About The Book

Masculinity is in crisis. Unlike any time in modern history, males of every age, race, and income level are lost and bewildered, angry and scared.

An honest reckoning is long overdue.

In Better Boys, Better Men, frequent New York Times contributor Andrew Reiner deconstructs this ongoing crisis by examining the profound and profoundly debilitating roles traditional forms of masculinity play in the lives of boys and men today.

As an antidote, he introduces readers to a growing number of males who are paving the way for bold new forms of masculinity. These boys and men are turning their struggles into the sources of courage, inner strength, and resiliency they need in a world vastly different from the ones their fathers and grandfathers grew up in.

An intrepid exploration of masculinity and a much-needed clarion call, Better Boys, Better Men challenges us to redefine what it means to be a man today and will forever change the way we think and talk about masculinity.

“Andrew Reiner teaches boys to take responsibility for their mistakes, treat others with dignity and compassion, and approach life as a team sport. If we follow his road map, the world might well be a better place.”

—ADAM GRANT, New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take and Originals and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

“Better Boys, Better Men demands that we see boys and men as they see themselves, and not as we stereotype them to be, freeing them to see their own humanity and the humanity of others.”

—NIOBE WAY, professor of developmental psychology at New York University and author of Deep Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection

“Andrew Reiner decodes the hidden language of guys, thus pointing the way to a better, deeper, more authentic masculinity. . . . This is a much-needed book that advances exactly the conversation we need to be having right now!”

—MICHAEL KIMMEL, distinguished professor of sociology at Stony Brook University and author of Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men

“Better Boys, Better Men compassionately reveals the pressures and fears that stop toomany boys and men from being authentic, brave, and emotionally connected. Parents, especially dads, please read this book—it will give you permission to love your sons in ways that will create strong, ethical, and honorable men you can be proud of.”

—ROSALIND WISEMAN, New York Times bestselling author of Queen Bees and Wannabes (inspiration for the movie Mean Girls) and Masterminds and Wingmen, and founder of Cultures of Dignity

“[Lucid] and well-researched debut… Frank interviews with men of all ages and Reiner’s reflections on his own experiences as a man raising a young son add emotional depth to the research into the “developmental male arc” from infancy through middle age… According to Reiner, the “toxic mindset” that becoming a man means “learning how to toughen up and compete” is feeding current epidemics of loneliness, violence, and suicide among men. His solution…to teach boys and men how to experience the full range of their emotions…Parents, educators, coaches, counselors, and scholars of gender studies will want to take a look at this humane and inspirational portrait of an emotionally grounded, resilient masculinity.”

-Publishers Weekly