summary: A nugget here and there...
Review: I started reading this book with a true desire to learn, with an open mind, what a man had to say about relating to boys. I am the mother of a 23 year old son, and have an inspiring relationship with him. Nevertheless, there is always room for improvement, and I wanted to learn. I kept running into statements that were troublesome for me, though, and familiar as well. I tried to keep an open mind. While his statements about boys were at times insightful, more often questionable; his statements about women were incredulous, outrageous, and ignorant if not downright misogynist. It all made sense to me as he pointed to his "feminist" credentials: Christina Hoff-Sommers, Katie Roiphe, and Camille Paglia. Horribly disappointed that I had spent money for such trash, I read on, looking for the small nuggets of "wisdom" that might, just the same, enhance my understanding of the male sex. Okay, there's a nugget here and there...but it's not worth the price of the book. There are better books out there, and this author would be better off reading them before he decides who an expert really is.

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Summary: The Wonder Of Boys
Review: I wish I had this information given to me at the birth of my son. It is full of useful information to use from birth and beyond. It made me look closer at my relationships with the males in my life and find a deeper appreciation for what it took for them to have become the men they are today. Michael Gurian holds a mirror up, and gives good suggestions on what a parent or mentor can do to improve the way things look.

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Summary: Excellent book
Review: This book is a great insight into the life of boys. As a father I really appreciate how it's helped me be all I can be.

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Summary: This is a very dangerous book.
Review: In The Wonder of Boys, Gurian begins with biological "facts" and launches off into agenda-driven, obervation-based opinion. His mix of observation and facts in the first few chapters especially is very effective for convincing readers of his perspective; most readers will not read critically enough, nor be informed enough, to notice when he makes gross assumptions about brain development, for instance, or posits a common boy behavior as biologically based when socialization plays, I and many others would argue, the definitive role. He refers to cultural and anthropological "trends" only when they serve his argument, not citing cultures where those same "boy" traits are manifested very differently than in our culture.

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Summary: Great book for understanding the needs of boys
Review: I have read this book and found it to be an excellent source of what was once common sense. I'm sure some can argue with some of the hard science that he uses in the book, but the overall discussion of the needs of a boy and the requirements for a community to meets these needs are right on the mark.

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Summary: Conservative or Christian Buyers Beware
Review: If you liked the women's rights movement, you'll love this. Michael Gurian starts with the idea that boys have been asked to be more like girls than men because of the victim/villian stereotypes of the women's rights movement. Unfortunately, he does not recommend a conservative correction to this injustice. What he recommends is a liberation of male culture. Teach boys that whatever you feel is OK, you just need to channel it in the right direction. For instance, Guirian hails masturbation as a proper channel for sexual urge. Gurian also favors the biological basis of homosexuality, explaining that there is a genetic tendancy toward being homosexual. He believes that we should just accept the facts if our sons "are" homosexual. This makes as much sense as allowing them to drink alcohol because, as we all know, there is a genetic tendancy toward being an alcoholic. Buyer beware, this is not a conservative or Christian approach to raising our sons.

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Summary: Gurian seems to have mom issues. Get "Real Boys" instead.
Review: This man seems to blame a lot on women. I think that his neurological facts were interesting but once he got into thoeries he just made me angry. I'm married, but I feel bad for any single mom who reads this. "Real Boys" by Pollack is a much nicer read.

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Summary: Read Real Boys Instead!
Review: After reading "Real Boys" I found this book to be a huge disappointment. Not only is it sexist and based on little or no research, but it provides very little practical or positive information. "Real Boys" presented much more loving, positive and well researched material.

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Summary: Just when I needed it!
Review: My son just turned nine and I've had so many questions about the changes that he is going through, that this book answers. Not only that, it identifies things about my husband, brothers and father that finally now make sense, in light of "The Wonder of Boys." I love this book for its positive, inspiring view of boys and men. I am buying copies of it for my brothers and friends who have boys.

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Summary: A GREAT BOOK!!
Review: After reading so many negative reviews of this book written by females, it made me want to immediately go out and get it. I did. The problem with our modern society is that we just do not want to face the natural FACT that males and females ARE different. Do not say that out loud, however, or you will be branded a chauvinist. Today's adolescent males are scared, confused and insecure. I wonder what has caused this. (Not really) We still encourage females to BE females, be proud of it and be as much a contributing member of the business world as men have always been. With boys, however, we do not encourage. We tell them what they SHOULD NOT do. We teach them, subconsciously, that they are now to pay for the centuries of repression of women committed by what one of my students termed, "a bunch of dead white guys." Thus, we have self-assured, confident women and insecure, weak men. No one really believes that men are put on the earth to dominate women, men are stronger, men are better and all that rubbish. I don't agree with previous readers fears that this book is dangerous because it will lead to a perpetuation of the "John Wayne" mentality. That is the opinion of fools. If you want someone to "tell it like it is," without the psychobabble that really says nothing at all, get this book.