Sample Review 2  (370 words)

When God created man in His own image, He gave male and female specific characters.  Only when seen in combination, the masculine and the feminine, can a full expression of God’s nature begin to take shape in humanity.

The modern difficulty, according to Hal and Melanie Young, is a cultural push to mold boys into a pattern more appropriate for their sisters.  The widely-used diagnosis of ADHD – with accompanying prescribed drugs – may in many cases be a misunderstanding of boys’ God-given masculinity. In their new book, Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys, the Youngs offer a Biblical case for understanding boys as men in training, and lay out a practical approach for “equipping the hearts and minds of boys without breaking or losing your own.”

Raising Real Men is written in a relaxed, conversational tone. Don’t let that fool you: the Youngs have solid, scriptural reasons for the suggestions they offer. They state plainly that this is not a step by step program, but a framework for rethinking the cultural assumptions that may be frustrating boys and their parents. They show a Biblical basis for competition, the role of heroes in the lives of boys as well as men, and even a Biblical case for playing with toy guns.

 “When Jesus criticized the religious leaders of His day, comparing them to children playing in the marketplace, He was focusing on men who didn’t take their faith seriously,” says Hal. “He was not rebuking children for pretending adult roles. That’s what children do.”

The book offers a number of unique insights into the behavior of boys, illustrated with copious anecdotes from the Youngs’ long career homeschooling their six sons (and two daughters). Their sons range from seven to adult, so they’ve been able to see fruit from the ideas they present nad they recognize the unique personalities and gifts in each of them. The also make it clear that real manliness is not about machismo and alligator wrestling, but in fulfilling God’s purpose in making them men.  This book will offer parents of boys a vision for training them to meet that high calling, and help Mom and Dad move past surviving and into actually enjoying the challenge.