Of boys and men : why the modern male is struggling, why it matters, and what to do about it

Preface: Worried dad to worried wonk -- The male malaise. Girls rule: boys are behind in education ; Working man blues: men are losing ground in the labor market ; Dislocated dads: fathers have lost their traditional role in the family -- Double disadvantage. Dwight's glasses: Black boys and men face acute challenges ; Class ceiling: poor boys and men are suffering ; Non-responders: policies aren't helping boys and men -- Biology and culture. Making men: nature and nurture both matter -- Political stalemate. Progressive blindness: the political left is in denial ; Seeing red: the political right wants to turn back the clock -- What to do. Redshirt the boys: boys need an extra year in the classroom ; Men can HEAL: getting men into the jobs of the future ; New dads: fatherhood as an independent social institution -- Epilogue.

"Boys and men are struggling. Profound economic and social changes of recent decades have many losing ground in the classroom, the workplace, and in the family. While the lives of women have changed, the lives of many men have remained the same or even worsened. Our attitudes, our institutions, and our laws have failed to keep up. Conservative and progressive politicians, mired in their own ideological warfare, fail to provide thoughtful solutions. The father of three sons, a journalist, and a Brookings Institution scholar, Richard V. Reeves has spent twenty-five years worrying about boys both at home and work. His new book, Of Boys and Men, tackles the complex and urgent crisis of boyhood and manhood"--Publisher's description.