Masterminds and Wingmen

Helping Our Boys Cope with Schoolyard Power, Locker-Room Tests, Girlfriends, and the New Rules of Boy World

By: Rosalind Wiseman

Narrated by: Kathe Mazur

Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Here is a landmark book that reveals the way boys think and that shows parents, educators, and coaches how to reach out and help boys overcome their most common yet difficult challenges - by the best-selling author who changed our conception of adolescent girls.

Do you constantly struggle to pull information from your son, student, or athlete, only to encounter mumbling or evasive assurances such as "It's nothing" or "I'm good"? Do you sense that the boy you care about is being bullied, but that he'll do anything to avoid your help? Have you repeatedly reminded him that schoolwork and chores come before video games only to spy him reaching for the controller as soon as you leave the room? Have you watched with frustration as your boy flounders with girls?

Welcome to Boy World. It's a place where asking for help or showing emotional pain often feels impossible. Where sports and video games can mean everything, but working hard in school frequently earns ridicule from "the guys" even as they ask to copy assignments. Where "masterminds" dominate and friends ruthlessly insult each other but can never object when someone steps over the line. Where hiding problems from adults is the ironclad rule because their involvement only makes situations worse.

Boy world is governed by social hierarchies and a powerful set of unwritten rules that have huge implications for your boy's relationships, his interactions with you, and the man he'll become. If you want what's best for him, you need to know what these rules are and how to work with them effectively.

What you'll find in Masterminds and Wingmen is critically important for every parent - or anyone who cares about boys - to know. Collaborating with a large team of middle- and high-school-age editors, Rosalind Wiseman has created an unprecedented guide to the life your boy is actually experiencing - his on-the-ground reality. Not only does Wiseman challenge you to examine your assumptions, she offers innovative coping strategies aimed at helping your boy develop a positive, authentic, and strong sense of self.

©2013 Rosalind Wiseman (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Rosalind Wiseman, who so insightfully explained the world of girls in Queen Bees and Wannabes, has done it again. This book is a powerful exploration of the inner life of boys, which is far more complex than many parents and educators may realize. Wiseman reveals the unwritten rules boys must both abide by and try to overcome, and she helps parents understand boys’ reactions, as well as their own. This is an essential guide - not just for parents but anyone who wants to better understand their own childhood and its impact." (Anderson Cooper)

"Trying to communicate with boys - teenage boys especially - can sometimes feel like cracking the world’s most complicated secret code. What makes Masterminds and Wingmen so remarkable is how thoroughly it decrypts boy-world language. It allows us to really connect with boys. If you want to understand what’s in your son’s head, read this book!" (Michael Gurian, New York Times best-selling author of The Wonder of Boys)

Great Guide Book

This book is excellent for dropping in whenever you need it as it is set up as a guide. Helpful if reading in its entirety or picking up when you need it.

Should have read the paper copy

This book had a lot of gems, along with some material not really relevant to my family. The paper copy would have been helpful so that I could pick & choose helpful chapters, or to refer back to the many acronyms introduced in the book. More importantly, it would have saved me from having to listen to this narrator, who had a very condescending, know-it-all tone, which I doubt was the intention of the narrator. I ended up speeding up the narration just so I could get through it faster.

This is a GREAT books for parents of Boys!

If you could sum up Masterminds and Wingmen in three words, what would they be?

Mind-opening, informative, awesome

What was one of the most memorable moments of Masterminds and Wingmen?

Realizing that electronics/gaming is more integrated with our sons' lives than I thought.

Have you listened to any of Kathe Mazur’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not. But I would again.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait to listen to it again!

A WORTHY FOLLOW-UP TO 'QUEEN BEES"

Understanding the mechanics of high school social hierarchy can be a challenging task. The social dynamics of adolescent years is confusing and complicated, this book provides insights & a vernacular for discussing issues pertinent during the adolescent years.

mind-blowing

although this is probably one of the most important books that I've ever read in my life I'm a father of four boys and I've often wondered what I could do to get through them and have a true connection. this book provided the key to that answer

Helpful and useful with my son

Rosalind has any years of experience and best of all, many young man helping her to write this book.

Insightful and down to earth

I'm a teacher not a parent. I've already sent paperback copies to parents of boys. Regarding audio performance it was clear when the author was speaking vs. some of the boys who were interviewed and had quotes in the book. Parents are definitely the intended audience but I still found it quite helpful and enlightening.

A must for anyone with tween boys

I have a 12 year old boy who has just gone through his first year of middle school. Ouch. Middle school can be so rough. Most of the time you hear about how mean girls can be, but in my experience boys can be just as terrible. This book gave me so much information to help my son navigate his way through middle and high school. It is exactly what I was looking for. If you read Wiseman's book Queen Bee's and Wannabe's and found it helpful, you will absolutely love this book.

Such helpful insight

Every mom of a boy or girl should read this book. We were never given manuals in how to do things as parents, but this not only does that it also helps me to be a better aunt, God-parent, teacher, friend, confidant, to all the boys I know. As a sports coach, this is very helpful too.

A must read/listen!

If you have boys this is a must read/listen. I would recommend this for anyone with kids.