Better Boys, Better Men: The New Masculinity That Creates Greater Courage and Emotional Resiliency

Reiner, a lecturer in the English department at Towson University, contends in his lucid and well-researched debut that traditional masculine norms prevent boys and men from “tap[ping] into the full range of their deeper humanity.” Frank interviews with men of all ages and reflections on his own experiences as a man raising a young son add emotional depth to Reiner’s research into the “developmental male arc” from infancy through middle age. He cites studies showing that infant boys are actually more “socially engaged” with their mothers than infant girls, yet require “much more help calming down and feeling emotionally secure,” and debunks myths about the links between testosterone and aggression. According to Reiner, the “toxic mindset” that becoming a man means “learning how to toughen up and compete” is feeding current epidemics of loneliness, violence, and suicide among men. His solution, glimpsed in scenes from a Washington, D.C., private school and a correctional institution, is to teach boys and men how to experience the full range of their emotions and express their vulnerability. Parents, educators, coaches, counselors, and scholars of gender studies will want to take a look at this humane and inspirational portrait of an emotionally grounded, resilient masculinity. (Dec.)