Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It

Lost. Disaffected. Adrift. Checked out. Dislocated. Withdrawn. What is happening with so many of our boys and men? Economists lament inexplicable drops in male labor force participation. Public health officials point to disproportionately male “deaths of despair” from suicide or overdose. Parents see their sons struggling and worry what it means for their future. In Of Boys and Men, Richard Reeves provides a groundbreaking diagnosis of the contemporary male malaise. Many of the rapid economic, social, and cultural changes over recent decades pose new challenges to boys and men—especially those at the bottom of the economic ladder. Black boys and men face the most acute challenges of all. Politicians on both left and right have failed to engage constructively with the problems of boys and men. Views on what it means to be a man in the twenty-first century have hardened along partisan lines. But as Reeves writes: “We can hold two thoughts in our head at once. We can be passionate about women’s rights and compassionate toward vulnerable boys and men.” Drawing on years of deep research as well as his personal experience as a father of three sons, Reeves offers a compelling diagnosis of the problems of boys and men—and a bold set of solutions.