Re: CONSIDERING invites you to look at what's familiar from an unfamiliar angle. To consider how we consider things - and how to do it better.
What makes a good man?
In this grounded, forthright, and hopeful book, Simon Smart reconsiders the place of boys and men in today's world-at home, at school, in relationships, and in the quiet recesses of their own inner lives.
Models of masculinity may be less rigid than they once were-but they're also more fragmented, contested, and confusing. Many boys grow up unsure of what it means to be a man and what is expected of them. They receive mixed messages. In the face of this uncertainty, too many are left without a stable vision of who they are or who they're becoming.
And it shows. In mental health, education, and relationships, they are struggling to have a constructive conversation about the challenges they face.
What's going wrong-and what can be done?
Drawing from his own experience of fatherhood and parenting, his memories of school, and years of research and conversation, Simon Smart tackles these pressing questions with compassion and clarity. He speaks to fathers, parents, educators, and mentors-anyone who cares about raising strong, kind, and resilient young men. He also speaks to the men themselves-who long to find dignity in their role, healing where there's hurt, and a meaningful path forward.
Smart also points to hope: to men who are stepping up as fathers, who are redefining strength not as dominance, but as courage, integrity, and service.
Rooted in both contemporary research and ancient wisdom, including insights from Christianity, this book doesn't romanticise the past or ignore the real challenges of the present. Instead, Simon asks the question: how can we help boys become their best selves, and a gift to those around them?
Simon is Executive Director of the Centre for Public Christianity. A former English and History teacher, Simon has a Masters in Christian Studies from Regent College, Vancouver. He was co-presenter and co-writer of the historical documentary 'For the Love of God: How the church is better and worse than you ever imagined' and is the host of the 'Life & Faith' podcast. Simon's writing has appeared in such places as 'The Sydney Morning Herald', 'The Age', The ABC, 'The Australian', and 'The Guardian'. He lives on Sydney's northern beaches and is an inept but enthusiastic surfer.
