Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis

Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis is essentially a dad's guide to walking his son into manhood in a clear and meaningful way. A quick read, the book spells out how to define masculinity for a boy and how to encourage a boy through the milestones of his childhood so that when he enters adulthood, he has a clear understanding of what a man is and can self-identify as one. Two of the major components in the book are a "community of men" and meaningful rites of passage. The author encourages a dad to surround himself and his son with a group of men who will be a part of the boy’s life through maturity, encouraging him and teaching him along the way. The section on ceremonies or rites of passage contains a myriad of examples about when and how to celebrate significant moments in a boy's childhood as he passes to the next stage. Since the book is written to an audience of Western readers who have largely not experienced the kind of ceremonies detailed here, these examples are very helpful.
It is important to realize that this book is written to fathers and is very nearly irrelevant to a mom, other than to know exactly what a dad raising a modern day knight is trying to accomplish. A single mother or a mother without a husband fully committed to the cause will find this book next to useless.
I thought the content of Raising a Modern Day Knight was meaningful enough that I will be passing the book along to my husband to apply to our sons. I appreciate the definition of masculinity and strategies to help boys understand it as well, and I hope to encourage its realization in the lives of my boys.