When Boys Become Boys

Development, Relationships, and Masculinity

by Chu, Judy Y.; Gilligan, Carol

Nonfiction (Adult) | Parenting & Families

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Nonfiction (Adult) | Parenting & Families

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Based on a two-year study that followed boys from pre-kindergarten through first grade, When Boys Become Boys offers a new way of thinking about boys’ development. Through focusing on a critical moment of transition in boys’ lives, Judy Y. Chu reveals boys’ early ability to be emotionally perceptive, articulate, and responsive in their relationships, and how these “feminine” qualities become less apparent as boys learn to prove that they are boys primarily by showing that they are not girls.

Chu finds that behaviors typically viewed as “natural” for boys reflect an adaptation to cultures that require boys to be stoic, competitive, and aggressive if they are to be accepted as “real boys.” Yet even as boys begin to reap the social benefits of aligning with norms of masculine behavior, they pay a psychological and relational price for renouncing parts of their humanity.

Chu documents boys’ perceptions of the obstacles they face and the pressures they feel to conform, showing that compliance with rules of masculinity is neither automatic nor inevitable. This accessible and engaging book provides insight into ways in which adults can foster boys’ healthy resistance and help them to access a broader range of options as they seek to connect with others while remaining true to themselves.

Read the author's blog on Psychology Today.

Based on a two-year study that followed boys from pre-kindergarten through first grade, When Boys Become Boys offers a new way of thinking about boys’ development. Through focusing on a critical...

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EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9780814764800
PRICE	$25.00 (USD)

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Featured Reviews

Account D, Reviewer

My Recommendation

A lot of the fictional books I read from thrillers to romance, from fantasy to contemporary, tend to revolve around the debate of nature vs nurture. And though a vast many of those centre around the question of nature, it is rare that fiction ever comes up with some kind of profound judgement on the matter, wishing instead to test the parameters of the issue much like the T-rex in Jurassic Park. Judy Chu's book is not only astute but relentless in its quest not only to explore the oft neglected element of nurture but its role in our very real lives.

It scared me unlike any horror title I've picked up because it illuminates the faults within a system that is entrenched throughout the world. Our systems of education pass on not only knowledge but pre-determined behaviour models. We are the enemies within our midst, destroying our children and thereby any legacy we hope to leave.

It made me question who I am? And whether I too had betrayed the truth of that child I long since left behind, so much so that I strained to hear the song that little girl used to hum to herself.

The lasting note of this work though is rooted in its diligent appraisal of the situation. Judy Chu doesn't propagate an agenda but tells it like it is and lets the evidence speak for itself. Would we put our children through the meat processor too? For what ends? What gain is there to be had in that? Like Trinity counsels Neo, "you have been down there, you know that road, you know exactly where it ends. And I know that's not where you want to be."

Highly recommended!

http://alittlefaith.booklikes.com/post/884027/nature-vs-nurture

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