The Secret Love Of Sons

With humor and intelligence, and with the help of hundreds of confidential interviews, Weinstock has discovered the startling place that mothers hold in the heads and hearts of growing men. By offering his own memories and reflections as well as the personal disclosures of other sons, he not only explains the mindsets that drive boys from the nest and keep them insistently independent from their moms, but also illuminates the many ways in which mothers have deeply and continuously affected their sons' lives. What emerges in this profound book is a love letter to mothers, and a smart and surprising blueprint to the emotions of sons of all ages and backgrounds. Men vividly recall their maternally crafted childhoods and reflect gratefully on the solid support and high expectations of these women who knew them even before they knew themselves. But sooner or later every growing boy gets the message that he is obligated to become a man, to leave the "secret garden" he shared with his mother and assert himself in a world that frowns on mama's boys. How sons seek to distinguish themselves, how they act on and shelve their deeper feelings, and how their mothers' contributions are incorporated into their developing lives are the revelations contained in The Secret Love of Sons - wisdom that both mothers and sons have gone without for far too long.

Raised by his mother in a one-room house in the slums of Casablanca, Youssef El Mekki has always had big dreams of living another life in another world. Suddenly his dreams are within reach when he discovers that his father—whom he’d been led to believe was dead—is very much alive. A wealthy businessman, he seems eager to give his son a new start. Youssef leaves his mother behind to live a life of luxury, until a reversal of fortune sends him back to the streets and his childhood friends. Trapped once again by his class and painfully aware of the limitations of his prospects, he becomes easy prey for a fringe Islamic group. In the spirit of The Inheritance of Loss and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Laila Lalami’s debut novel looks at the struggle for identity, the need for love and family, and the desperation that grips ordinary lives in a world divided by class, politics, and religion.

This gorgeous picture-book meditation on loss and family love is a useful tool for children navigating a first experience with death. When a family member or another loved one becomes ill, one of the scariest aspects of their sickness is the way they may change, both physically and in spirit. The feeling of loss can come so early as the person becomes more difficult to recognize. It's a hard thing for anyone to understand, and especially so for a child. This book offers a helpful visualization of a sick person's essence as a friendly creature who remains strong and warm, even as the illness progresses. The creature is always around and never tries to cheer the child up, but only serves to keep them company. Caroline Wright and Willow Heath clearly understand that, like the creature, a book cannot "fix" a painful situation or even make it a little better. Instead they simply reflect the pain of loss back to the reader and help them understand that they are not alone.

This story of Thomas Jefferson's children by one of his slaves, Sally Hemings, tells a darker piece of America's history from an often unseen perspective-that of three of Jefferson's slaves-including two of his own children. As each child grows up and tells his story, the contradiction between slavery and freedom becomes starker, calliing into question the real meaning of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." This poignant story sheds light on what life was like as one of Jefferson's invisible offspring.

"Maggie is earthy and real, full of love and knowledge, especially on raising sons." - Steve Biddulph "Maggie's perspective on raising boys is spot on. She writes with humor and depth, providing insight and strategies for many of the most important issues facing moms. There is a lovely ease to her writing and a powerful honesty. I hope every mother of a son (and everyone else!) will read this book. The future of the world, to a great extent, depends on how we raise our boys." - Michael Gurian, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Wonder of Boys and Saving Our Sons If we can see the world through boys' eyes a little better, we will make different choices in the way we mother them… and we will find them less confusing, and love them more deeply. Mothers of sons are worried about raising their boys in a world where negative images of masculinity are front and centre of our media, almost every day. Not only that, but statistically our boys are still struggling in many ways. Even though we live in a time where we recognise that nothing in gender is fixed, it remains a fact that the influence of a mother on her son is massive. A mother of four sons herself, Maggie Dent draws on her personal experience - and over four decades work as a teacher, counsellor and now author and speaker - to help build understanding, empathy and compassion for our boys. Maggie shares her five key secrets that every mum needs to know and uses the voices of men she has worked with and surveyed to reveal what really matters in a boy's relationship with his mother and other mother figures. Maggie is one of Australia's most popular parenting authors and educators, and her seminars about boys have sold out all across Australia and in the UK. She is finally sharing her insights, her reflections, and (as always) her humour around mothering boys to help you be the mum your son needs you to be.

Healing the Father Wound is an exploration of how all men are wounded by the imperfection of their earthly fathers and how Jesus Christ is able to bring healing and give us a relationship to God as "our perfect, never failing Father". The book's premise is that all men carry this "father wound" left by fathers who did not love them perfectly.

The late feminist icon and author of over twenty books, including her classic New York Times bestseller All About Love, bell hooks reminds us of the good and bad moments we spend in love through her inspiring poetry. Written from the heart, When Angels Speak of Love is a book of 50 love poems by the icon of the feminist movement and most famous among public intellectuals. In beautiful, profoundly poetic terms, hooks challenges our views and experiences with love—tracing the link between seduction and surrender, the intensity of desire, and the anguish of death. Whether towards family, friends, or oneself, hooks's creative genius makes love both magical and beautiful.

“You will be encouraged, enlightened, and empowered to become the mom you’ve always wanted to be—and to guide your son into becoming the man God intended.” —Cindi McMenamin, national speaker and author of When Women Walk Alone Bringing up boys isn’t for the faint of heart, but bestselling author Rhonda Stoppe has been there before—and she’s here to help! Drawing on insights from fellow boy-moms and from Scripture, Rhonda reveals why walking with Christ is every mom’s key to parenting well. You’ll discover how motherhood gives you unique opportunities to grow in faith as you draw nearer to God through prayer, Bible study, and mentorship from godly women. You’ll also find practical advice for shaping your son in character and faith as you encourage his passions, teach him biblical masculinity, and protect his spirit without smothering his individuality. Your success as a mother doesn’t depend on what your son does with his life, but on how you obey God’s guidance on this mission of motherhood. Moms Raising Sons to Be Men provides the biblical hope, wisdom, and encouragement you need to help your son live a life without regrets!

My beautiful boy...Created in love? born into hatred.There were so many terrifying stories about the Jews. People called them useless vermin, filthy, dangerous. Before I met Abram, I was afraid of them too. But I am about to tell you a very different story - a forbidden story.My love for Abram defied all reason...as well as German law.Tonight our son giggles with excitement as he blows out the candles on his birthday cake. But our safety is nothing but an illusion. As his candles burn out, a window shatters outside. The room shudders as the synagogue down the street is engulfed in flames.Kristallnacht has begun.When my hidden paradise crumbles like a stack of cards, I must do everything in my power to protect that which is most precious to me. My son's secret must remain hidden.Before we lose everything.