Product Description
The final and conclusive book in the groundbreaking series on boys and their development

In this climax to his series of landmark books about boys, Michael Gurian offers a powerful new program to help us give our sons a core purpose–a program based on building morality, character, career goals, the ability to form intimate relationships, selflessness, personal and community responsibility, and an accelerated process of developmental maturity. Gurian reveals how important purpose is for the success and happiness of boys and explains how a boy's core personality, nature, and genetic predisposition functions to create both strengths and weaknesses in their journey towards maturity.

• Includes an innovative program for support and interventions according to the unique needs, weaknesses, and strengths of each individual young man.
• This book is the follow-up to Gurian's bestselling The Minds of Boys
• Draws on the latest science and field research on how boys develop neurologically
• Gurian explores the unique issues boys must confront, and shows how their strategy for moral development and success in life is predicated on their nature and genetic predispositions.

Customer Reviews (11)

Very well written but a LONG read!
This book is well written but if you don't have a relaxed mind or time ( ie..you have very young active children crying and running around) then skip this read or skim it.It is full of information.I couldn't read it word for word because I have too much on my plate taking care of young children.I would really enjoy and much rather listen to this book onCD but it doesn't seem to be available.I do believe parents, teachers, etc.really need to understand how boys were created.They feel like insane creatures but that is who they are and we need to understand that to help them grow and not make them into subdude dudes but real manly men.If you have the time and patience then read this book, but if you don't have the time find an easier read.I am sure they are out there. Check online at your local library.

A MUST have!
I borrowed this one from the library. Half way through the first chapter of this book, I knew I had to own it. There was too much good information in here not to break out my highlighter & pen! A must read for parents & grandparents of boys!

Excellent Read and Reference
This truly is one awesome book.

If you bought a very expensive car you would not dream of driving it before reading its manual.
Well if you have a priceless soul in a male body and mind, this is the book that should come in the box.
Id highly recommend this for single moms who love their sons but are rather clueless about young male hardware and software.
People working in institutions such as schools and group homes
and anyone who gives a damn about the young males in their lives.

What does it mean to be a boy or a man?
This is a really excellent book which purports to address america's current "boy problem".Why is it that so many young boys are on Ritalin?why so many fewer boys end up completing college than girls of a similar socioeconomic status?why it appears that boys do less well in school from an early age?

What's interesting about Gurian's analysis is he doesn't simply engage in blaming -- he doesn't blame schools or teachers or the media.rather, he asks us to think a bit deeper, asking whether the role of boys and men as well as the meaning attached to being a man has changed as a result of our industrialized society.He yearns for a return to an earlier era where there were clearly defined roles, expectations and rites of passage for young boys. and yet, he's not sexist.he doesn't necessarily seek to reimpose outdated gender roles, but rather to help boys and men find a sense of purpose in life today.This work incorporates many practical suggestions for activities that parents can carry out with boys, as well as addressing the importance of mentors.this would be a useful read for any parent or school administrator.

A MUST
As an educator and mother of a now 35 year old son, my one wish is..."If only I had the book earlier."Michael's style and relating of premises to the hear and now, realistically portrays what is important to the raising and educating our boys...a purpose for all of us.Segments of today's society can find a true purpose as they explore the words between the covers.I hope that others will gain the insights I have in their roles as parents, grandparents and extended family members. ... Read more