Customer Reviews

The Good Men Project DVD

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I, along with several of my friends, have been able to both read the book and watch the DVD from The Good Men Project. The book is an incredile collection of essays that give men from all different walks of life the chance to tell their the story and, in so doing, let us all see that the problems that each of us have are so much the same. The DVD really drives this point home. Through the 10 stories in the DVD, we see different types of people with different problems- but facing them all with fierce honesty. This honesty allows me to connect with the men in the story and relate their issues to my own. It has helped me to begin this dialogue with my friends and become a proud member of this Good Men Project movement. I can think of no better gift to give to your father, your son, your husband, your co-worker, your friend. I believed this jsut based on the content of the DVD and book, but then when you find out that the proceeds of the book are all being donated to charity to help mentor our young men, it really makes it the best gift that you can give.

The powerful stories in Good Men Project depict men at transition points struggling to be a good man. A husband bringing his wife home to hospice. A father confronting his son's autism. A brother grappling with his sister's suicide. A son foregoing the generations-old family business. Moments of emotion recollected in tranquility, the essays illuminate challenges all men face but rarely discuss. I found many stories so compelling that I wanted to know more about the authors - here is where the DVD excels. Seeing these transformative stories onscreen after reading the book added nuance and depth to the collection. Men do indeed have stories to tell about trying to be a good man and this DVD and book approach the topic with grace and courage.

I first read the book and found it to be affirming, sad and wonderful all at the same time. Some of the essays were hard to read, through my tears. Then I saw the video at the Boston opening, held at the Institute of Contemporary Art. The energy in that room, the appreciation of the men involved for each other and their willingness to share the full range of their emotions were inspirational. The message I take from The Good Men Project - a message that I also proclaim through Parents Forum, the parenting education program I founded and run - is that as individuals and communities we have to do a different, better job at raising our boys.

Emotional awareness is certainly something that we are born with, but it seems too often to be drained, or beaten, out of our young men. Just as the men's stories in the book are grouped under the headings of fathers, sons, husbands and workers, women need to listen as daughters, mothers, wives -and workers- to the stories men tell. Reading this book and perhaps shedding tears on a few of the pages is a great place to start.