Making American Boys: Boyology and the Feral Tale

by Kenneth B. Kidd

Book Overview

Will boys be boys? What are little boys made of? Kenneth B. Kidd responds to these familiar questions with a thorough review of boy culture in America since the late nineteenth century. From the "boy work" promoted by character-building organizations such as Scouting and 4-H to current therapeutic and pop psychological obsessions with children's self-esteem, Kidd presents the great variety of cultural influences on the changing notion of boyhood. Analyzing icons of boyhood and maleness from Huck Finn and The Jungle Book's Mowgli to Father Flanagan's Boys Town and even Michael Jackson, Kidd surveys films, psychoanalytic case studies, parenting manuals, historical accounts of the discoveries of "wolf-boys," and self-help books to provide a rigorous history of what it has meant to be an all-American boy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0816642966
• ISBN13: 9780816642960
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.7" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

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this one's good. very informative study of an area not yet touched upon by authors, modern or classical.

The Roots of Modern Ideas About Boyhood

Throughout history, boys have always been more aggressive and prone to misbehavior than girls. At least that is the common perception. According to Kenneth B. Kidd in his new book Making American Boys, the scouting/camping movement that began in the early 20th Century was geared towards harnessing male adolescent aggressiveness in constructive directions. This movement was so successful that our contemporary ideas about boys and how to raise them came from the Boy Scouts. This is an amazing and informative book.

Informative & Entertaining

I thoroughly enjoyed Kenneth Kidd's publication. "Making American Boys" delves into a variety of influences upon the typical American boy. It was rather comprehensive in surveying the past 150 years and brought all elements together nicely. I especially enjoyed the exploration of feral tales. I would recommend this book to those studying aspects of adolescent males, as well as anyone simply interested in the psychology behind boys! Two thumbs up!