When I wrote about the most influential 25 books of my life, Reviving Ophelia was a no brainer to add. It shaped my understanding of what girls deal with in our society, which helped me be a better father to my daughter.
But until I read Boys Adrift
For decades I’ve advocated for boys. So much emphasis has been put on helping girls — rightfully so, I’m not denying the need for this. But boys have often gone overlooked. And it’s the boys who are floundering in society today. They truly are boys adrift. Fewer finish school or go to college, more are in jail, and there is a growing maturity gap between the genders. Sadly, many are just unmotivated.
A lot of people want to blame the victim. Boys are just lazy, some might say. Or boys just need to learn to adjust their behavior, a teacher might say. Or they need medication, the doctor says.
Well, nonsense. Boys and young men are in crisis, and an epidemic like this goes beyond just being lazy or needing medication. Sax presents 5 ideas for why this is so. No, I’m not going to outline them here. You need to read the book to fully understand his theories. And I’m not going to endorse all five theories either — some seem very accurate to me, and at least one seems like a stretch.
But the overall message of the book is excellent. In a world where charities promote the idea of “teach a girl to read to change the world”, or where we focus on Half the Sky, or where schools create special programs to help girls with STEM topics, we can’t ignore the needs of boys. Yes, we need all those special programs for girls. But we also need special programs and methodologies for boys.
Sax finds this balance. If you have a boy or young man in your life, you’ll learn something from this book. If you are an educator, please read this book. If you care about our world, please read it. Well worth your attention.
