Men on a Mission

William Marsiglio is a professor of sociology at the University of Florida and author of Stepdads: Stories of Love, Hope, and Repair.

• Preface1. The Mission2. The LandscapeYouth Well-BeingChild and Adolescent DevelopmentToday's Cultural ClimateAcross the DecadesDemographics of Men's Involvement3. Social PlacesPhysical ConditionsTime, Place, and CommunicationPerceptions and SymbolsInstitutions, Norms, and Policy ConstraintsPrivate versus Public PlacesGendered Places4. Men's MotivesTheories of Boys' Early YearsGender and the Boy CodeGetting and Staying InvolvedGiving BackFilling Gaps, Expanding HorizonsGenerativity and "Passing It On"Reciprocity and Feeling GoodSeeing the Impact, Being Recognized5. Relating to KidsLevelingInviting Comfort, Contact, and TrustThe Power of TouchExpressing BondsRitualsManaging Borders with Kids and Parents6. Managing KidsLetting Kids Know They MatterKeeping It RealBeing Ready: It Can Happen Any TimeManaging Difficult Kids7. Making a DifferencePerceptions of KidsTeaching Life LessonsCreating Chances and ChallengesBuilding Social Capital8. Men and MentoringWhat Is Mentoring?The Mentoring MovementMentoring Programs: Practice and ValueRecruiting MenEvolving Relationships9. Public and Private LivesBlended versus Separate LivesThe Culture of FatherhoodYouth Work as Training for FatheringHow Youth Work Affects FatheringHow Fathering Affects Youth WorkFamily Building and Claiming10. Personal GrowthEmotional States and Styles of FeelingPowers of PerceptionSelf-PerceptionsLife Perspectives11. Youth Work DomainsChildcareSchoolMonitoring Sites and Criminal JusticeRecreationFaith-Based SettingsApplying Lessons across Domains12. Moving ForwardComments on the Cultural ClimateA VisionAppendix A: Reflections on Study Methodology and Future ResearchRecruitment and SampleThe InterviewsFraming, Interpreting, and Judging the InterviewsMaking Sense of the TranscriptsEthnographic ObservationsThe WritingFuture ResearchAppendix B: Participant ProfilesNotesReferencesIndex

This is a valuable book for any program serving young people. The National Mentoring Center 2008 A comprehensive study of men who work and volunteer with children in a variety of public settings. Journal of Economic Literature 2008 This book is a moving drama of men telling their stories of how children bring meaning into their lives-by bringing meaning into the lives of children. It is incredible how varied the backgrounds of these men are. -- Moshe Landsman PsycCRITIQUES 2009 A fabulous book... Reading Men on a Mission was perhaps the best educational experience I will have in some time. -- Nancy NCFR Community Portal Insightful and inviting... the book particularly shines with Marsiglio's discussion of the difficult cultural context within which men work with young people... Scholars of youth, youth work and community development, as well as those studying masculinity, gender and care work will find this book an important and accessible resource. -- Shauna A. Morimoto Contemporary Sociology 2009 Marsiglio gives voice to the enormous potential of male caregiving in the United States and around the world. -- William A. Corsaro American Journal of Sociology 2009 Men on a Mission is an inspiring book and an important one... Marsiglio's work has broader implications for the study of human development in general and for men and masculinity in particular... Particularly valuable as we think about individual lives and social policy. -- Carl F. Auerbach Men and Masculinities 2011