Finding books which are written for or about men has always been difficult for me. Throughout my career I had only collected two which I thought were classics and worth reading and sharing. Recently I found another.
Rick Belden is a fellow Austinite who has written a book, Iron Man Family Outing of healing poetry about his own personal journey of growing up male in American society. His poetry is moving and poignant. His descriptions of his family, himself and his relationships strike a chord with everyone with whom I've shared them. I highly recommend this book. Rick has generously made many of his poems and excerpts from his book available at his website, http://rickbelden.com. Ordering information is also available at the site.
Another book I found valuable for understanding the effects of our culture and society on boys is William Pollock's Real Boys
. Pollock describes the pressures boys face and dissects the "Boy Code". This is a thought provoking, insightful book which every parent should read and which is often required reading in most child development programs. Every parent trying to raise a boy in this society should read this book.
In Iron John: A Book About Men
, poet Robert Bly invokes the ideas of an old world folktale, "Wild Man", and Jungian archetypes to describe a path for becoming a man. A heady mixture of mythology, poetry and psychology, the story is beautifully told and the message is powerful. This is a classic text in Men's studies. I recommend it for men and women who want to understand them.