Has modernity failed men?

A review of Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What To Do About It by Richard V. Reeves

Photo by Steve Mushero on Unsplash

Richard V. Reeves, the president of the American Institute for Boys and Men and a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, isn’t the first person to write about the challenges facing men in modernity. One of the first of such books, The American Male: A Penetrating Look at the Masculinity Crisis by Myron Brenton, was published in 1967. Reeves’ book won’t be the last. A new book by self-described feminist Jessa Crispin, What is Wrong with Men: Patriarchy, the Crisis of Masculinity, and How (of Course) Michael Douglas Films Explain Everything, just hit booksellers’ shelves.

In making the case that boys and men are struggling particularly “ones lower down the economic and social ladder,” Reeves’ book, Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What To Do About It, brings both abundant data and personal anecdote to bear.[1] In five parts, Reeves describes how boys have fallen behind in education and how men are struggling in the workforce and as fathers, the double disadvantage of being both male and black, biological differences between males and females, the inadequacy of political solutions, and his recommendations. As with many problem-solution books tackling societal trends, Reeves description of the problem is more compelling than his proposed solutions.