A Guy’s Guide to Life: How to become a man in 224 pages or less by Jason Boyett is an attempt to help guide teenage boys along the path to manhood. The text is broken into a look at the mind, body, and soul. Presented in a flowing, humerus, vulgar (as in the common people’s language) way, the book is filled with tips and helps. They range from tying a necktie to politeness and dating to the importance of one’s family and faith. The chapter on Your Neighbor in particular is very useful.
While the author does a commendable job staying focused on the target age group, the writing style was a bit lacking (almost dumbing things down too much). The book reads much like a stereotypical youth pastor’s sermon. At times I was somewhat offended, wondering, “Is this really how to communicate with teens these days?” Remembering back to when I was a teen, facing the same sorts of turmoil and change discussed in the text, I would not have read this book. Perhaps if this was intended for a small group study for teen guys; otherwise, this book could be a dust collector desiring to be a mentor. Overall, there are some gems (e.g. politeness, The Real Deal tips), especially the chapter “Your Neighbor” (though it fails to discuss the idea of loving our enemies so core in Christ’s teaching). But individual parents or church leaders would understand better to know if the style of writing would fly or fall flat with their teens.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
