Type of bind: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 400
Printing Date: September 01, 1999
Sale Popularity Level: 567660
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Brief Book Summary:
Selected by Publishing houses Weekly as one of the Best Books of 1999, The Good Son is the definitive guide to the moral and emotional development of our boys and young men. Within its pages, Michael Gurian widely credited as the founder of today's 'boys movement' takes readers through a complete parenting program, showing how to instill virtues in boys at each stage of life.
For parents and teachers who fear that our child-rearing systems have lost much of their ethical underpinnings and that our boys are becoming emotionally closed-off, The Good Son serves as a welcome guidepost. It is one of today's premier books on parenting and male development.
'Gurian is becoming the boys' Dr. Spock.'-Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
'Lays out a well-organized blueprint for ushering boys into manhood.... Outstanding.' -Publishing houses Weekly (starred review)
'One of the most provocative new books.' -USA Today
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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This is one of the best, no-nonsense books on raising a son on the market today. I should know--I've tried alot of them! It's easy to read, thoughful and insightful.
Rated by buyers -
This book helped me understand better how boys change during their life from early childhood to young adulthood. I looked back at how my own boys have developed and I discovered many things I was blissfully unware. I found also many useful educational tools in the book.
Michael Gurian has a very clear writing, sometimes he repeats himself, but with a good reason: one will revisit the book as the boy grows older to read sections that have a precise target. This is like a user manual on how to raise boys of any age.
The book is divided in four parts: overview of boys in comparison with girls from the point of view of psychology and neurobiology, early childhood (Age of Obedience), middle childhood (Age of Convention) and teenage years (Age of Intuition). The very first part is mandatory reading, in my view. It does an excellent job at explaining why boys are different. You learn about brain structure, hormones and what they actually mean in terms of behaviour outcomes and education method. The other parts can be read when needed, although you should read the book entirely at least once, even if you boy is not in the age bracket discussed by a particular part.
The curious thing about the book is that it seems like an easy read, sometimes even dry, but the concepts are profound. I see clearly now where I made mistakes, not because of particular mishaps but because my errors in principle. Being a good parent, especially a good father, is much more than working hard long hours for the sake of family wealth. This is where the book is best and I am so glad I bought it. It has a well designed structure that maps our life cycle in the context of family, traditions, education with support from recent scientific research in sociology, psychology and neurobiology.
I liked how the main parts are sub-divided. The book has a rythm, a methodical approach so that you can see how the child evolves and how outcomes are created in the process. The subdivisions are: developmental milestones, discipline techniques, moral teaching and a healthy moral and emotional environment. The language is simple but powerful because the content has value and it is very concrete.
The author discusses how to handle issues like respect, language, rules, rituals, backtalk, chores, allowance, sex and drugs. I appreciated the fact that the book does not have empty, positive talk, but focuses a lot on identifying facts, issues and how to handle situations in a way that suits your background (father, mother, single parent, tutor).
This is the kind of book that makes it easy for you to want to come back and read it again, because when you need it, you will know precisely where to look and what to look for.
Rated by buyers -
Michael Gurian gently takes us through the stages of development in boys as he sees them and has a knack for challenging us and at the same time feel more comfortable with the process. As a father of a severely autistic boy and a typical boy, I can use tips in this book to help Ryan understand his special brother and help him feel less alienated and closer to his family.
"Publishing house's Weekly" got it right when they called this book "the definitive guide to the moral and emotional development of our boys and young men."
WELL DONE MICHAEL GURIAN!!!
Rated by buyers -
"The Good Son" by Michael Gurian (a therapist and educator) is a book for parents designed with the intention of helping them raise a morally grounded son. Subtitled "Shaping the Moral Development of Our Boys and Young Men", I felt Mr. Gurian did a great job by dividing up the chapters into specific age groups (infant, toddler, teen, etc.). I am not inclined to read these types of books (self-help, how-to), but with heavy pressure from my fellow parents and their strong recommendations I'm sure glad I did. We are presented with the physical, emotional, and psychological growth that we can expect and how this will effect the behavior of our boy(s). The book is crammed with excellent examples - some quite inspiring - from Mr. Wolfe's practice as well as practical guides to discipline, "rules to live by", and the "range of normal". Despite the subtitle the book is not moralistic or preachy, but rather focuses on helping parents instill their own belief system into their child. In our politically correct world, I particularly enjoyed the explanations of the differences between boys and girls and how they interpret the world around them (they're different! Who knew?) Throughout the book, medical research is presented (some well known and some fairly recent) to back up his ideas. In our politically correct and gender neutral idealized society it is refreshing to hear someone unafraid to speak the obvious. Ultimately, the information is neither bound to dry medical text nor religious ideology, but rather, a very readable and fun resource for parents.
Rated by buyers -
This book is suggested to anyone who has to raise a son in todays world. I have bought this book for 2 women raising boys. It has open a new world for me-the understanding of why my boy is the way he is. The author suggest structure and rules will help your young boy blossom into a confident young man. Ever chapter he touches on "the Range of Normal" which you can apply to your child at his age level.
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