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Iron John
Book

Iron John

A Book About Men

Robert Bly
Da Capo Press, 2004
First Edition: 1984

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Looking through the lens of myth, poet Robert Bly concludes that the Industrial Revolution pulled families apart. He blames absent fathers who failed to initiate boys into adulthood for many of today’s cultural woes, including passivity among men, unhappy marriages and the prevalence of gangs. Bly cites stories from the ancient Greeks through the Brothers Grimm to show that young men’s struggle to achieve mature adulthood has remained constant throughout history. The myth of Iron John follows the development of a young prince from his early ties to his mother, to his maturation and entry into the world of his father. Mothers, says Bly, must relinquish their babies to enable their sons to grow up. Bly uses his ramble through literature to explore deep issues that play out in men’s personal and work lives. His metaphoric, poetic language may be off-putting to concrete thinkers, but getAbstract recommends Bly’s classic to men and women who are looking for insight into modern men’s psychic drives and struggles.

Take-Aways

  • Young men need older male role models.
  • Society suffers because so few older men help initiate boys into the adult male world.
  • Boys seek ways to overcome being deprived of having a father.

About the Author

Robert Bly is an award-winning poet, author and translator who pioneered men’s workshops and founded the Expressive Men’s Movement.

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    G. C. 1 decade ago
    I use Bly in my work as business consultant, particularly men. What I find is a poetic, mythical way of delving into the psyche of men who seem frustrated with themselves and seek a more integrated self. I find it fascinating the way Bly describes men's developmental cycle of attachment and release of the Mother, the attachment and real release of the Father, then the necessity of the Male Mentor to help the male successfully pass from adolescent to integrated adult male.