I bought Bill Bennett’s TheBook of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood at the beginning of the year
when I resolved to read 12 books, one for each year. Well, 3 months later I’m
300 pages into this 900 page behemoth, but I’m enjoying it. Those of you who
listen to his show or have heard him speak know jovial and optimistic he is-a
true happy warrior. His books are always interesting and inspiring.
He looks at man at war, work, play, in the polis, and with
women and children. In war men exhibit the virtue of “sacrificing one’s self
for liberty, happiness, and the state.” In productive labor he finds what’s
necessary for the good life. In leisure men still exercise perseverance and
determination but through activities that bring pleasure. In each of these
sections Bennett takes examples from a variety of sources including poetry,
novels, biographies, stories he heard on his radio show, and even the Bible.
The anecdotes explore the multi-faceted nature of the different categories of
life and provide a unique lesson in each story.
Bennett is a philosopher who believes in the importance of
virtue and you can sense that from his writing. Manhood is nothing without
virtue. There is nothing inevitable about becoming a man. It is more than just
being a male. It is a moral pursuit in which you build character in every part
of life. A man recognizes his responsibilities and lives up to his obligations,
pursues excellence in everything he does, stands up for what is right, protects
the defenseless, loves his family and country, and sets an example, among other
things. You’ll find yourself simultaneously aware of what you lack and inspired
to develop the character traits that are put on display in the book.
There isn’t a man for whom this book wouldn’t be
informative and inspiring. Young men, in particular, need to read this book so
that they know that these qualities of manhood are not quaint notions of a
bygone era. They are relevant for today, especially in these postmodern times
full of indifference and cynicism. I believe we've been getting an important
lesson in what a difference it makes what kind of men we have leading our
country and if more men pursuing the kind of virtue Bennett writes about then
there is reason to hope for the future of our nation.
