Iron John: A Book about Men

This is the seminal book for Men, a must read. This along with King, Warrior, Magician, Lover should be mandatory for all men in colleges and universities, being taught be Jungian analysts or Heidiggar specialists.

I thought that this novel was exceptionally informative for young men, but also for anyone interested in learning more about themselves and moving past their past traumas. Although many of Robert Bly's examples were metaphorical, they resonated with me. After going through a breakup, this was the perfect read, but it I recommend it for anyone who wants to learn something more profound about themselves.

My favorite quote in it: Pg.149 “A person that discreetly farts in an elevator is not a divine being, and a man needs to know this.” This book delves more into the journey a man takes from childhood rather that the current state of a man. I attempts to make a generalization of religion and divergents cultures and civilizations manifestation of the mans journey into one truth. Although I disagree with points here and there is has given me new perspective into different evens in my life as well and my fathers. I would recommend the book simply to provide a new perspective on events in your life and critically think about the ideas being presented. This book does take a generally neutral take towards Christianity but does have a light hint of negativity towards it. In a few examples of biblical fathers it left key information out for the sake of making the fathers appear to be bad fathers. Going into this book I though that it was going to speak mainly about the story of iron John but most of it has been about theory related to the story and many other examples out side the story. This isn’t necessarily a bad this but something I didn’t expect going into it.

A book every father should share with their son.

This is a classic book and I recommend it for all.

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.

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.

I bought it for my husband to read, without telling him and he is reading it. I'm expecting some good

Written by the grandfather of books on masculinity. Sad to have never met him and thanked him. RIP

Una lectura que todo hombre debe hacer

Great book.

Gain a deeper understanding of yourself, as a man, and a man in this world evolving and growing.. from boy to King. Robert Bly captures and shares vital stages a man evolves through, in a healthy and unhealthy manner...perfectly and poetically. Make the investment, You won't be disappointed, and the world will be better for it.