It's Better to Build Boys than Mend Men [Hardcover]

S. Truett Cathy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2004

Children have plenty of buddies. In an age when kids all around us are growing up without strong, positive guidance from their parents (who are busy, distracted, gone, or choose to be buddies instead of parents) children need someone they can look to with respect to help them build their lives.

When he was thirteen years old, Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, had such a man step into his life: a Sunday school teacher who modeled love, respect, hard work, and discipline. Cathy decided to follow that model, and today he has some 130 foster grandchildren, many of whom have broken their family’s generational cycle of neglect through the encouragement of Cathy and other adults who reached out to them.

In It’s Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men, Truett Cathy lays out a simple model for adults desiring to reach out to youth and challenges readers to allow God to work through them to change the life of a child. His book is filled with stories illustrating the principles of discipline, trust, reputation, generosity, common sense, peer pressure, and family stability.

Readers who follow their hearts into children’s lives will find that their own lives are enriched as well.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

S. TRUETT CATHY, founder and chief executive officer of Chick-fil-A restaurants, is also founder of WinShape Homes, which are home for more than 130 foster children. He and his wife, Jeannette, live in the Atlanta area, where he has taught Sunday school to teenage boys for more than fifty years. The author of Eat Mor Chikin, he and his wife have three grown children and twelve grandchildren.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 111 pages
• Publisher: Looking Glass Books (August 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929619200
• ISBN-13: 978-1929619207
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Raising young boys to be young men - wisdom for the journey, January 18, 2007

By 

Dan Panetti "Worldview Director" (Plano, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It's Better to Build Boys than Mend Men (Hardcover)

Truett Cathy, founder of the Chick-fil-A empire, shares a wealth of experience and wisdom in this little gem of a book. Using Proverbs chapter 22 as his inspiration, Cathy writes about how young men need the guidance of an older man in their lives to put them on the right path. Cathy has been teaching a Sunday school class for young boys (age 13) for the past few decades and also has his WinShape program that provides a home, love and an opportunity to countless young boys needing direction and discipline in their lives. From this long history of helping young boys become young men, Cathy draws some basic principles for putting boys on the right path in life.

The first admonition that Cathy shares is that a boy needs a father in the home - present, engaged and caring. He follows with wisdom how to train a young boy into a young man through words of encouragement, modeling the example for them to see, and giving them opportunities to learn life lessons on their own. Cathy talks about the importance of teaching young men how to handle money as well as how to pick the right life-mate.

The book is short, easy-to-read, and packed full of practical wisdom and heart-touching stories from Cathy's own life and experience. This would be a wonderful gift for any father raising sons. Cathy is a Christian and his values and beliefs are grounded in God's Word and this comes across with simple clarity in the book, just like it does in the management of his billion dollar company.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A concise and worthy read., September 29, 2004

By 

C. A. Ames "just a dude." (Atlanta, GA - USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: It's Better to Build Boys than Mend Men (Hardcover)

Just when you think your heart is big enough... Truett Cathy comes along and knocks your ego down a peg or three. If you are looking for a book full of "advice theory" then move along. But if you want to read some "best practices" from a man who has... well... actually practiced them and gotten the desired result, then buy this book.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's Better to Build Boys than Mend Men, October 6, 2004

By 

M. Lawrence (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It's Better to Build Boys than Mend Men (Hardcover)

Great book! All parents should read for a gentle nudge in reevaluating our priorities. Raising our children to be morally, emotionally and physically sound should be a high priority in our busy lives. Reading this book has reminded me to really look and listen to my children. Thank you Mr. Cathy for taking the time to share your experiences.