Angry Young Men: How Parents, Teachers, and Counselors Can Help Bad Boys Become Good Men (Hardcover)

~ Aaron Kipnis (Author) "On a recent Sunday afternoon five East Side Boys crossed the main street that divides our Santa Barbara neighborhoods..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, United States, Los Angeles Times (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The author's own history is a litany of physical abuse, parental neglect, abandonment, foster homes, homelessness, drug use, and juvenile incarcerations. With determination and, importantly, help, young Kipnis managed a lifestyle change: He earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is now on the faculty of Pacifica Graduate Institute. He has since worked to instill his belief that a culture that learns to understand and address the needs of young males, especially those of social, racial, or economic minorities, is financially, practically, humanely wiser than one that locks them up or puts them down when their frustration erupts in disruptive social and/or criminal actions, as his did. Kipnis persuasively contends that parenting and job-skills training programs, counseling, community services, and affordable quality education is infinitely more effective in encouraging constructive behavior for them and their progeny than America's increasingly popular punitive response. Highly recommended for academics, professionals, and the general public.ASuzanne W. Wood, SUNY Coll. of Technology, Alfred
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Angry Young Men is an extremely important book that is especially timely now during our current epidemic of violence by and against boys and young men . . . Aaron Kipnis has seen deeply, not only into the souls of troubled boys and adolescents, but also into those aspects of the spirit of our culture and our epoch that have turned an unprecedentedly large proportion of our boys and young men into perpetrators and victims of violence." —From the Foreword by Dr. James Gilligan, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

"One of the most important books written in the last decade." —Robert Bly, author of Iron John and The Sibling Society

"With stories of the triumph of human courage against insurmountable odds, Aaron Kipnis clearly demonstrates that redemption, human dignity, and transformation are possible among the most troubled of our youth." —Dr. Robert E. Roberts, executive director, Project Return, Tulane University Medical Center

"With unique passion and insight, Aaron Kipnis shatters the myths about troubled young men in our society. A compassionate look at at-risk youth that compels each one of us into action." —Michael Gurian, author of The Wonder of Boys and A Fine Young Man

"In this well-written book, Kipnis inspires us to recognize and to nurture the essentially wonderful spirit in every child." —Peter R. Breggin, M.D., author of The War Against Children of Color and Talking Back to Ritalin

"Everybody committed to increasing our public safety will benefit from the effective strategies for healing 'bad boys,' thereby enabling them to become productive adults rather than career criminals" —Senator John Vasconcellos, chair of the California Senate Public Safety Committee

"With fresh vision Kipnis's compelling, courageous, and compassionate book casts brilliant light on the shadowy world of troubled young men and then shows us a way out of the dark." —Dr. Connie Zweig coauthor of Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow

"A compelling work that deeply moves and educates you as it seeks to build an informed and inspired advocacy for at-risk boys and young men. Kipnis arms us with healing alternatives that are within our reach. Essential reading." —Dr. Mary Watkins, clinical psychologist and author of Waking Dreams and Invisible Guests

"Aaron Kipnis's story of childhood homelessness, drugs, and prison exposes our wealthy country's cruelty toward youths and suggests why, astonishingly, today's bad boys are doing much better than we have a right to expect." —Mike Males, author, Framing Youth: Ten Myths About the Next Generation

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (September 17, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787946044
• ISBN-13: 978-0787946043
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #996,603 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Angry Young Men, December 13, 1999

By	Connie Zweig "author of A Moth to the Flame, ... (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In this riveting account of the effects of the criminal justice system on boys and men in our culture, Dr. Kipnis sounds a cry of alarm:In our overemphasis on criminalization and punishment and our underemphasis on mental health care and healing, we are failing our boys.At the same time, we have created a gulag, a prison subculture that is now big business and that requires us to feed it money and men. This impeccably researched work deserves to be read -- and acted on -- by parents of boys, service providers of boys, policy makers, and educators. The author's personal story, my favorite section, is a contemporary hero's journey that offers hope to any reader.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Hand Experience, January 24, 2000

By	Philip A. Rice (Alamo, CA) - See all my reviews

With all the sensational press about the dangerous young men in our schools and neighborhoods, it is refreshing to read Kipnis's first hand account of what contributes to the despair and hostility in troubled adolescent boys. His book has specific suggestions for addressing the problems he identifies in clear and compelling language. This book, and "Raising Cain" by Dan Kindlon amd Michael Thompson have been the best insights into the life of boys that I have read this past year.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for professionals and the general public., November 13, 1999

By A Customer

From Library Journal-- The author's own history is a litany of physical abuse, parental neglect, abandonment, foster homes, homelessness, drug use, and juvenile incarcerations. With determination and, importantly, help, young Kipnis managed a lifestyle change: He earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is now on the faculty of Pacifica Graduate Institute. He has since worked to instill his belief that a culture that learns to understand and address the needs of young males, especially those of social, racial, or economic minorities, is financially, practically, humanely wiser than one that locks them up or puts them down when their frustration erupts in disruptive social and/or criminal actions, as his did. Kipnis persuasively contends that parenting and job-skills training programs, counseling, community services, and affordable quality education is infinitely more effective in encouraging constructive behavior for them and their progeny than America's increasingly popular punitive response. Highly recommended for academics, professionals, and the general public.--Suzanne W. Wood, SUNY Coll. of Technology, Alfred Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.