Jim Taylor (2)

Raising your child being involved in sports sets them on a positive path. They have to learn in today’s society and culture that sometimes there is more to life than winning a game even though you play to win. Raising a child in today’s sports and athletics means that they can get caught up in the obsession of winning and fall out of love with the game and the feeling they used to feel when they played.

This is an odd but helpful book. Its hysterical title is rather inappropriate, in that Taylor has written a measured, reasonable attempt to convince Americans to raise their children as free as possible from the corroding effects of popular culture. His arguments are sound: the values of pop culture promote self-centeredness, a lack of personal responsibility, and a sense of gross entitlement. Parents should combat this relentless assault with a 'value-based' approach to parenting that show more teaches children about what's really important, what makes life worth living, how to be self-reliant and compassionate, and so on. That's all fine, but the book would be far more convincing if Taylor were willing to state what specific, concrete values he really believes are important to teach, rather than just the vague, platitudinous ones I've named. This lack leaves the book oddly passionless and dry, belying the fiery title. show less

if you like "Class" by Paul Fussell

has aspects of the Culture of Poverty workshop, too (Jodi Pfarr)