The Warrior Method: A Parents' Guide to Rearing Healthy Black Boys

According to the recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice, black males die at a rate fifteen times higher than that of white males because of homicidal violence. The Department estimates that 28 percent of black males will enter state or federal prisons during their lifetime. In response to these devastating statistics, psychologist, educator, and father Raymond Winbush has created The Warrior Method - a program designed for parents and teachers to help black boys become strong, self-reliant men. Filled with thoughtful reflections on the author's own experiences, the book looks at a male's life through the prism of the four seasons: spring - conception to four years old; summer - ages five through twelve; autumn - ages thirteen through twenty-one; and winter - age twenty-two and beyond.

Winbush's comprehensive, step-by-step approach draws on such African traditions as the "Birthing Circle" and a "Young Warriors Council" to help boys make important transitions, along with numerous other modern variations on tribal customs that instill the values of self-respect, dignity, and honor.

Raymond A. Winbush, Ph.D. is the Director of the Institute for Urban Research at Morgan State University. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Oakwood College in Alabama and received a fellowship to attend the University of Chicago, where he earned both his master's degree and Ph.D. in psychology. He has taught at Oakwood College, Alabama A&M, Vanderbilt University, and Fisk University. He is the recipient of numerous grants, including one from the Kellogg Foundation to establish a "National Dialogue on Race." He is the author of The Warrior Method: A Parents' Guide to Rearing Healthy Black Boys, the former treasurer and executive board member of the National Council of Black Studies, and is currently on the editorial board of the Journal of Black Studies. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.