Boys Will Be Boys: Breaking the Link Between Masculinity and Violence [Paperback]

Myriam Miedzian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002 | ISBN-10: 1590560353 | ISBN-13: 978-1590560358

"An important, ground-breaking exploration of how and why males are increasingly turning to violence and what we, as individuals and as a society, can do about it. Lucid, well researched, and highly practical, this very accessible book will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, including parents and teachers. Miedzian convincingly demonstrates, drawing heavily on research studies in psychology, sociology, and anthropology, how violence can be greatly reduced in our society."—Booklist

"Myriam Miedzian [is]...a thinker whose work is destined to have a transformative effect on America’s political and social consciousness."—Letty Cottin Pogrebin, author of Deborah, Golda and Me

"Boys Will Be Boys is a powerful book, offering many insights into why America’s crime rates lead the industrialized world."—Los Angeles Times

"Excellent. A strongly argued indictment of our cultural stereotypes of masculinity."—Suzanne Gordon, Boston Globe

"If boys are ever to become real men before they blow up the planet, this sharp, clear, disturbing exposé...is the first long step."—Robert Lipsyte, New York Times

"[Miedzian] does demonstrate beautifully...that American culture asks an awful lot of parents. We’re trying to raise children who are self-reliant, inquisitive, and sensitive to others’ feelings, when toys, television, and video games pay unblinking homage to macho toughness in the extreme." —Parenting Magazine

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Miedzian contends that a "masculine mystique" of toughness, dominance and extreme competitiveness contributes greatly to criminal and domestic violence. Furthermore, she argues, adherence to this mystique by men in power creates a militaristic national outlook and diminishes the chances for world peace. In an important, often provocative report, stronger in its diagnoses than its prescriptions, Miedzian cites evidence that a father's nurturant involvement in rearing boys is key in discouraging violence in them. An American Studies scholar at Columbia, the author identifies violence-soaked TV shows, war toys and the machismo of sports as factors encouraging violence in boys and men. Her debatable thesis that homosexuality derives from our society's rigid definitions of "masculine" and "feminine" weakens the thrust of her central argument. Among her controversial recommendations are mandatory public-school classes in conflict resolution and childrearing, and the creation of a "pro-social" Children's Public Broadcasting System complete with mandatory lock-box enabling parents to scramble all adult channels.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Why do some boys become violent men? Miedzian's research indicts absent fathers and the "culture of violence" that promotes war toys, violent films and music, brutal sports, and bigotry. Includes tested school programs for changing the "male mind-set."
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 386 pages
• Publisher: Lantern Books (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590560353
• ISBN-13: 978-1590560358
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,265,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Myriam Miedzian holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University and a masters degree in clinical social work from Hunter College, City University of New York. She has been a professor of philosophy at a number of universities, including Rutgers and the City University of New York. She divides her time between New York City and the Hudson Valley, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the basic book for raising your son, February 21, 2000

By 

Pablo Stanfield (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boys Will be Boys: Breaking the Link Between Masculinity and Violence (Paperback)

This book presents in a way that no one can argue with, the clear links between how we treat and train our boys and why they act out later with violence. Boys will be boys, we say, excusing the inexcusable... because it was taught to us by our parents too.

Break the chain! Break the chains that tie so many young men in prison for violent actions. Stop the cycle that says, "I couldn't help it. It's just natural to get angry, to hit, to ..." Save a boy from this curse.

Let him have a nurturing father (-figure), let him play with dolls and practice caring for others (as a future father of America), let him learn how to feel and talk. Don't lock him up!

Let him learn to be a real, caring man.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book exposes how culture infiltrates boys' minds, July 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Boys Will be Boys: Breaking the Link Between Masculinity and Violence (Paperback)

Boys Will Be Boys shatters the American assumption that masculinity and violence need exist hand in hand. This book describes masculine violence within the realms of military policy, criminal behavior, and boyhood. It details how boys are being raised violent and are not necessarily born with more violent tendencies than girls. This is a must read for anyone interested in gender studies or childcare.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reread this book!, July 13, 2004

By 

Peggy Levison (Edgewater, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boys Will Be Boys: Breaking the Link Between Masculinity and Violence (Paperback)

I have just purchased and reread Myriam Miedzian's 2002 revised edition of this book, and wish to say that her new introduction is more timely than ever, and it has given me additional insights into the mindset of the men who got us into the war in Iraq. The section entitled "What About Our National Security?" is a great sequel to the original Chapter 2: ""Real Men", "Wimps" and Our National Security". Boys Will Be Boys points out that obsession with toughness, dominance and power, a lack of concern for human life, no interest in understanding how our adversaries think and how our actions affect theirs, all combined with the undue influence of economic interests, lead us into unnecessary and deadly wars.

The book goes way beyond the present political situation. The chapter entitled "Boys Will Be Boys" provides a balanced and well-researched discussion of how biology and environment interact to lead boys and men to commit most violent acts. I appreciated the fact that the author makes concrete suggestions for change to decrease the violence in boys and men with chapters on the importance of good fathering, on educational programs, and on the topic of violent entertainment and boys.

One doesn't have to agree with each and every recommendation Dr. Miedzian makes to appreciate the issues she raises and the information she brings forth. Her book is an extensive section of endnotes and bibliography, is clear and well-written and utterly fascinating.

Peggy Levison, Ph.D.