Boys Into Men: Raising Our African American Teenage Sons

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.

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