Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Raising Boys by Design: What the Bible and Brain Science Reveal About What Your Son Needs to Thrive



I am the father of a young son, so was particularly interested (hopeful) when I first saw this book. The book has some solid information and ideas that are useful. But there was never a point that it grabbed me or compelled me or made me really want to go out there and be this incredible dad - a bit short on the inspiration side of things. Yes, I want to be a great dad, or I wouldn't be reading books such as this. And no, I don't necessarily need external motivation for this, but in the day-to-day life of parenting it is nice to get a boost here and there. And this wasn't it.

More than anything, the book was largely a reminder of things I already knew at some level. Sometimes those reminders are helpful and timely, and that makes the book worth reading. One place the book was spot on is where it talks about the need for churches to find ways to better connect to men. There is a lot of room for improvement in many churches in this category. The segment on rites of passage was also one of its stronger points.

I was not paid for this review, but did receive a free review copy with no obligation to leave a positive review.