I lost interest. This wasn’t the book I thought it would be. The writing wasn’t engaging and I felt it was written well but wasn’t as thought provoking as it could have been. DNF

What We're Teaching Our Sons by Owen Booth is a book about raising boys and masculinity in modern times.

a quirky look at bringing up boys which feels fresh and engaging and very funny. Recommended for all parents of sons.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book; maybe some deeper sociological view on modern masculinity. The titled chapters are more bitesize musings. Some are amusing and made me smile but some left me a little disconcerted. For example, why would fathers and mothers see it acceptable to tell their sons details about past affairs? So some of these extracts do work but not all of them. It's easy to dip into and I did enjoy most of of the extracts but it really wasn't what I expected.

I picked this up to read having no idea about what it was really about or any background to it. I have a son and so do tend to look out for books about bringing him in this crazy world. In "What We're Teaching Our Sons" Owen Booth presents his unique take on this. It was not what I was expecting, with a strange way of phrasing which might not appeal to all readers, but I soon got used to it and appreciated the rather dry humour. The "books by parents" genre is quite saturated just now, but this is just different enough to stand out and can certainly entertain.

wildly amusing and whilst i was lured by this book being a mother to two sons I was laughing with tears and could relate and see the irony. A great read really good fun. Most definitely recommended
Read it now for laugh out loud humour on what we are teaching our sons

Peculiar. The style is grating after a short time and I’m not clear if this is supposed to highlight some of the problems with toxic masculinity and how we perpetuate a negative atmosphere for boys or if it’s parodying it or what. After a while, you see that what we teach our sons is ridiculous but often very trivial. What a position of privilege to be able to teach your son to be scared of zombies and not any of the very real dangers out there. Plus his view of women is really irritating. They all seem to be angels , coping admirably in the face of adversity without him ever stopping to think how he and his metaphorical sons might make things better.

What We’re Teaching Our Sons by Owen Booth is one of the hardest reviews I have had to write because I just didn’t know what to write. What was its purpose? Who was its audience? Just men? Was I not part of the intended readership and is that why it made me feel nothing?

I didn’t hate What We’re Teaching Our Sons I just didn’t feel anything. It didn’t make me laugh or cry. There was no particular wisdom as far as I was concerned just musings on several different topics that began with the same (eventually slightly irritating) refrain of ‘We’re teaching our sons.’

The beginning of the book was a bit lacklustre I think because I was expecting an explanation of the point of the collection.

Some of the topics caught my attention in passing but failed to hold me. At best this is a book to dip in and out of. A shame as this was one of the books that made my list of 29 Great Books to Look Out For Autumn 2018.

I really liked the way this collection was written - stylistically it was written very well however I found that something was missing. It jumped straight in to the short musings and I felt it maybe lacked a strong opening.

I was an easy and quick read although I wouldn't recommend it reading it one or two sittings. It definitely felt more like a book to dip in and out of. There were some anecdotes/writings that I felt to be stronger than others.

Perhaps I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would because despite the occasional amusing storyI am not the intended reader?

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

Not for me, but thanks for the chance to read an advance copy.

Not for me, but thanks for the chance to read an advance copy.

Not for me, but thanks for the chance to read an advance copy.

I chose to read this book because our sons are so important, and connecting with them to have discussions on critical issues such as the nature of masculinity, sexuality, women and so much more will define their experience of the world and how successfully they are able to negotiate their way in it. At first I struggled to understand where the author was coming from and what he wanted his readers to get out of its tiny bite size look at a huge range of topics that comprised this book. I found the best way for me to read this was to read a few topics, stop and then return for another chunk. I can imagine that it will work remarkably well as a book for people to dip into as and when the mood takes them.The book gives us a diverse range of fathers and their viewpoints, stories and facts.

Topics and issues covered the outdoors, bribing sons to engage in activities, sport and the inability of sons to play them. There is sex, not one most fathers wish to do, but its importance and the misconceptions that can be acquired from friends, and the hot issue of pornography shape the need to cover this, even if sons ignore you. Then there is the emotional areas of feelings, crying, the need to be emotionally literate, not burying feelings, being open about them and engaging with them. There are the inevitable forays into girlfriends, single mothers and making efforts the try and understand women. There is the look at fatherhood, work, and men finding difficulties in coping with the gender and structural shifts in employment, earning less, the compromises and struggles whilst being unable to see their sons, with the breakdown of relationships, marriages and loneliness.

I give only an inkling of what this book covers, but what I have not covered is the humour and wit, the melancholic touches, the occasional rawness that lies behind the realities of being a father. For most of the time whilst I was reading, it was going to be 3 stars, but as I absorbed more and more of this read, the more I appreciated and reflected on its lighthearted approach of what are often painful and emotive issues and the wisdom contained within, the more I moved to a 4 star read. However, I do feel it could have been improved with accompanying cartoons, and even with turning some of the stories into comic strips. An interesting approach on men and sons that grew on me. Many thanks to HarperCollins 4th Estate for an ARC.

This was an unusual read, a series of tales of how men explain the world to their sons.
On occasions it made me smile, but I didn’t really feel pulled into the book at any point.
It’s written well and is easy enough to read.

Interesting - but not entirely satisfying.

This is a touching and often humorous polemic about how men try and often fail to explain the modern world to their sons, an oblique warning to them from their fathers not to make the same mistakes they often did.

It's nicely written but for me lacked an anchor. I couldn't connect with anyone in the book, and after a while found it to be rather sermonising.

That said it was often quite humorous, and an easy and quick read.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Now, I started reading this book straight after reading 'The Good Guys' which I thought was a beautiful and uplifting book. What We Are Teaching Our Sons is the same, but heart-breaking. Reading it gives you a real insight and connection to fathers who think they are doing it right, who think they have failed or are just trying, and trying not to think about it.

I read this book very quickly, in terms of a purposely rushed it. I found that this had a stunning effect on how it made me feel, like a poetry, frank and honest but overall surprising.

This book is incredibly relatable whether you are a parent, or not (like me). I know that one day I will hold my son or daughter in my arms and think back to this book and the experiences within and maybe feel some of the same way.

Lighthearted humorous look at what Dads are teaching their sons.
A short read and literally one I did in one sitting.
Not without its moments but never really gave me the laugh out moments I'd anticipated and hoped for.

Thanks however to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review.

Not quite as funny as it promised - more very quietly witty on occasion. A series of one-pagers (or slightly longer) on a whole host of topics that fathers are teaching their sons about. "We're teaching our sons about"... life, single mothers, Vikings, pirates and a whole host of other miscellany. I wasn't sure why we weren't teaching our daughters too but maybe I've missed the point.