Raising Cain by Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson

This book is all about protecting the emotional life of boys. The authors (two psychologists with backgrounds in education) contend that boys are raised to be “emotionally illiterate,” which means they are unable to ascribe words to their feelings and think it’s unacceptable for men to communicate about feelings, so they often end up violent and/or depressed. In all honesty, I had no idea how difficult it was for boys until I read this book. There were many insightful quotes. Here’s one: “The reason a boy fears dependence on a girl is that he fears her rejection and the pain and humiliation that go with it. A boy’s desire to be powerful isn’t as much about muscle as it is about heart and the fact that if you allow yourself to be dependent on someone . . . then you can be devastated by her as well.”