Real Manhood....

If you are seeking a “how to” manual in teaching your son the principles of manhood, then William J. Bennett’s The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood is not for you. Rather than clearly describing specific steps or providing teaching principles, Bennett takes a completely different approach by assembling a myriad of quotes, stories, and case studies. In doing so, he leaves the interpretation of those vignettes to the reader, thereby, giving them freedom to adapt as needed for instruction.

I did not expect the book to be the large compendium that it is; however, he adroitly utilizes small poems and quotes in order to retain interest. The format allows a reader to be able to move quickly through his six major divisions. The author tackles this work, as he has done all others, with time and effort. He wanted to ensure that he got his point across through as many different manners as possible.

For those using this volume to teach their sons, I offer this advice --- do not read the book in the order it is written. Instead, I encourage you to read in the following order: 6th chapter (man in prayer and reflection), 5th chapter (man with woman and children), 2nd chapter (man at work), 4th chapter (man in the polis), 1st chapter (man at war), and then 3rd chapter (man at play, sports and leisure). My rationale is rather simple – a man’s relationship with God determines everything else. Being right with God, transforms a family and allows him to keep a proper perspective about work. In working, he seeks to contribute to society at large and, if called upon, will serve his nation at war. Finally, and least important, is leisure time. Our society, unfortunately, has inverted this prioritization in that we largely focus upon leisure and entitlement at the expense of all other considerations.

This book is on a shelf awaiting my son, who is about to turn 4, to become older. We will read some of these together and I will use the primary resources to teach him about manhood. As good as this voluminous collection may be, never forget that your life is a book that children read every day. In order to teach your sons about manhood, we, as men, must project the right idea of manhood – not this bumbling view offered by Hollywood. Simply, we can benefit from Bennett’s work too.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”