The following is a brief summary taken from the book's website:
The Five Factors Driving the Decline of Boys
- Video Games. Studies suggest that some of the most popular video games are disengaging boys from real-world pursuits.
- Teaching Methods. Profound changes in the way children are educated have had the unintended consequence of turning many boys off school.
- Prescription Drugs. Overuse of medication for ADHD may be causing irreversible damage to the motivational centers in boys’ brains.
- Endocrine Disruptors. Environmental estrogens from plastic bottles and food sources may be lowering boys’ testosterone levels, making their bones more brittle and throwing their endocrine systems out of whack.
- Devaluation of Masculinity. Shifts in popular culture have transformed the role models of manhood. Forty years ago we had Father Knows Best; today we have The Simpsons.
For those who have daughters only, this is still something I would put on the required reading list. Afterall, those girls interact with boys and I would suspect you'd want her to be involved with young men living up to their full potential. I think it's quite telling that Dr. Sax dedicates this book to his own young daughter.
Such a interesting book. I'd love to hear anybody's comments on this.
