Understanding Guys

Children's Literature - Janet L. Rose

What do boys feel? What are they thinking about? Why are they so moody? This handy guide gives teenage girls an explanation of what is happening to adolescent boys as they grow into manhood. It deals with hormonal surges, physical changes, why they react differently than girls in social and educational situations, and how they handle emotions. The book is very frank and open about sex, masturbation, and aggression, which may offend some people and give boys an excuse for non-acceptable behavior. On the other hand it can help girls understand what a teenage boy is going through and be more tolerant of his actions.

Children's Literature - Susie Wilde

Michael Gurain's Understanding Guys: A Guide for Girls helps teenage girls trying to puzzle out the opposite sex. Gurain explains how genetic differences that made survival work for thousand of years, now make relationships difficult. He discusses the impact of testosterone, teasing, respect, and handling anger. His writing is full of surprises and sense, interesting studies, anecdotal stories that show his expertise and wisdom, and his suggestions are insightful and useful. Planning the Impossible, The Teenage Guy's Survival Guide and Understanding Guys deal not just with physiology, but with how it plays out and could really help kids understand the opposite sex. The only tricky thing is getting these books into the hands of those who need them. Teenagers are by nature, oppositional. So don't give them to your teen, just leave them out and let them be discovered.

School Library Journal

Gr 8-10-Using an engaging and frequently humorous tone, Gurian offers straightforward explanations of what boys experience during puberty and how these changes affect them emotionally and psychologically. Of course, in any work of this kind, there is always the danger of generalization. At times the author's reliance on anecdotal examples leads to overgeneralization, if not stereotyping. Another significant problem is that statistics are sometimes given without citing a source as when Gurian notes, "In over ninety percent of cases of teen pregnancy, the mother is abandoned by the boyfriend." Occasional black-and-white cartoon drawings appear throughout the text, adding a sense of levity to the discussion without trivializing it. There is no index. Despite its flaws, this book is likely to spark great interest and answer some questions.-Edward Sullivan, New York Public Library Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.