Real Boys' Voices

Rating:
Summary: The Males In Your Life Are Owed The Reading Of This Book
Review: A great, brand new 224 page book that is a real eye opener regarding the males in everyone's life. Psychologist Bill Pollack spent much time and effort interviewing boys and young men all across the country to get them to open up about all of the important things in their lives. Topics range from drugs, sex, sports, violence, ambition, school, parents, girls, pressures, addictions, how they see the lives of the men they know, importance of their parents, spirituality, friendships, being gay, coping with divorce and other losses, and death. WOW ! The authors found that the boys were anxious to talk about their experiences, but needed someone to listen to them. The reader will learn the confusions and fears of the boys, and what haunts them at home, school, work, and play. You'll learn how to get the boys to talk. This alone is worth the price of the book and the reading time. The tremendous pressures put on boys is explored. Many boys are crying out to be heard and understood, but the listeners are lacking, and they're afraid to open up. Readers will have a much better understanding of ALL of their male relatives, contacts and associates (not just young boys). Well worth reading. It can help you understand what goes on in the minds of all of the men around you, and improve your relationships with them.

Rating:
Summary: Boys Have Feelings Too!
Review: A real eye opener for any parent who is trying to find what their son is thinking, feeling and doing when their not looking. Boys are not always what we try to create by the way we treat them, the toys we give them and the ideals we teach them. Boys need love and understanding just like girls do. Dr. Polock identifies who boys really are from the inside out. He then gives parents insight on nurturing boys into healthy well adjusted men. As the author of The Voucher System Behavior Management Program I recomend this book to any parent raising a son.

Rating:
Summary: Ophelia Isn't the Only One to Speak
Review: As the Ophelia Speaks of the opposite sex, this book gives great in sight to what our young men must go through in our society today. After reading this in conjunction with Real Boys, I was encouraged to think about what we could do as a community not to protect our children, but to help them go through their journeys of adolesence in a healthy and growing manner. I believe it is important to understand our children's individual experiences- along with their thoughts and concerns; all of which older generations have not dealt with before. This is vital in raising intelligent, respectful, confident men and women.

Rating:
Summary: Ophelia Isn't the Only One to Speak
Review: As the Ophelia Speaks of the opposite sex, this book gives great in sight to what our young men must go through in our society today. After reading this in conjunction with Real Boys, I was encouraged to think about what we could do as a community not to protect our children, but to help them go through their journeys of adolesence in a healthy and growing manner. I believe it is important to understand our children's individual experiences- along with their thoughts and concerns; all of which older generations have not dealt with before. This is vital in raising intelligent, respectful, confident men and women.

Rating:
Summary: Adding depth and dimension to boys' lives
Review: Dr. William S. Pollack has done a masterful job in constructing a book which allows us to hear boys' testimonies on well over a dozen topics....their accounts tell us about pressures which stare boys straight in the eye every day and demand their responses. In "Real Boys' Voices" we see the flip side of the often uncommunicative teenage boy and Pollack helps us to see how boys regard themselves (and others) when asked to express their thoughts freely and candidly. As a private one-to-one teacher, I agree with, and have acted upon for many years, his main theme....that boys need a shame-free, comfort-free zone in which to open up. The remarkable entries in this book are sometimes very troubling, often warm, and always genuine. I would suggest that one read Pollack's book slowly and carefully. The emotional depth conveyed is well worth the time. The last chapter offers sound advice in content and tone on how to deal with boys, recapping the advice he peppers throughout the book. My hope is that it should be read especially by men who continue to propagate the "Boy Code"....a code that keeps boys' true feelings stifled and their lives wrapped up in straitjackets.

Rating:
Summary: Adding depth and dimension to boys' lives
Review: Dr. William S. Pollack has done a masterful job in constructing a book which allows us to hear boys' testimonies on well over a dozen topics....their accounts tell us about pressures which stare boys straight in the eye every day and demand their responses. In "Real Boys' Voices" we see the flip side of the often uncommunicative teenage boy and Pollack helps us to see how boys regard themselves (and others) when asked to express their thoughts freely and candidly. As a private one-to-one teacher, I agree with, and have acted upon for many years, his main theme....that boys need a shame-free, comfort-free zone in which to open up. The remarkable entries in this book are sometimes very troubling, often warm, and always genuine. I would suggest that one read Pollack's book slowly and carefully. The emotional depth conveyed is well worth the time. The last chapter offers sound advice in content and tone on how to deal with boys, recapping the advice he peppers throughout the book. My hope is that it should be read especially by men who continue to propagate the "Boy Code"....a code that keeps boys' true feelings stifled and their lives wrapped up in straitjackets.

Rating:
Summary: Well...not what I expected.
Review: I bought this book on recommendation of a friend active in the "men's movement." While I found it to be very informative as to what is going on with teenage boys today, I didn't find it particularly helpful in telling us how to fix the problem. I'm currently expecting a boy of my own and I wanted some insight on how to raise him to be sensitive, caring, non-violent and happy. I didn't find it in this book. Still, a good read and very informative.

Rating:
Summary: Well...not what I expected.
Review: I bought this book on recommendation of a friend active in the "men's movement." While I found it to be very informative as to what is going on with teenage boys today, I didn't find it particularly helpful in telling us how to fix the problem. I'm currently expecting a boy of my own and I wanted some insight on how to raise him to be sensitive, caring, non-violent and happy. I didn't find it in this book. Still, a good read and very informative.

Rating:
Summary: Facinating Page-Turning Read
Review: I coud not put this book down. I loved reading all of the stories from boys across the country as well as Dr. Pollack's excellent suggestions. Great book!

Rating:
Summary: Not that good
Review: I have read about three quarters of this book and my biggest problem with it is that the testimonials by the boys seem really contrived, as if their words have been doctored up or forged. He has interviews with twelve year olds that flow so beautifully and articulately that it actually comes off as very inorganic and makes you wonder whether or not these kids' words have been doctored up. The vocabulary these kids use is often too sophisticated sounding for their age.