Men of my Father's Generation, is a tribute to individuals who chose to take responsibility despite their obstacles. These individuals were one generation removed from slavery. This special group of people consisted of former slaves, and grandsons of former slave owners. They were driven by a desire and purpose to take a righteous cause and go against the grain, making a difference in their generation. Both former slaves and grandsons of former slave owners made a decision and placed a demand on themselves to rise above the circumstance and the position of the majority. While many former slaves knew very little about responsibility, these men took on the responsibility of being husbands, fathers, providers, protectors, and teachers. This level of knowledge did not come from their history, but from the Source that made them.
I come from a broken home. I know that pain. I've lived it. I've suffered through family dysfunction, trauma, abuse, and poverty. Maybe you have, too. But I believe you have the power to break those cycles. In First Generation Father, I'll show you how to find balance within yourself, heal, and build a healthy and happy home for your family. This book is brutally honest, entertaining, and insightful-a must-read for anyone raised in a challenging environment who wants to avoid passing down generational scars. Whether you're searching for ways to improve yourself, strengthen your marriage, or practice genuine love, the philosophy shared in these pages will change life for you-and your family-forever.
In My Father's Generation is the story of the American South, struggling to rebuild and reinvent itself between the Civil War and World War I. It is also the story of John Warren, Corey Strokes, and their families-one black, one white-and the roles they play in the building of the southern timber industry and in breaking the racial barriers of the past. It tells the reader of the loves and losses they share and the fighting spirit that empowers them to prevail in life. As you come to know John Warren and Corey Stokes, their journey through life will inspire you . Begin now to live In My Father's Generation. "A powerful book on powerful themes, with an authentic modern, Southern voice." Rob Meltzler, MetroWest Daily News, Boston
This provocative, “critically important” memoir of working-class boyhood in rural Indiana offers a searing cultural analysis of toxic masculinity in American culture (NPR). As progressivism changes American society, and globalism shifts labor away from traditional manufacturing, the roles that have been prescribed to men since the Industrial Revolution have been rendered obsolete. Donald Trump's campaign successfully leveraged male resentment and entitlement, and now, with Trump as president and the rise of the #MeToo movement, it’s clear that our current definitions of masculinity are outdated and even dangerous. Deeply personal and thoroughly researched, the author of The People Are Going to Rise Like the Waters Upon Your Shore has turned his keen eye to our current crisis of masculinity using his upbringing in rural Indiana to examine the personal and societal dangers of the patriarchy. The Man They Wanted Me to Be examines how we teach boys what’s expected of men in America, and the long–term effects of that socialization―which include depression, shorter lives, misogyny, and suicide. Sexton turns his keen eye to the establishment of the racist patriarchal structure which has favored white men, and investigates the personal and societal dangers of such outdated definitions of manhood. “ . . . exposes the true cost of toxic masculinity . . . and takes aim at the patriarchal structures in American society that continue to uphold an outdated ideal of manhood.” —Book Riot
This book issues a call to forgiveness to those who have been wounded by their sinful fathers, and to fathers to heed the call of God in their lives before it is too late. (Christian)
Addresses the dramatic effects of World War II on the relationship between the men who fought war and their sons and grandsons, drawing on his own and other father-son tales of veterans to reveal how their experiences on the battlefield shaped their lives as fathers.
A feminist—and the bestselling author of The Age of American Unreason—looks back at the last pre-feminist generation of men who supposedly had it all and asks: what exactly did they have? How fabulous was life for men in the 1950s and early 1960s? How real is the world depicted by a television show like Mad Men: a world where visibly successful males, so long as they supported their families and contributed to their firms' profitability, could have midday liaisons, impregnate secretaries, and pimp for clients with impunity? In this engaging, witty, and insightful reappraisal, Susan Jacoby challenges both versions of the story--narratives that either romanticize or demonize men's lives back in the good or bad (you choose) old days. She suggests that there were hidden economic and psychological costs that made this "Rat Pack" reality a fantasy, and she also shows why this illusion still holds sway in the worldview of many (including Republicans and social conservatives such as Mitt Romney) who continue to cherish, long for, and advocate for the days when a family lived on the man's paycheck, and the woman stayed at home where she belonged. Our most unsparing chronicler of unreason and an impassioned social provocateur who is always eager to skewer intellectual laziness and cultural myths, Jacoby comes to the unexpected rescue of the last generation of prefeminist men. An electronic dart of wit and insight.
A Father’s Job Is Never Done explores through the life experiences of men from around the world and defines what it means to be a dad. It shares lessons, hardships, and triumphs and provides a platform for men at all the various stages of fatherhood with the opportunity to examine their efforts and commitments and to then draw conclusions that will assist, support, and sustain them in their journeys as present and engaged men, husbands, and fathers in the lives of their children and families. Far too many men fail in their efforts to honor the promises that they once made. Their absence, their ensuing struggles, and their familial separation cause irreparable harm and leave wounds that often never heal. The examples here identify the milestones that dads should be mindful of and provide concrete portraits painted by men who have not always had it right. They are by men willing to share their experiences regardless of their blemishes. A Father’s Job Is Never Done is the tool so many dads have needed—a tool that can be readily used by fathers young and old alike. Yes, there’s real work when it comes to being a dad, and all the ensuing worry can be overwhelming. There is, though, great wonderment—wonderment that many men miss and never get to experience. This work is the compass that so many dads have needed, and it is also a resource for mothers, mothers who are fighting for their husbands, partners, and families and fighting the good fight for which they are uniquely prepared.
Adam Sandler movies, HBO's Entourage, and such magazines as Maxim and FHM all trade in and appeal to one character the modern boy-man. Addicted to video games, comic books, extreme sports, and dressing down, the boy-man would rather devote an afternoon to Grand Theft Auto than plan his next career move. He would rather prolong the hedonistic pleasures of youth than embrace the self-sacrificing demands of adulthood. When did maturity become the ultimate taboo? Men have gone from idolizing Cary Grant to aping Hugh Grant, shunning marriage and responsibility well into their twenties and thirties. Gary Cross, renowned cultural historian, identifies the boy-man and his habits, examining the attitudes and practices of three generations to make sense of this gradual but profound shift in American masculinity. Cross matches the rise of the American boy-man to trends in twentieth-century advertising, popular culture, and consumerism, and he locates the roots of our present crisis in the vague call for a new model of leadership that, ultimately, failed to offer a better concept of maturity. Cross does not blame the young or glorify the past. He finds that men of the "Greatest Generation" might have embraced their role as providers but were confused by the contradictions and expectations of modern fatherhood. Their uncertainty gave birth to the Beats and men who indulged in childhood hobbies and boyish sports. Rather than fashion a new manhood, baby-boomers held onto their youth and, when that was gone, embraced Viagra. Without mature role models to emulate or rebel against, Generation X turned to cynicism and sensual intensity, and the media fed on this longing, transforming a life stage into a highly desirable lifestyle. Arguing that contemporary American culture undermines both conservative ideals of male maturity and the liberal values of community and responsibility, Cross concludes with a proposal for a modern marriage of personal desire and ethical adulthood.
