A look at building up & raising young boys to appreciate others and respect women. Not a lot out there on this topic. Wish it wasn’t framed in a macho way yet effective.

The Warrior Challenge
8 Quests for Boys to Grow Up with Kindness, Courage, and Grit
by John Beede
Back of the Book: “A revolutionary and must-have book for boys who want to embrace who they are and find their best path to becoming good men! This no-holds-barred, action-packed, illustrated guide teaches boys to accept their own vulnerability and trust their heads, hearts, and souls. Share with fans of The Manual to Manhood, Boying Up, and The Dangerous Book for Boys.
How do we raise "good sons"? Traits we've always considered masculine--like, being a tough guy and not showing emotion--are no longer what we want for our boys.
As we try to raise caring, thoughtful, respectful young men, this book will lead the pack, teaching them to become humans of a higher standard who embrace their emotions and feelings.
Unlike any book out there, The Warrior Challenge will capture readers with its engrossing stories about courageous men across history, real-life examples of modern manhood, and messages about compassion and authenticity. Author, mountain climber, and youth speaker John Beede disproves the "boys will be boys" mentality and encourages boys to be, above all, good humans.”
Impressions: This was in your face intense! I am sure for the right age (12+ at least) that this book would be an intriguing book, for me and my 9-year-old this was scary with topics beyond him yet. I think that the idea of the book is ok but that it was not implemented well. Perhaps a toned-down version would be more impactful and easier to read as a youth or young adult.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here.

Reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy on Netgalley. John Beede is a motivational speaker that challenges boys to become best versions of themselves through 8 challenges. With a combination of real life stories and advice, Beede attempts to guide boys towards being a good men.

I think that this is more for a YA audience rather than younger boys. I think this will appeal to some boys but not to a wide audience.

Author John Beede, a motivational speaker, writes as if he were delivering the message to a room full of boys at one of his corporate gigs. His voice and hype come through loud and clear. I'm not sure how this will be received by his tween/teen male audience. The eight basic tenets of becoming a good "man" are sound. That being said, there is too much of a "hoo-rah" attitude for translating this to being a good person.

I think for the average boy, the stories of real-life experiences will be polarizing, either drawing them in or turning them off completely. Although they are based on real experiences, they come across as fictional accounts. This may lead to not getting beyond the introduction.

This being said, I think the book may find it's niche with a few boys. Parents may want to find a more balanced approach/guide to raising their children.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy, all opinions are my own.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishing through Netgalley.
Beede challenges middle and high school young men to become their best selves. He presents eight challenges that build on each other and ask readers to look seriously at themselves and what they value. His writing style flows smoothly and offers encouragement and support - especially during harder parts of the discussion. He matter of factly handles topics such as standing up for yourself, setting boundaries, and sex.
The men he uses as examples throughout the book are not paragons; they are real people who made it through their struggles. Readers will connect to them and see how their struggles made them better people.
This is a book that can be used for small groups or individual readers.

There were several things that just didn’t sit well with me. I guess I was hoping to have it reach a younger audience but was way above their attention spans and interest.

Would have been better if it was not specifically written to target boys. Didn't seem genuine. Boys (and everyone else) needs books that show that traits aren't ties to your gender.

The overall message of this book is interesting: BOYS need direction and instruction on how to grow up with kindness, courage, and grit. The author does state that "if you're one gender or no gender or every gender...it does not make a difference to me" and that it is not "an all-boys club", but with a book so completely marketed toward boys and a notion of masculinity, I argue that was disingenuous. It is a shame because there are some really great tools and life skills included like setting boundaries and perseverance that can benefit everyone.

Each chapter's "ancient warrior theme of masculinity" has a fictional example, real world examples, and a challenge for the reader to complete with the end goal for a boy to become "better". Yes, the message could be received by girls and nonbinary children, too, but will they want to read this book based on how it is presented? Unlikely. I can see where the author was going with this text, and I like the overall idea, but it is so myopic. Today's youth don't need a book on how to be a better man, they need a book on how to be a better person, how to be patient, kind, nonjudgemental, caring regardles of gender based masculinity. To be fair, I have said similar things when rating books for "girls".

The author recommends that the book be read with a parent or trusted adult to allow for conversation and personal examples. Therein lies another flaw; what middle grade boy will want to read a book with his parents? Maybe one out of every ten? I can't imagine my fifth and sixth grade boys reading this on their own and really absorbing the message. They might look at the pictures, read a chapter, and move on. That being said, if a teacher or counselor were to adapt this book to use as examples within an inclusive, non-gendered, social emotional curriculum, I can see it being successful for everyone who participates. I had high hopes for this book and was excited to read it, but it failed to deliver for me. I recommend it with reservations, though I'm sure there are plenty of "real men" out there who would love this book, as is.

Advanced reader's copy provided by #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.