Recommended Reading List

— For Parents and Mentors of Boys —

Dear Families,

Many families ask what we consider some of the most recommended books to read on the subject of parenting and mentoring boys. All of the books on this list have taught us how to better teach our middle-school boys. Every staff person at Cherokee Creek has their favorites, but three books in particular that really captured my attention and spoke to me were: The Purpose of Boys; Boundaries with Kids; and Wild at Heart.

We’d love to hear from you if you have favorites to add!

David LePere, Executive Director


Here is our recommended reading list in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name:

Arrien, Angeles. The Four Fold Way, 1993.Boundaries With Kids by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

Beausay, Bill. Teenage Boys! Surviving and Enjoying These Extraordinary Years, 1998.

Bridges, William. Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes, 2004.

Brozo, William. To Be a Boy, To Be a Reader: Engaging Teen and Preteen Boys in Active Literacy, 2002.

Cloud, Henry and John Townsend. Boundaries With Kids, 1998.

Dobson, James. Bringing Up Boys: Practical Advice and Encouragement for those Shaping the Next Generation of Men, 2001.

Eldredge, J. Wild At Heart. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2002.

Eldredge, J. You Have What It Takes: What Every Father Needs to Know. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2004.

Gurian, Michael. From Boys to Men: All About Adolescence and You. New York: Price Stearn Sloan, 1999.

Gurian, Michael. The Good Son: Shaping the Moral Development of Our Boys and Young Men, 1999.The Purpose of Boys by Michael Gurian

Gurian, Michael and Stevens, K. The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005.

Gurian, Michael. The Purpose of Boys. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009.

Gurian, Michael with Trueman, T. What Stories Does My Son Need? New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher / Putnam, 2000.James, Abigail Norfleet. Teaching the Male Brain, 2007.

Kimmel, Michael. Manhoodin America: A Cultural History, 2006.Kindlon, Dan and Thompson, Michael. Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys. 1999

Louv, Richard. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2005.

Mosatche, Harriet and Karen Unger. Too Old for This, Too Young for That! Your Survival guide of the Middle-School Years, 2000.

Muharrar, Aisha. More Than a Label, 2002.Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

Pollack, W. RealBoys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1998.

Schaffer, Susan and Gordon, Linda. Why Boys Don’t Talk and Why It Matters, 2005.

Slocumb, Paul D. Hear Our Cry, Boys in Crisis, 2004.

Stone, Richard. The Healing Art of Storytelling. New York: Hyperion, 1996.

Strauch, Barbara. The Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries About the Teenage Brain Tell Us About Our Kids, 2003.

Tatum, Alfred. Teaching Leadership to Black Adolescent Males, 2005.Thompson, Michael and T. Barker. It’s A Boy! Understanding Your Son’s Development from Birth to Age 18. New York: Random House, 2008.

Thompson, Michael. Speaking of Boys: Answers to the Most-Asked Questions about Raising Sons, 2000.

Tobin, L. What Do You Do With A Child Like This? Inside the Lives of Troubled Children. Whole Person Associates: Duluth, MN, 1991.


If you would recommend other books that you have read that are not on this list, please let us know. The staff at Cherokee Creek Boys School is in perpetual learning mode!

To Talk to Us and Find Out More

Contact Christy Swafford, Admissions Director
(770) 654-1241 | Click to Call or email Christy HERE.

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