Thursday, July 17, 2014

Book for Teen Boys

I picked up this book because I am always looking for good teen boy reads.  As school ramps up and kids have less and less time for recreational reading, I know that boys in particular will let books fall off their plate.  So my job is to just keep the good books coming so they get interested in reading a story and they might actually put down their remote control!  A mom can dream.

Don't forget to Follow One Great Book on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google + for all the books that just may have your son reading.

Title:       The Warrior’s Heart

Author:  Eric Greitens

Target:   Grade 8 and up

Series:   No

What this book is about: 
This book tells about the author’s journey from college student to aid worker in Rwanda and Bolivia to Rhodes Scholar and finally to Navy SEAL.  He challenges kids to think about the choices they make and how they can become more compassionate and caring individuals by discussing his journey and the experiences he has had.  Whether he is taking the reader to a refugee camp, to the slums where children are alone and uncared for, or to Hell Week at SEAL training he shows them how the decisions they make in those moments help shape them as human beings.

Why I love this book: 
This book is an adaptation of Eric Greiten's bestselling adult novel The Heart and the Fist.  It is impossible not to take the advice of someone who has walked in this man’s shoes.  He is the epitome of living a life of service.

The best parts of this book are probably his SEAL training because it focuses on individual obstacles that a person can overcome.  However, the beginning of the book is important in understanding how Eric ended up in the Navy Seals after a degree from Duke and a Phd from Oxford.  It is an amazing journey with a strong willingness to serve others.

My favorite quote was from his SEAL training when his group runs by a beach full of bikini clad women.  His commanding officer tells the men, “If you’re a real frogman, every time a women leaves your side, she’ll feel better about herself.”  Now there is some great advice for boys.

If I have one complaint in regards to the adaptation it is that Eric writes each section in a question format, very much like a “what would you do?”  I think it is writing down to teenage boys and I found it a bit confusing.  However, if you read this book together as a family, which would be a lovely way to share this story, I can see it serving as a jumping off point for discussions.  

Who this book is for: 
It is written from a male perspective and it is meant help boys become men of compassion and courage, but even girls will get something from this book.

Final thoughts: 
This is an inspiring story which is an absolute page turner.  It is impossible not the take this advice seriously when you see what this man has done with his life.

To purchase this book:
Click on the following link to connect to Amazon: The Warrior's Heart: Becoming a Man of Compassion and Courage  A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.  Thank you for your support.

No comments:

Post a Comment