The Wonder of Boys by Michael Gurian Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Wonder of Boys
Book Review: Girls Need Mentoring Too! Boys Get An Overload
Summary: 1 Stars
I couldn't help but think girls need mentoring too!The book
maybe would have gotten four stars from me if he wasn't so
sexist and had the same help for girls ,competition,aggression.
All children need to channel energy,girls included.I agree with
the other readers about his grudge on mothers.Gurian blames
mothers if the boy doesn't live up to Gurian's ideal of a male.
To believe only one gender needs tough goal setting,risk taking
and character building is ludicrious.If only one gender is allowed to benefit from mentoring,then we loose half the
population to low self esteem and confidence.Boys should be
pushed to the limits,and if they don't add up to Gurian's ideal
he blames the mother or something is wrong with the boy because
he doesn't have sterotypical traits which Gurian upholds as
a genuine male.All other males are defective if they don't have his extreme macho qualities.I'm surprized his books sell so
well.
Book Review: Good wisdom re: boys; not so good wisdom re:families
Summary: 2 Stars
Gurian's book does a fairly good job at examining the inner life of boys; their physical, socio-emotional, and sexual development.However, my major complaint w/Gurian is twofold: (1) whether wittingly or unwittingly he gives the "traditional" family the short shrift. Early on in the book he makes a statement to the effect that anyone who has had to go through therapy that was from a two-parent home is intimately familiar with the shortcomings of the "two-parent" family.
His solution? The TRIBE. The Tribe according to Gurianian wisdom, (or the lack thereof), is the panacea for what ails our young me. If we can establish "three levels" of "family" around the boy; the 1st is the immediate family, to include grandparents, the 2d is the uncles, mentors, etc. the 3d is "the community," this will make better boys.
Gurian basically has the same view of the family that Hillary Rodham Clinton does; "you can't do it alone." Gurian dillutes the influence of the father (despite what he writes about the father's importance) when he puts forth the well-meaning, but misguided notion that the "other men" of the community are just as important as the father! Only the village can raise your child.
Mr. Gurian's Third World approach to child-rearing removes the personal responsibility adults have to (1)not make babies you cannot emotionally, or financially care for, and (2)If you do have a child, it's all about the child, so "get over it."
Like so very many who share this Rodhamist perspective, Gurian blames "society;" this amorphous, mysterious,non-being that exerts its ... influence over humankind. Hogwash.
I want to build families up, not tear them down. Read this book with a gigantic grain of salt, because Gurian's "social philosophy" is greatly flawed.
Book Review: Great book for understanding the needs of boys
Summary: 5 Stars
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.Book Review: Gurian seems to have mom issues. Get "Real Boys" instead.
Summary: 1 Stars
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.Book Review: HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD
Summary: 5 Stars
Well, well, well. As I read the other reviews, I noticed a trend. Men basically liked the book and women basically disliked it. That fact alone should speak volumes. What is worse, the women tended to recommend "Real Boys," which, in my opinion, is a book written with an extremely effeminate point of view. This is not what boys today need. As for Gurian's book, however, it hits the mark. It should be required reading for EVERY College of Education in the country. There is much to the "boys will be boys" theory. As an educator for the past 21 years, I have seen the damage that is done to boys by trying to make them act more feminine. Agression, competition, etc. are truly hard-wired into the boy's psyche, and the right thing to do is to direct these attributes into making the good boy into a good man. Mr. Gurian does an admirable job of showing us how to do this. IGNORE the feminists and READ this book! It will open your eyes... our boys' well being could depend on it.