While the women's liberation movement produced dynamic changes in society's assumptions about girls' roles, little has changed about our attitude toward the role of boys. The cycle of violence and oppression that is killing so many young people, and especially boys, will not stop until boys are raised to become part of the struggle to end it.
Drawing on his decades of experience as a social activist and his anti-violence work with men and teens, Paul Kivel challenges the traditional training boys receive. He helps parents grapple with the complex forces in our sons' lives, including racism, homophobia, pornography, drugs, classism, consumerism, sex, and living in violent environments. He then provides practical tools to empower boys to step outside the "act like a man" box, to become allies to themselves, each other, and all those who are vulnerable to violence and injustice in our society. The end result gives the reader a powerful vision of raising our sons to be the critically thinking, socially-invested men we need for a multicultural and democratic society.
