Boys Adrift Book Review -- Grade: A

Leonard Sax addresses the rise of unmotivated, directionless young men.  He gives five main reasons for the "decline" of men: video games, endocrine interruptors, lack of male role models, changes in education, and ADHD medications.  I was impressed by his firsthand experiences with these problems as a medical doctor and by his depth of research.  The things he wrote really rang true to me, though I know we need to verify information we receive and be aware of possible errors and biases.  I don't often devour non-fiction, but I read this book in less than two days.  I have my own concerns about many things in life, but Dr. Sax uncovered some new ones for me, which is, of course, unsettling.  For example, I have microwaved my son's milk in a sippy cup for years, and I now have that on my conscience!  But the more you know, the more you can work with your problems and try to make better choices.  I would love to go into each of the five factors, Dr. Sax covered, but it will be long-winded, so you can tune out and just go get a copy of the book.  I recommend it highly.

Video games:  These can have the same effect on a mind as heroine!  They can also disconnect boys from real world problems and friends.  They tend to give a sense of achievement when nothing has been achieved.  Dr. Sax says to give boys some "real" experiences to help them find joy and achievement outside of their PlayStations.

Endocrine interruptors:  These are found in plastics.  PET from plastic bottles that leeches into water causes higher levels of estrogen in animals, including humans.  Male fish in the northest with high levels of PET were making eggs instead of sperm.  This isn't an isolated problem either.  Sperm counts in males in our country have cut in half over the past few decades.  Boys are experiencing later and later puberty.  Their sex drives are dimishing.  (He suggests this also may be due to video games and virtual opportunites.)

Lack of male role models.  A lot of men in our country are raised by women and without fathers.  Communities are not as supportive as they were in the past.  Generation gaps are widening, leaving boys without grandfathers's and fathers's involvement.  Boys are being overly influenced by other boys.  Our culture's definition of manhood has become muddled and even pejorative.

Changes in education.  Elementary school has accelerated writing and reading.  Boys are not physiologically ready for the changes.  They find school difficult, become discouraged, and create a negative outlook on school that sticks with them.  Competition that used to be highly motivational to boys has been taken out of the schools.  Hands-on experiences in school have been removed in favor of bookwork, which limits all children, but especially boys who tend to be physically inclined.

ADHD medication.  It was been proven to cause long-lasting damage to the part of the brain where motivation is centered.  Even short usage of ADHD medications can cause personality and motivational changes.  ADHD medication has been shown to improve any student's academic achievement, but the price involved is much higher than we knew.  It is better to allow a boy to stand up in school or be a little active than to expect him to sit still or take an invasive medication.

This is really brief.  Truly, any parent of sons who wants to try to help their son succeed should get a copy of this book, read it, and apply it.