Straight Talk To Men

Rating:
Summary: So-so writing from a great author
Review: Right before I started reading this book, I was thinking of all the great things I love about James Dobson - his insight, his strong morals, and his dead-on solutions to the problems he speaks about. And I was surprised to discover that this book has very little of those good qualities. The book's title "Straight Talk to Men" implies that Dobson is speaking to ALL men, when in fact, he is speaking only to a certain slice of men, and really only to a male stereotype. But instead of revealing the stereotype, Dobson buys into it.

The men Dobson refers to are normal Christian husbands who spend too much time at work. Dobson attacks these men headon, as if this is a dirty little secret that they knowingly carry. He also attacks the nagging wife who points out all her husband's faults whenever he is home (see any cause-and-effect there?) Dobson later goes on to discuss the Biblical role of a husband, and how he can create strong household leadership without becoming a dictator. And yet Dobson writes as if his audience already knows these things, and either needs the cheerleading to enforce such beliefs, or the external backing to self-rightously attack someone else.

This subject is obviously important, but Dobson's approach is the most heavy-handed I've ever read it. Most of the men I've counciled do NOT have a workaholic problem, but rather a communication problem with their wives. Thus, Dobson's accusations would be largely lost on these men, and only further develop the sense of chaos in their lives. This is a younger, more enraged Dobson, speaking from his personal upbringing instead of the wisdom and patience I've seen in his later works. None of the careful research in books like "Bringing Up Boys" nor the experience learned from his Focus On the Family foundation is present in this book. Instead, I've seen incredible misuses of statistics and plain-old paranoia, like Dobson's claim that *single* men are the cause of all evil in the world. Ridiculous.