The Masculinity Workbook for Teens
Discover What Being a Guy Means to You
Christopher S. Reigeluth’s The Masculinity Workbook for Teens provides information and activities for self-defining masculinity and gender identity.
The workbook focuses on the difficulties that young men grapple with during the transitional period of adolescence. Its first two chapters set about defining the relevant concepts used throughout, with a focus on the basics of gender and the unwritten rules of the “Guy Code.” The book then breaks down the Guy Code into six distinct rules that most men are either pressured to follow or pressure others to follow, including emotional suppression, physical performance, and social standing. The following section is about cultural exploration and discovering one’s identity through the lens of culture, race, or geographical location. The concluding chapters present actionable material for building upon the skills presented throughout.
The book focuses most on the education and explanation of masculinity, gender identity, and social pressures on young men. Through engaging activities, opportunities for reflection, and discussion prompts, it presents its material so readers, teachers, and parents can help young men formulate their own decisions about what masculinity is to them and how they can make positive changes, if desired. The concluding chapters are more concerted in their considerations of gender identity as compared to previous sections, with an aggressive push towards non-traditional identities.
The activities are helpful, coming after concise summaries of the chapters’ concepts before providing space for their completion along with examples of other teenagers’ responses. The material is distanced, with a tone of nonjudgement and professionalism. And there are some blurbs from other teenagers interspersed throughout that reinforce the book’s concepts, showing them at work in the real world.
The Masculinity Workbook for Teens is an accessible resource for teenagers who are thinking about their gender identities and self-identifications.
Reviewed by
John M. Murray
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
