Rating: 
Summary: A Call for Moral Leadership Amongst Polemicism
Review: This book summarizes the feminist research about repression of girls and the Gilligan and Pollack research about the problems boys are having. Ms. Sommers goes on to cite exhaustive research that draws opposite conclusions about what problems exist for boys and girls and what the causes and solutions are. Looking at work done with boys in England and in the United States, she concludes that major issues about male misbehavior, when it occurs, relate to the lack of moral leadership at home and at school in directing boys to employ proper behavior.All discussions about large groups are inherently flawed because the circumstances of each individual in that group will be vastly different from the average of the group. The War Against Boys continues the debate about whether or not young women are being treated poorly by society, especially in school, by pointing out that boys are doing more poorly than girls. That observation, while true, doesn't answer the problem of what to do about the girl or boy who is having a problem with another child (whether from sexual harrassment, being overbearing or from some other source). Clearly, something is wrong with the circumstances of our young people today because psychiatrists report rapid growth in depression among them. Neither side of the debate regarding repressed females addresses this more serious question. I dislike a tone of polemicism, and Ms. Sommers gave me more of it than I like. On the other hand, if you enjoy reading about the weaknesses of much feminist scholarship, this is your book. I was glad that I read this material, because I was familiar with the Gilligan work about girls from reading about it in The New York Times. Determined to be a good father, I constantly ask my daughter about whether the boys in school are behaving appropriately towards her. I really felt foolish in being so concerned about this issue after reading in this book what the follow-up studies have shown -- that girls generally are treated better and are happier in school than boys are, as perceived by teachers, the boys and the girls. Ms. Sommers is offended by many government-supported programs that encourage teaching boys to be more like girls. Having seen my two sons benefit in many ways from such programs, I did not share her reactions. Reasonable people can and will differ on this point. The main weakness of the book is that is does not address the deep resonance that occurs among some women when someone talks about girls being repressed by male behavior in school. Clearly, that resonance suggests to me that many women have experienced that repression. Before this debate is going to be concluded, someone is going to have to address the sources of that resonance. If boys in school are not repressive now, were they many years ago? I was still left wondering why feminist books that talk about mistreatment of girls by boys in school are so popular. That thought reminded on a seminar I sat in on concerning English literature at a college three years ago. The class had mostly women in it, yet one young man dominated the conversation for almost an hour. But this young man had little of value to say. The female professor could not quite get him to slide into a lesser role, and a lot of time was wasted. After class was over I asked the woman at my side if this was typical. She rolled her eyes, and said that every session was like this. We continued talking, and she told me some of her thoughts about the subject of that hour's discussion. Clearly, her ideas were superior to those offered by anyone else in the class. Yet she had said nothing. I don't know why, but I was struck that clearly we would all benefit from a society where all spoke openly so we would have a chance to hear what was on each person's mind. The work in this book on the need for moral leadership is superb, and is worth reading the book for. Love, support and guide children of all ages, regardless of their sex!
Rating: 
Summary: Just Sit Right Back and You'll Hear a Tale
Review: Are young girls at risk in American schools? Are girls getting short-changed and left out in the field of academia? Do teachers favor boys and view them as more intelligent than they do the opposite sex?
Author Christina Hoff- Sommers wrote this book, "The War Against Boys" as a warning to all Americans about the plight of boys at the hands of unruly feminists. Feminist leaders are constantly trying to convince the world that girls get the short end of the stick when it comes to academic opportunities and that the educational system in the U.S. is biased in favor of men. They also feel that violence is inherent in all men and that the only solution is to get men in touch with their feminine side, to expel the threat of violence. Sommers, and most other professionals, know that these claims and solutions are complete hogwash. As she points out in her book, it is actually boys, not girls, who fare more poorly in school. It is boys, not girls, who are in need of additional guidance. You would never know this by listening to the outcries from feminist leaders who still want you to believe that girls are not getting a fair deal in the world of education. Sommers did a pretty good job in writing this book, but I wish she had made an extra effort to propose possible solutions to the problem. Political leaders usually avoid the issue of boys and the possibility of spending public funds to help them because they fear being attacked by feminists and labeled as being sexist. So, without the help of political leaders, who can we count on to find a remedy to the problem that boys face in America's schools? Feminists try to say that the solution is to make boys more like girls by encouraging them to play with dolls, wear girl's clothing, etc. We all know this is crazy and so does Sommers. But she doesn't offer any concrete solutions to the problem in her book. Sommers spends a lot of time countering the absurd views of feminist Carol Gilligan, a woman with a distinct political and social agenda. Gilligan wants to eliminate the desire among boys to be competitive, and part of her reasons for this include a political belief that we should abandon capitalism as our economic system in the United States and embrace a more socialistic/Marxist system. Her reason for targeting young boys is simple: get them while their young, when they are the most impressionable and the easiest to influence. I don't feel that this threat from feminists is as strong as the author does. But it's nice that she took the time to write this book, exposing some of the wild and wacky proposals from feminists to re-engineer young boys and make them more like girls. Sommers has a lot of courage, and she has undoubtedly added some more names to her professional enemies list by writing this book. She does a good service to everyone in exposing these outrageous feminist agendas.
Rating:
Summary: He Said-She Said, Nature vs. Nurture
Review: Sommers certainly paints a rather bleak and contrastingly different picture from what many institutions would have us believe. Namely, that girls have been getting short-changed in schools. It would seem the contrary is true. By focusing on girls more and more since they may be getting short-changed educators have neglected boys to the point of many boys being semi-literate, and academically behind. Sommers goes into factual detail about how she is in stark disagreement with noted feminists writers on education like Carol Gilligan. She also disagrees with many other institutions and the Government when they center their education programs around the idea of "short-changed girls". She lists a myriad of facts that all point to the conclusion that you can't overthrow a supposedly defunct patriarchal order and proclaim equality for all while putting in its place an equally bad matriarchal substitute. Later Sommers elaborates on more philosophical themes. She goes into some detail of how data and research seem to show that boys are the way they are because of their innate natures and and less because of socialization on the part of society. I would for the most part agree with her that there are just basic neurological differences that do make men and women inherently different. This isn't necessarily a bad thing-it's just the way it is. Lastly, the author goes into a little more explanation on how progressive forms of educating children simply do not work because they create an amoral environment where children do not learn basic moral values. Ineptness on the part of teachers and schools to teach more directive forms of moral education to children can have horrible consequences as we have seen in such cases as the Littleton, CO disaster. I think this book presents an interesting thesis and one that I would agree with for the most part. I think there has been too much emphasis placed upon specious data that is leading to a negative environment for men and boys. However, I don't really feel that men have been denied opportunity to thrive or prosper in society at the expense of girls. At least not yet. This book for the above reasons will maintain your interest but one gripe I did have was I thought the book got extremely dry in parts. Too many facts ushered out one after another will have you shaking your head to clear the cobwebs after a while. Anyway, see what you think.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read, to be read with an open mind.
Review: This book is one of the more important books that have been written in years.
Some people have stated, 'For anyone that cares about achieving true gender equality, read this book only to learn more about what you're up against.'
There is no reason to want or expect 'true gender equity'. Men and women (and boys and girls) are not equal. This is not to say that the sexes should not have equal opportunity, but to say 'Let's realize the differences and work toward letting each side use their strengths'. To diminish (or devalue) one's true nature, so that we can play nice is a dis-service to true equality.
It has been written that, 'she (the author) certainly isn't looking out for her sisters'. EXACTLY, she is letting her argument speak for itself. Christina Hoff Sommers is declaring that she is an intelligent, independent and confident woman. She does not need to reduce men to raise herself.
This may not be the end of 'boys being boys', but it's a road that we need to be avoiding. If many of the points are true in only 10 % of our schools, it is truly scary. (I think the percentage is much higher.)
The status quo can not be helpful for males or females. The feminization of boys is leading to a backlash that is much worse than finding 'creative' outlets for testosterone. To compare the mental games that are being played with today's youth to mind control is not as big a stretch as even a few years ago. We need to respect a person's nature in the same manner that we need to respect each other.
Rating:
Summary: Depressing
Review: Sommers' book has two main themes. First, in concentrating on and emphasizing the needs of girls and young women and in attempting to ensure that they have the fullest of possible opportunities, American society has been downplaying the needs of boys and discriminating against them. That may be true, though whether the treatment of boys is worse or better than in the past is not really established, nor that real harm is being done to them by the educational or "feminist" establishments. Adolescence has never been easy for either sex and it is not now. But what can be done to make the passage from childhood easier while improving the preparation for adult life for males or females isn't very well established, and Sommers is in no position to assess the problem adequately. She is far stronger on pointing out the weakness of some trendy approaches than in suggesting what a balanced approach should entail. Part of the reason for this unsatisfactory state of affairs is the second main theme of Sommers' book. This is the shoddy state of social "science" research in the relevant areas. She picks on one of the most egregious examples, that of Carol Gilligan, whose cavalier approach to data and to drawing inferences from them is mind-boggling. But more disturbing is the large number of people who apparently take her nonsense seriously and the total failure of peer review and appointment at major research universities to prevent shoddy work being taken as providing firmly grounded information. In area after area related to the situation which Sommers considers, the real answer to important questions is "we don't know and it is going to be very hard to find out. Until we do, we really have to proceed with great caution and humility." We aren't likely to see this happen. (Researchers usually only indicate ignorance in conjunction with the dubious proposition that simply throwing a lot more money at them will disperse the ignorance quickly.) Thus while The War Against Boys is an interesting and important book, I would not be surprised to see equal needs for similar books in the decades ahead. At least Sommers writes engagingly with a minimum of jargon. Even though the subject is highly depressing, reading her book is not; instead it is good fun.
Rating:
Summary: compelling,disturbing and frightening
Review: Its sad how boys and young men have been shortchanged because of feminist hate.These misandrists have continued to perpetuate the misconception that boys have been favored over girls in the educational system,when in fact its the reverse.Boys are also frequently labeled "disturbed" or "unteachable" and they are often removed from class or segregated and given a modified curriculum befitting their "inferior" learning capability.I didnt want to believe this was happening,but I`ve witnessed it first hand.My colleague and I installed hidden video cameras in several local and private schools and later reviewed them.We were dismayed to say the least.It is appalling that in this day and age we cant achieve equity for all instead of "punishing" the entire male gender.This "war" against boys is not only immoral and unethical,it is in many cases illegal and its also just downright stupid.
Rating:
Summary: Informative
Review: After just graduating with a degree in elementary education, I was surprised how much of how I was told to teach is actually the result of this "misguided feminism." (To be honest, the book made me feel a little validated--I thought the teaching techniques all sounded a bit hokey!) Sommers makes legitimate points with good supports. I found it well paced and very involving. The only thing I wish she would have done differently is to give us perhaps an ending chapter with specific things that we can do to actively make things more equal for boys. Books like these certainly encourage me to be more aware of the spin the media and special interest groups put on the truth.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read
Review: This book is a solid work, very well written and relevant. It reads almost like a thriller. A must-read for parents (of boys or girls) who care about their children's academic and moral development at school, who don't wish them to be subjected to gender engineering experiments in the hands of activist-educators, or for anyone who is interested in a fresh look at what might be causing such societal ills as the Columbine tragedy. It shows quite effectively how unfounded the pedagogical theories and practices of the last three decades are, and how damaging they have been. It is an eye-opener to the male-underachievement problem and its social and economic implications. One reader commented that Sommers didn't offer much in the way of possible solutions. On the contrary, a good part of the second half of the book is on that. Simply put, she suggests a back-to-basics approach involving teacher-centered classroom and strong guidence, and possibly one-sex classes, and doing away with some progressive inventions. Her argument is indeed very compelling, and it is not just a philosophical one: she backs it up with quite a few success stories, most notably from Britain, where they saw male underachievement as a threat to the nation's future and were able to demonstrate significant improvements through back-to-basics programs. She also points to several similar but isolated attempts made in the United States which have been successful.
Rating:
Summary: Our sons are in trouble
Review: This book is so true. We simply are not treating young boys properly. They are not responsible for how men have behaved in the past. We need to start giving them the kind of educational and behavioral attention that girls are deservedly receiving before it is too late. Our prisons keep getting more overcrowded everyday, and it isn't with women. Our sons are falling behind in school. and surely not as many boys have ADHD as are being treated for it! We can have healthy sons AND daughters. One doesn't cancel out the other.
Rating:
Summary: Tell Me Something I Don't Know Already
Review: The problems detailed in The War Against Boys are no secret. Boys will be boys and girls will be girls. Every society must perform the task of making boys and girls become ladies and gentlemen. That's why you have education: to make sure that boys will be gentlemen and gorls will be ladies. Our society, particularly our educational system, is helping NO ONE and even doing harm in meeting the critical job requirement of society to socialize youth. Why? 1. The propagation of "fad education" like whole language, non-competitive instruction (no grades), child-centered classrooms and self-esteem education. Why was it that back in the day, teachers produced smart and obedient ladies and gentlemen who were better educated by 8th grade than many high school graduates with resources and pedagogy considered troglodytic today? 2. The failure of schools and society to teach what John Rosemond calls the three Rs of character development: Respect, Responsibility and Resourcefulness. While it is doubtful that morality classes can stop school violence, an atmosphere of moral rectitude makes such incidents less likely. 3. The spread of "therapism." Not only do we have too many lawyers, we also have too many psychotherapists and we encourage people, especially educators, to practice psychotherapy without a license and practice it outside of the confidentially of the therapist's office. 4. The idea that "letting it all hang out" emotionally is a good thing. Time was, reticence and reserve was considered mature and grown-up. Maybe guys know that 5. The promotion of the idea that worse is better because it is somehow more appealing to the masses. What is basically going on here is that we have vast forces at work trying to keep kids from growing up and put everyone in a state of arrested adolescence - or even infancy. We have also lost the backbone to say "NO" to all of this. I'm no conspiracy theory freak, but I would not be surprised at all if indeed the powers that be encourage or simply permit the above to make it easier to herd us into divided camps and manipulate us for their own ends at our expense. In closing, our boys are the canaries in the mineshaft of society. We have ignored their silence at our own peril.
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