Boys Adrift; The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men is by Leonard Sax, MD, PhD.
This books scared the @&*! out of me! First of all the five factors that Dr. Sax identifies are: 1) The feminization of education, like expecting reading in Kindergarten when little boys' brains develop later than girls, thus ensuring their first experience of school is a tough one. Another element of this is the disapproval of friendly team-related competition. Dr. Sax is a strong proponent of single-sex schools as a result.
2) Video games - Dr. Sax goes into detail about all the studies that show that video games demotivate and disengage boys from reality. I have a son who seems very addicted to video games and I can attest to the fact that he is not very motivated.
3) Long term effects of ADHD medication. Studies have shown that even being on these medications for a short time can cause a loss of drive in boys and young men. They impact the area of the brain that deals with motivation.
4) Plastics - it turns out that plastics contain endocrine disrupters that make the body think it is receiving low dosages of estrogen. This has absolutely devastating effects on boys' sexual development. This is the thing that scared me. Wow! Why hasn't anything been done about this? It is effecting our society and our future.
5) Society's changing perception of masculinity - men don't have clear roles anymore. We've lost any rituals for helping men grow from boys into men. Our culture doesn't guide boys into manhood anymore.
The books goes into very great detail about each of these factors and how they intertwine to create the mess we are in now. I found the book very convincing. Even though, as a homeschooler, the only two factors that truly impact my boys are the video games and the plastics, that's enough to galvanize me into action. I want to reduce the use of plastic in our lives drastically! And I also am going to be very careful about the amount of time spent playing video games.
I don't have time for a longer review. Wish I did. But I am planning to read Dr. Sax's other books: Why Gender Matters and Girls on the Edge.
For more reviews check out Robin's 52 Books site.
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