The last book to read...not really, but close.

I was thoroughly disappointed with this book.

I knew I wasted my money from the first page:
"Women should feel free to read it. In fact, most of this book easily applies to either sex...at the very least, women ought to read this book to have more awareness of the sorry excuses we men sometimes give." -First page, first chapter.

As a man, I was disappointed and offended by these statements. First of all I bought a book (with hard earned cash!) that calls itself a "Men's Book"...but right off the starting block, the author lets you know it's just going to be basic Christian life stuff...material covered in countless other books already. Basically nothing new here.

But the second statement ticked me off. This kind of male bashing is at the root of most of my frustration with Christian writers and speakers on male issues within the church. There is this thin or not so thin veneer of condescending judgement that often denigrates, belittles and disempowers men. It's like Christian communicators love the "rubber glove" treatment...they purposefully are always looking to expose weakness, sin, the underdeveloped side, the cancer, the inadequacies, the frailties and dichotomies of men.

They undermine the key issue the Scripture says men long for...RESPECT.

Training involves engaging the subjects that men struggle and fail with but the manner in which those subjects are dealt with here...leave men turned off and feeling like another Homer Simpson. It's typical, uninteresting, tired material...reminiscent of the proverbial dripping faucet. This style of writing is more similar to a nagging wife than a partner or helpmate that understands the power of praise and encouragement.

I was hoping the references to historical, solid theological roots would of inspired a fresh book that is biblically sound and culturally spry...but instead it felt like room temperature church coffee served in a styrofoam cup at the local Presbyterian church Grandma used to go to.

I'm sorry if this review is hyper critical, but I was really disappointed with the book and hope to see these kinds of books disappear and am praying for more creative, engaging, biblical authors to emerge in this genre. I respect the author's intent but feel he fell way short of actually living up to the idea behind the title.