Lies Boys Believe: And the Epic Quest for Truth Paperback – November 7, 2023

Obviously, there is nothing better than the Word of God, so if your son doesn't already have a Bible of his own, start there. Then, if you’re looking for an additional resource that will help your son better understand the basics of our faith in Jesus Christ and better equip him to combat the lies of the enemy, buy this book.I bought this for my 12 year old son. It arrived yesterday and I finished reading it today (I typically pre-read books before I give them to my kids to make sure the content is appropriate). This book is biblically sound, packed with information for young boys, and actually fun to read. It covers topics such as sin, salvation, prayer, forgiveness, faith, the Holy Spirit, the importance of reading the Bible, and so much more. The book touches on issues like transitioning from boyhood into manhood, the God-ordained differences between men and women, the importance of integrity... I could go on and on. It is interactive, too, with lots of little thought-provoking questions and opportunities for your son to look up Scripture or record their thoughts/prayers/etc.I will be buying a copy for each of my other 2 sons to complete when they are a little older, and this will be at the top of the gift list for 10-12 year old boys from now on. I'm grateful that the Lord used this couple to create such a wonderful resource. Buy this book. You won't regret it.

My boys loved it.

These books have been awesome for my boys this summer. They enjoy reading and talking about the book together.

Very wonderful book, my 10 years old read the book in a week.. he is reading the book again.

I had heard good comments about this book and that is why I decided to get it for our son. The book is really good. All the information it shares is very good for boys to know. I love that for every “lie” there’s a truth!We recommend this book 100%

This book is so needed. It's perfect for growing young men and we loved how fun it was. I loved Lies Young Women Believe, and always hoped there would be something like it for boys.

In my experience, the boy versions of things are ALWAYS better, and this is no exception. To be fair, I never read the girls' version of this book, which didn't exist until I was an adult, but I firmly opted out of reading "Lies Young Women Believe" in high school, even when someone was organizing a group to read it at church. I knew that it was utterly irrelevant to me, and I really struggled with feeling gender-stereotyped with resources intended for teen girls. My life didn't align with the assumptions that people made about my demographic group, and my sister and I both found things directed to boys far more interesting, helpful, and appealing than their counterparts for girls. I'm glad I had the confidence to pursue those resources, and I'm glad that I can laugh about it now, seeing my assumption bear out once more!Unlike the other books in the Lies We Believe series, "Lies Boys Believe" is narrative-driven. It made me think of some of the devotional books my parents used to read to me and my siblings, because we always liked the story-driven ones and would look forward to future installments. In this book's story, two boys are traveling out West with their dad, and they have fun adventures and learn important truths along the way. Although it's definitely a teaching book, the stories are genuinely engaging and the dialogue sounds surprisingly natural and real, even during spiritual conversations.Erin Davis and Jason Davis are parents of four boys, and it's clear that they wrote this from a lot of knowledge and experience, and specifically designed it to be fun and appealing. "A Parent's Guide to Lies Boys Believe" shares more about their vision for the book and ideas for how families can use it together, and gives adult-level teaching about the topics in the book, encouraging parents with biblical truth and giving them helpful tips and conversation starters for how to engage with their sons. The book for parents is an optional expense, but it's substantive, includes its own unique content, and doesn't just rehash or outline the content from the boy's book.Each chapter in "Lies Boys Believe" covers a different lie and counters it with the corresponding truth, such as "God is always mad at me" and "God forgives!" Some chapters include activity ideas, and they all conclude with a short teaching section with reflection questions and space for boys to write out their answers. The book also avoids culture wars topics, focusing instead on fundamental, basic elements of spiritual formation, such as reading the Bible, repenting of sin, loving Jesus, needing friends, and having self-control. This makes the book appropriate for a broad age range and introduces very few touchy subjects that parents might want to address differently.However, I thought the chapter about the lie "Girls rule, boys drool" could have used more nuance. Firstly, even though this chapter reflects common dynamics in its contrast between boys acting loud and rambunctious and girls being more subdued, talking a lot, and needing less hands-on parenting, the book doesn't mention the role of personality differences. I wish that the story had acknowledged that even though God made boys and girls different and generalizations sometimes apply, He also made some boys quiet and subdued, and made some girls wild, loud, and energetic.Secondly, and more significantly to me, the story doesn't provide any historical context for female empowerment messages that end up putting boys down. It's impossible to really understand this dynamic without an awareness of historic sexism and the ways that people react against it now, often going too far in a pendulum swing. For example, one of the boys in this story talks about how a teacher constantly finds fault with the boys in her class, but lavishes praise on the girls. That's a legitimate thing to be upset about, but even though the teacher may just be biased due to her personal preferences, it's highly likely that she thinks that boys are already set for life, and that girls need active support and empowerment to succeed beyond sexist barriers.Lots of people have such narrow, incomplete perspectives that they ignore and marginalize boys in their attempts to empower and encourage girls, and they don't even see it. This chapter encourages boys that they're important and valuable too, but it completely misses the opportunity to explain why so many people show favoritism for girls. There's also no acknowledgement of continued barriers that girls may face, or the reality that many girls throughout the world lack basic rights and don't even have access to education. Parents can personally provide this context, but I wish that the book had included a brief, gentle explanation that could be a light bulb moment for boys who don't have the social context for why they sometimes get snubbed in adults' eagerness to uplift girls.Overall, "Lies Boys Believe" is really good. I enjoyed the narrative-driven approach to teaching life lessons, and appreciate the ways that the authors wove in spiritual truths in a way that feels real instead of overly didactic and forced. This is a great book for parents to read aloud with boys, and it's also great for independent reading and reflection. I would recommend this for families who are looking for engaging resources to help them with faith formation in the home, and many parents will also find the parents' guide helpful as they consider ways to make the most of this discipleship resource and continue to invest in their sons' lives.

My son is halfway through, he recalls the main point of each chapter and we have a short discussion. Parent guide is helpful.

An amazing book for boys that’s funny, interesting, relatable and full of Gods truths for them in a way they can understand, think on and hopefully remember as they grow! I have found it so encouraging as we are reading through it with our boys.