Iron John: A Book about Men Paperback – November 10, 2015

There are so many issues underlying men today that this book touches upon. Read it slow & take notes. You'll see things described in this book that play out in the world around you that make you go "ahh there it is."

Every person's experience with this book is unique and personal to them. It's largely influenced by the experiences of their life up to date and in particular at that moment.In a world where people just want the self-help formula and for a personal development guru to tell them what to do, we need more books like this. We need more men who can look at art and poetry and see them as reflections of ourselves. This book contributions to that noble cause. While some people may read this and see nothing at all, many will ready this book and embark on their journey into a greater, more whole version of themselves.This book changed my life, and I've probably recommended it to 50 other people since I read it three years ago. It tends to find people when they're ready for it and need it most.

Many have said much about men the last several decades. Masculinity has been castrated by many as being toxic. But we still been men. Bly leads us through a trail of historical mythologies and cultures to understand where we as males come from and how we transformed into men. Not all cultures are equal. He gives insight into our masculinity and how we can grow as men.I gave it a four because for me he was hard to follow. There was a lot of presumption that the reader would know authors he talks about.Nevertheless, he challenges us to look at ourselves and our culture and ask where are we going as men and where should we go.

I read this book many, many years ago and then lent a copy to a friend. Never saw it again, but I've always had a special place in my heart for the book. It changed my life, at the time. I just like having it lying around, looking at me. Mission accomplished.

This is a must read for all men, and women who want to better understand men. It is a book about emotional balance and maturity. Don’t let the title confuse you into not reading it.

I have bought this book so many times and given it away, only to re-buy it again a week later. Iron John is a book that I recommend as a counselor for both men, and woman read. It is a wonderfully written, and very poignant tome about the critical journey that all men must become aware of if they are to be successful in their world. I think the most vital part of the book is the "Iron John story" that is in the BACK of the book. I always recommend you read the story FIRST and then learn what Robert Bly says about the story reading than from the front to back. When you have a full understanding of the story and then read what Robert has to say about the symbolism from the story, it makes a lot more sense with the process. I love this book, and so many men have thanked me profusely for referring it to them. They love it too.

The book that got me into reading. Special thanks to my friend Elisha Long from YouTube for recommending it. I started reading it when I was lost, looking for some guidance. This book did just that. It is for those who need to turn that spark on to get their life started, to start their adventure. This is a fantasy. But a fantasy that will apply to your life and to your journey.The book goes from telling the story of Iron John and then moves to explaining it and how it applies to the real world. There are also examples of other fantasy stories such as Peter Pan, and once again, how they apply to the real world. The use of many metaphors, such as the "Poisoned King" to express the evil side of the masculine, or the "Sacred King" to express the good of the masculine.A beautiful book that gave me hope. I completely recommend it. I now love to read and am working on myself every day.

Iron John: A Book About Men is commonly regarded as one of the major books that launched a thousand naked drumming circles. Author and poet Robert Bly is one of the foremost advocates of the Mythopoetic Men’s Movement who led men’s only counseling and retreats. Since then the mythopoetic men’s movement petered out, and along with it the movement to restore male rites of passage which they considered essential for a boy's development into manhood. Robert Bly's book, spent 62 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List, uses an old Grimm’s fairytale to explain a man’s growth into the mature masculine. The book is peppered with Jungian psychology, various myths, legends, folklores and fairy tales to analyze the Grimms' fairytale and draw lessons meaningful to men. Iron John covers some deep issues relating to men's masculinity and there are a few things to like about this book though it has some drawbacks.Let me start with the pros of this book: First, I like the mythological approach Bly takes to masculinity. He's a natural storyteller and the book is very well written in its very own way. He not only understands the value of mythology, he's able to draw you into the myth and teach from it. Second, the book represented some unique takes on masculine initiation. Much of the discussion of initiation was familiar to other sources, and necessarily so. The only idea of initiation is walking a tried and true path, not reinventing the wheel. However, that doesn't mean there's no room for fresh perspective. I found Bly's suggestion that it may be beneficial and necessary for the lover archetype to come into a boy's life before the warrior to be fascinating. I'm not sure to what extent I agree. Third, Iron John represents a balanced and holistic view of masculinity. There's no part of the book where it feels like Bly is short shifting one issue and overemphasizing another.Now for the cons of this book: First, Bly can be a bit long winded at times. He's a terrific writer, and I certainly don't want a book that's so condensed and digestible that it loses the beauty of the language. However, there were times where it felt like a little more trimming would have been appropriate. Second, I come at men's issues from a mostly Christian perspective, which Bly does not share. As a result there are places where Bly and I part ways rather decisively. As a result, I see Bly's work, while being very good and worthwhile, as ultimately falling short in several areas. Third, Bly doesn't offer any clear practical advice on "finding one's masculinity" and I believe men need more than just poetry and storytelling to heal a 'wounded soul' and do this kind of "inner work" to become better men. And fourth is Bly's outreach to only men around the age of of 35 and older. If you’re going to really change manhood, you have to reach out to young men, too. A movement for 35 year old men has no future. Group therapy culture can’t replace authentic, organic masculine experience. That’s a problem I still see with the men’s movement, though I think this has over the past few decades and men's movements have also appealed to young men as well.In the end readers aren't going to find a lot of practical tips on improving yourself as a man, but Iron John certainly gives you a lot to think about. It’s a book you really need to read a couple times and meditate on.