The Flying Boy: Healing the Wounded Man

I'm told this could have been a little more specific inasfar as guidance; however, it's based on the author's experiences and one soon understands that it's necessary to apply the information to one's own life. Once that light bulb goes on, it's a good read and a helpful work. It's also very short, and that helps a lot with motivation. :o)

John Lee, well known in the men's movement and the recovery movement, sets out to share with us his growth through his own troubles based on his prior relationships. His insights are well worth the read, as he shares with us the enlightenment he experiences as he tries to deal with the weight of his parents, his early rejections, and his inability to express the rage he feels in an appropriate way. His story is sometimes almost too personal: we don't really want to be there through ALL of it, somehow. And yet, we are transfixed even on the most basic responses he feels. His progress is steady and we are rewarded by the goals he achieves. Alas, like real life, there is no happy ending with the girl, the horse and the sunset. Still, the changes he feels, the inner pains he quells, these are all worth the pain he still carries, the fights he still has to fight. An enduring volume, and a must for the man still struggling with his father, struggling with his pain, or not sure why he struggles, only that he does.

I found this book helpful, hopeful and comforting for both my own pain from childhood traumas and for understanding the person I love so much who has his own demons from his childhood raised in an alcoholic family. Lee's book is probably most helpful to those who are ready and willing to face their problems and find professional help to guide them in confronting and neutralizing the pain so destructive to successful and meaningful adult relationships. A short read, an inexpensive book, but very useful!