Boys into Men: Raising Our African American Teenage Sons [Mass Market Paperback]

Nancy Boyd-Franklin (Author), Pamela A. Toussaint (Author), A. J. Franklin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001

In this first book of its kind, psychologists Dr. Nancy Boyd-Franklin and Dr. A. J. Franklin help African American families of all kinds face the unique challenges of raising their teenage sons. Boys into Men offers hope and inspiration to parents, teachers, counselors, and community members by drawing on African American family values and cultural and spiritual strengths.

In this compassionate and comprehensive handbook parents will learn how to foster a positive racial male identity, plant strong spiritual roots, promote sexual responsibility, overcome negative influences of hip-hop and "hoop dreams," and rise above the no-win skin color game. As Scared Black Parents transform themselves into Prepared Black Parents, they'll be able to cope with problems of violence, drugs, gangs, and racism. Filled with hundreds of real-life success stories and a detailed list of books, Web sites, and helpful organizations, Boys into Men is a much-needed antidote to the one-size-one-color-fits-all approach of most parenting guides.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Today, African American parents struggle to raise teenage boys safely and successfully in an environment beset by racism, gangs, violence, and homicide--the largest cause of death among 13- to 25-year-old African American males. Boyd-Franklin (psychology, Rutgers Univ.; Black Families in Therapy) and Franklin (psychology, CUNY) have produced an excellent scholarly and prescriptive manual that offers strategies to help male African American adolescents develop a healthy and empowering racial identity with strong African American family and spiritual values. Practical and positive solutions are presented to a variety of problems like peer pressure, sex, and drugs. Supplementary resources such as books, web sites, organizations, support groups, and guidelines for seeking professional help are also provided. As African American husband and wife and parents of four children, the authors present a heartfelt, true-to-life account that inspires with its honesty and compassion. Recommended for all libraries.
-Chogollah Maroufi, California State Univ., Los Angeles
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

With the aid of a professional writer, therapists and psychologists Nancy Boyd-Franklin and her husband, A. J. Franklin, provide such useful specific information on raising young black men as how parents can counsel their sons to prevent their being arrested or shot by overzealous police following racial-profiling practices. As they advise, they inevitably present the realities young black men face, from gang violence in the inner city to racial profiling in the suburbs. Of course, they also cover the usual challenges to teens posed by sex, drugs, peer pressure, rap music, and sports. They are very frank in their observations about raising young black men to, say, avoid teen parenthood or realistically consider the prospects of sports careers. Still, they are sensitive to the particular pressures on young black men to balance realistic assessment of racism and personal responsibility. They offer parents encouragement and a wealth of further resources. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Plume (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452280850
• ISBN-13: 978-0452280854
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very insightful, June 18, 2000

By 

BigTimeBookie (Midwest -- USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boys Into Men: Raising Our African American Teenage Sons (Hardcover)

My husband and I are the parents of one 2.5 year old boy and one boy on the way. As an African American parent I am desparate for books discussing the special issues that relate to our sons. I found this book to be a great resource and reference.

With all of the issues facing our sons--drugs, gangs, police overreaction etc. it felt good to know that I am not the only one extremely concerned about how to grow my boy into a man.

This book deals with all of the issues I could think of related to raising a black son.

I think it can be a praticular interest to single moms who I believe have a special need.

This book also provides a listing of several other books that one can reference which I found invaluable.

Donna

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PRICELESS, ENCOURAGING WORDS FOR THOSE IN THE WARZONE......, September 3, 2001

By 

Lorrie Irby - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boys into Men: Raising Our African American Teenage Sons (Mass Market Paperback)

As soon as I learned that the baby I was carrying was a boy, I instinctively knew that I have to foster the "state of emergency" frame of mind to make him into the shining Black Prince that I wanted him to be, and this book will push you on that path from the jump. It encourages, enlightens and spells out the solutions to keep your precious son on the right path. Nearly every possible scenario is touched on here: encouragement to single mothers and fathers and tips on the ex, homosexuality, the doomed "raise the daughters love the sons" mentality, how to teach him to live in a sometimes hostile, racist world while maintaining self-dignity and respect for others, how not to allow himself to get "dumbed down" by peers, avoiding the temptation of drugs and gangs,etc. This book has more info than you would expect one source to have, and it helped me to understand that raising a responsible, loving, respectful young Black man doesn't have to be a pipedream. If you want to help avert crises before they occur, or need help throughout the one you may in the midst of, this book is priceless. Learn from the case scenarios and advice these 2 parents give from their own lives and others and cherish it.