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Rating: 
Summary: Academic, but very readable
Review: Excellent study of the Boy Scouts at the turn of the century seen through the experiences of one troop at summer camp. Mechling's compression of twenty years into one narrative can be slightly confusing in places, but works well overall. Though he makes no effort to hide his personal views (supported by sociological reasearch and his own experiences as a Scout), he carefully illustrates the complexity of the issues confronting the organization as it heads into its second century. I could have done without the Freudian analysis of teenage boys' relationship to their bodies, but otherwise it's a very thoughtful and thought-provoking book.
Rating: 
Summary: An OK book
Review: I read this book , and at times had to turn back a few pages and start a chapter over. I had to do this since the book is full events that range over 20 or so years. I was a boy scout , and I am now a boy scout leader so I understand many of the concepts thi book brings up. One thing that concerns me is the operation of this particular troop. I have never seen a troop act as this one does, as it seems to break every rule I can think of. I wont go into all the details , but at one point a scout is in charge of the waterfront. There should have been at least one capable adult in charge of the water front at all times. That is just one example. Even though I rated this book a 3 , I do have to say it is not what I expected. It could have been 100 times more tasteful , and by no means does this troop seem to represent any troop I have ever come across.
Rating: 
Summary: A close look at Scouting: Sympathetic but provocative
Review: This is a very thoughtful, very provocative look at Scouting -- not only the Boy Scouts of America as an organization, but the experience of being a Scout for one troop of boys and their adult Scout leaders. The book keeps details of this experience in the foreground -- you really get to see what the Scouts do at their summer encampment, hear what they have to say, the kinds of jokes and stories they tell, and so on - but it also examines these details for what they reveal about young boys becoming older boys and older boys becoming men. All this works because the book is a good read, not only as a story (of one troop's summer camping adventure) but also as a meditation on adults and kids, American life in these modern times, and so on. Some readers and reviewers may try to pigeon-hole the book as a critique of Scouting, or focus only on the policy issues (i.e., how the BSA has handled issues of God, Gays, and Girls), but that's way off base. The author certainly gives some attention to these issues and he is critical of some official BSA positions. But he's also clearly sympathetic towards the Scouting experience, and he's smart about what's going on for kids of Scouting age. A fan of scouting who's taking a close look and asking important questions that go well beyond Scouting in their implications. Highly recommended.
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