Adult
Book Discussion on Youth Topics
First Church (UU) in Jamaica
Plain, 2003-2004
During
the last few years I have been enjoying all the new science and literature
about contemporary youth. During this
year, I invite parents and others to join me for occasional discussions of this
new information. Most topics have
reading options -- written by scholars in dialogue with each other-- so we can
educate each other through personal choices.
September 28: Primal Teen
Using
new technology for tracking brain waves and other analysis, scientists have
proved that during puberty the regions of the human brain develop
asymmetrically. It is biology which
renders kids temporarily hypersensitive to stimuli (that area springs into
adulthood first) and deaf to instructions and common sense (as the slowpoke
frontal lobes crawl to their maturity).
Primal Teen explains these changes with everyday language and
stories.
November 2: Talkin' 'Bout Boys:
Seasons of a Man's Life, Real Boys, Fist, Stick Knife,
Gun, Raising Cain, Tally's Corner, Iron John
Both
physical and social sciences have charted real, trans-cultural differences
between boys and girls. Seasons of a Man's Life started it all
(for BOTH genders), documenting and naming the stages by which males in various
American social classes are transformed into men. Tally's Corner and Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun look at
the challenges of meeting these needs amidst poverty and discrimination. Raising Cain and Real Boys
look at the same process in middle class settings. Iron John is Robert Bly's poetic summary of it all, with
literature, bonding rituals, and drumming.
January 4, 2004 : Retail
Therapy
Here's
a fun little book to look back on our winter holidays and see how we did. For women, Shopping can be spiritual, can
teach social skills, can build confidence and relationships -- or it can become
an uncontrollable addiction. And how is
it for men? This little book sorts it
out.
February 22 : But She's Such a
GOOD Girl!
Odd Girl Out/
Queen Bees and Wannabees
Let's
heat up in the winter cold with last year's hottest youth topic. Are girls worse bullies than boys, or do
they just do it differently? Learn how
to find the hidden zingers under the sweet-talk.
March 14: Visioning the Future for our
Daughters:
The Case for Marriage, The New Couple, Second Shift,
Creating a Life
Well,
feminism didn't quite turn out as planned.
Young adult women are under more pressure than ever to perform perform
perform. Science has failed to conquer
the biological clock, so women in their early twenties need to worry about
finding a mate and starting a family, all while entering a tough economy and
doing more than half of the housework.
And even though dads do more than they used to -- and place higher
emphasis on relationships -- science shows that a stable primary parent --
which usually means a mom -- gets kids off to their strongest start and keeps
teenagers on track. How can we help
our daughters prepare -- practically and emotionally -- since what was supposed
to be a spiritual journey is still a painful marathon?
April 25, 2004: Nature and Physical
Culture in Unitarian Universalist Spirituality:
Walden, "Manly Christianity," The Feminization of
American Culture, and Romantic Poetry
(Elz will provide readings for those
interested)
Disposable
workers, artificial insemination and serial monogamy -- what does it mean to be
a man? As mind/body segregation
spreads through the culture and economy, how do we help our boys envision whole
adult selves as active wage earners?
Without tangible products from physical work, how can they avoid the
clutches of steroid-enhanced muscles and stereotype-based bullying? And can our very liberal religion -- which
over a century ago elected to elevate women's issues -- reclaim a language and
build a culture that reaches the souls of young men?
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