Introduction: Where Have All the Men Gone? 1. When Fathers Knew Best (or Did They?) 2. Living Fast, by (Sometimes) Dying Young 3. Talking About My Generation 4. My Generation Becomes the Pepsi Generation 5. New Stories, by New Rebels 6. Endless Thrills 7. Life Beyond Pleasure Island Acknowledgments Index
"Gary Cross is one of the most original scholars in the field of American cultural history, and Men to Boys is the most complete survey of images of adult masculinity on television and in the films, magazines, and popular literature of the twentieth century. It is hard to imagine a more comprehensive cultural treatment of the subject. A blend of solid historical research, personal history, and challenging argument, this book addresses a contemporary issue with flair. Essentially about the fragility of male adulthood and how 'becoming a man' has been fraught with difficulties in every generation, Men to Boys provides a convincing narrative of how recent generations changed in a dialectical manner, producing the 'boy-man' of today." -- Howard P. Chudacoff, Brown University, and author of Children at Play: An American History "A master historian explores a sea change that has taken place in the conception of manhood over the past three-quarters of a century. Men to Boys is a serious work of scholarship combining a wealth of historical knowledge with compelling cultural critique. Gary Cross's book contains the best, most succinct summaries that I have read of the history of video games, thrill rides at amusement parks, and representations of masculinity in film and advertising. His discussion of the psychological effects of video game violence is a tour de force, moving well beyond the simplistic and sterile debate about whether such games provoke aggressive and cruel behavior. Original and thought provoking, Men to Boys is a model of 'contemporary' cultural history." -- Steven Mintz, Columbia University, and author of Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood
Gary Cross is professor of history at Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of a number of books on the history of American popular culture, including The Playful Crowd: Pleasure Places in the Twentieth Century; The Cute and the Cool: Wondrous Innocence and Modern American Children's Culture; An All-Consuming Century: Why Commercialism Won in Modern America; and Kids' Stuff: Toys and the Changing Worlds of American Childhood.
"[A] perceptive, eloquent book." -- Publishers Weekly
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