Raising Boys Without Men: Reviews

"As I read this book, I could almost hear the sound of the flying monkeys swooping in from out on the right. Books like this are attacked for the truths they tell. And there is no greater truth you can tell to the nation's single mothers than 'Relax. If you love him, support him, listen to him-your boy will turn out just fine.'"
-Bette Midler

"This is a wonderful book-a very necessary book. We live in an age of labels: you're normal, you're not. For the so-called non-traditional families that want only to make their way in the world, labels can do incredible damage. Boys Without Men makes a convincing and empathetic case that very good things come from outside the bounds of our worn-out assumptions."
-Henry Louis Gates W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University

"This is the answer to those who believe they can attach limits to the idea of family. It's part guide, part affirmation, part eye-opening proof that family is far less about composition, than it is about the power of its love and support."
-Jann Wenner, editor and publisher, Rolling Stone Magazine

"Peggy Drexler is such a perfect guide to parenting in the 21st century, of what makes the most basic institution of society click, I wondered: How did she get so smart about life? Decades of research, of course, but also an uncanny knack for seeing inside the human heart. Pull up a chair and read this book. You'll be a better parent for it."
-Margaret Carlson, first woman columnist, Time Magazine, political columnist, Bloomberg News, and Washington editor of The Week magazine.

"This highly readable, well researched, groundbreaking, myth shattering book should lay to rest all unfounded ideological opposition to nontraditional families. Everyone who wants to see the best interest of children served must read and act on this book's wisdom and research."
-Alan Dershowitz, Author and Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard University

"Once a decade, it seems, there is a book that suddenly makes it all clear that what we have been led to believe about ourselves, gender roles and expectations is nothing more than hooey. This is such a book. A well-researched and clearly written testament that people are people and
families are not nuclear but functional."
-Rita Henley Jensen, founder and editor in chief, Women's eNews

"I've always been in the idea business. So it's exciting when I see something blow away convention. This book creates controversy. And that's good.
Controversy means people are thinking instead of assuming."
-Donny Deutsch, Chairman and CEO of Deutsch, Inc, Host of CNBC's hit show "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch", author of "Often Wrong, Never In Doubt"

"Raising Boys without Men changes the terms of our fractious national conversation about how we can raise boys to become good men. Peggy Drexler's thoughtful, engaging book demonstrates that fine parenting comes in various shapes, sizes, and genders."
-Judith Stacey, Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, Professor of Sociology, New York University

"A provocative, thoughtful, and well-written book which articulately provides support for the important role of women in the healthy development of boys and the essential ingredients in raising productive, happy, and well adjusted males."
—Lawrence J. Siegel, Ph.D., ABPP, Dean, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University

"This important work will serve as a beacon to the country's nearly 10 million single mothers."
--Publishers Weekly

"I am struck by the newness of her ideas, by their boldness, and by how much they are likely to find both support and opposition in our society, especially now . . . This is a comforting argument and an upbeat one for all the single parents out there: the divorcees who worry about their children, the growing number of women who have children without a husband, the growing number of fathers with sole custody of their children."
--Judith Wallerstein, Ph.D., bestselling author of The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce

"[Raising Boys without Men] is truly a cutting-edge book . . . Using a surprising breed of mother to challenge some of our preconceptions about what makes a family and what boys need, [Raising Boys without Men] will be an important book for everyone -- from parents of all stripes, to teachers, social scientists, and politicians -- who cares about the future of the American Family."
--Carol Gilligan, Ph.D., bestselling author of The Birth of Pleasure and In a Different Voice

"Peggy Drexler's [Raising Boys without Men] both illuminates and transcends its subject -- what becomes of boys who are raised by lesbian parents. Her vivid and empathic stories of such boys and their mothers give new and important insights into the distinct values these parents foster, insights which are of universal application to any parent who cares about what good parenting really means. As a former single father, I wish I'd had the benefit of this important, provocative, and wonderfully written book."
--Richard North Patterson, bestselling author of Protect and Defend

"A strikingly fresh look at what makes boys go wrong, and right, in our society . . . we urgently need this book."
--Anthony Lewis, Pulitzer prize winning former columnist for the New York Times and author of Gideon's Trumpet

"It is must-read material for anyone interested in the future of the American family. Her surprising and provocative studies of lesbian motherhood and the women leading the charge will add a groundbreaking yet compassionate and intelligent voice to the national debate, which is only going to get louder."
--Carol Wallace, former managing editor for People magazine

"[Raising Boys Without Men] is an important book that explains what truly is essential in parenting. Peggy Drexler takes on the myths and misconceptions about how boys become men and does it in an engaging style. This is a book that all pediatricians and parents need to read."
--Harold S. Koplewicz, M.D., Founder and Director of the New York University Child Study Center and author of More Than Moody: Recognizing and Treating Adolescent Depression

"An important new voice in the ongoing debate about what makes a good parent. At a time when we've all come to know too well the devastation caused by cultural stereotyping it's a much-needed antidote."
--Elsa Walsh, author of Divided Lives and staff writer for The New Yorker

"A vital contribution to the literature of contemporary parenting. Her book will appeal to everyone interested in how motherhood affects women, children, and society."
--Nancy Adler, Ph.D. Director of the Center for Health and Community at the University of California, San Francisco

"Peggy Drexler's work offers important psychological findings and valuable practical insights about how American families can raise boys to be strong and loving men."
--Rita Wilson, actress, producer, and social activist

Other Reviews

April 2005
Cosmopolitan -- "Myth vs. Truth"

July 2005
Library Journal (starred review -- Editor's Pick for August)

July/August 2005
Gay Parent magazine

August 2005
The Advocate
Big Apple Parent
BookPage
Child magazine
Girlfriends magazine
Hampton Style
Harper's Bazaar -- "Hot Summer Read"
J Weekly
Library Journal
Los Angeles Times
Publishers Weekly
San Francisco Chronicle
Time Out
The Times-Picayune
W magazine
Washington Times

August/September
The San Francisco Bay Guardian
Gay City News

September 2005
Good Housekeeping
Parents
San Francisco magazine
Time Out NY

September/October
Adoptive Families

October 2005
Working Mother
The Washington Post

November 2005
Atlantic Monthly(Peggy's letter to the editor, featured in the December issue)
The Times Literary Supplement

January 2006
Avenue

April 2006
Bookloons.com
Mombian.com
Roundtablereviews.com