Reconnecting, Redirecting, and Redefining 21st Century Males

One of America's greatest challenges is to reverse the steep decline of the intellectual performance of its young men. The dramatic increase in violent acts and the downward spiral of high stakes testing in our schools has confirmed that many of our young men have lost hope or simply given up. Reconnecting, Redirecting, and Redefining 21st Century Males identifies the physical, emotional, and psychological adjustments many boys have been forced to navigate alone during their most vulnerable, formative years and provides adjustments that adults must make to assist them in these transitions.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Foreword Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 Chapter 1: Defining the 21st Century Male Chapter 4 Chapter 2: Re-branding the 21st Century Male Chapter 5 Chapter 3: Mentoring & Other Male Affiliations Chapter 6 Chapter 4: Families Chapter 7 Chapter 5: Parenting 21st Century Males Chapter 8 Chapter 6: Public Schools Chapter 9 Chapter 7: Importance of Understanding Chapter 10 Chapter 8: Creating a Personal Vision Chapter 11 Chapter 9: Get Off the Sidelines and Into the Game Chapter 12 Chapter 10: Huddle Up

About the Author :
H.E. "Doc" Holliday has been a building principal for parts of four different decades in middle and high schools. His high performing, multicultural schools have been characterized as innovative, data driven, engaging and orderly.

Review :
Dr. Holliday's book is refreshing to read because it discusses in detail the state of boys in America and how we must go about the task of assisting them in redefining themselves in our culture. This book examines some the life transitions that most 21st century boys are making in isolation. This book identifies many of the academic, physical, emotional, and psychological adjustments many boys have been forced to navigate alone during their most vulnerable years. It also shares essential advice from experienced male elders that all young men should know and come to embrace while growing up in America. This book should be required reading for student-athletes, coaches, teachers and parents. It provides sage advice as well as a blueprint for young male athletes to successfully transition into mainstream life roles upon leaving the field of athletics. There are many life lessons that athletics teaches our young people that are illustrated in this book. It is important that we highlight and discuss 'Core Values Worth Knowing' with our 21st century male student athletes to ensure that these basic concepts are understood. We must prepare young men to overcome obstacles, prepare diligently, and dream big. Dr. Holliday's book discusses why a record number of boys are opting out of the 'Old School' traditional roles that were once an integral part of America's culture. We must begin to teach these young men 'How to Play the Game.' We must begin to inspire our young men to believe and understand that life is much richer when you have a variety of options to select from. This book highlights the relationships of boys to athletics and offers a realistic blueprint for change at a time when school reform has become a hot political topic. This book offers sage advice for concerned citizens to ponder as we grapple with the complex problems that seem to be consuming far too many of America's males. The dilemma can no longer be seen as an urban youth problem. The negative consequences are now pervasive in rural, suburban, as well as large cities. Caring adults must develop a more robust, relevant dialogue with our young men as a way to reconnect and to establish a new level of trust that will allow us to assist them in navigating the seemingly endless 21st century challenges they now encounter. This book outlines the many academic, physical, emotional, and psychological transitions boys are expected to navigate on their own. Dr. Holliday offers bold new strategies designed to capture the imagination of our youth and to encourage society in general to take a far different approach when engaging and interacting with young men. This book is a culmination of the numerous years Dr. H. E. 'Doc' Holliday has spent trying to make a difference in the lives of our youth. He has put into print his insights that are a wealth of knowledge, highlighting the problems and remedies that can be used to offset the continued destruction of our youth, especially our black males. Making a difference in the lives of young black males has always been high on his list of priorities. In addition, Dr. Holliday has listed and recommended strategies that can be employed to mitigate this serious problem faced by young black males. Gender based education, school uniforms, mentoring, and leadership seminars are successful strategies Dr. Holliday has utilized as a building principal and central-level office administrator. Dr. Holliday has utilized researched-based data and the insights of highly respected practitioners such as authors, consultants, and motivational speakers to support his assertions. I highly recommend this book be included in your arsenal as you attempt to become a change agent in the lives of young men and women. 'Boys need structure. Boys need to be a part of a group.' As my son approached his teenage years, these words from Doc Holliday became a clear and true sentiment of my life. It is well understood that children should be well rounded. Often, we place them in activities to develop their talents and enhance their socialization. However, as a well-educated single mom, it escaped me how important these activities are in addressing the unique challenges I faced with my son as he struggled to attain academic success while balancing his emerging social interest. This is an engaging conversation on overcoming the challenges that arises at various stages in the lives of our sons. This book helped to place a number of things into perspective regarding raising a male child successfully. While the book addresses some inadequacy in the education system, the main premise of the text is to get to the heart of what is needed to educate the black male. Doc Holliday conducted extensive research to provide timely insight on how to affirm our sons' identity and how to reinforce the importance of education. This is a must read for parents seeking practical methods and insight that will minimize the isolation often encountered by African-American males in the education system.