The Secret Lives of Men

The Plunge Blog, Community Forums, Ask an Expert specific questions, Advice on Getting Engaged & Married, Toolbox for Men (i.e., bachelor party, honeymoon guide). Link to the Plunge Press Release: http://www.theplunge.com/inthepress/ the-plunge-press-release

When words of love do not come to you on their own, then read these letters. Complete, actual love letters of great men like Lord Byron, John Keats and Voltaire. Leaders like Henry VIII, George Washington. Artists like van Gogh, Mozart, and Beethoven, who famously penned, 'Though still in bed, my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved...' Dozens of intimate letters, coupled with over a score of period illustrations. Plus fascinating biographies, and insights into the couples' relationships-how they got there, the obstacles they faced, and what happened next. Poet warriors, from the first through the twentieth century, including: Ovid, Sir Walter Raleigh, Goethe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Leo Tolstoy, Victor Hugo, Shelley, Robert Browning, Edgar Allen Poe, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, Pierre Curie, George Bernard Shaw, Jack London, Admiral Peary, Woodrow Wilson, and many more.

This controversial e-book phenomenon became a best-seller and landed its author, a certified marriage and family therapist, on The O'Reilly Factor and the Rush Limbaugh radio show. Dr. Robert Glover has devoted his career as a psychotherapist to freeing men from what he was dubbed the "Nice Guy Syndrome"-trying too hard to please others while neglecting their own needs, thus causing unhappiness and resentfulness. It's no wonder that unfulfilled Nice Guys lash out in frusteration at their loved ones, claims Dr. Glover. He explains how they can stop seeking approval and start getting what they want in life, by presenting the information and tools to help them ensure their needs are met, to express their emotions, to have a satisfying sex life, to embrace their masculinity and form meaningful relationships with other men, and to live up to their creative potential.

"Grieving Beyond Gender: Understanding the Ways Men and Women Mourn" is a revision of "Men Don’t Cry, Women Do: Transcending Gender Stereotypes of Grief." In this work, Doka and Martin elaborate on their conceptual model of "styles or patterns of grieving" – a model that has generated both research and acceptance since the publication of the first edition in 1999. In that book, as well as in this revision, Doka and Martin explore the different ways that individuals grieve, noting that gender is only one factor that affects an individual’s style or pattern of grief. The book differentiates intuitive grievers, where the pattern is more affective, from instrumental grievers, who grieve in a more cognitive and behavioral way, while noting other patterns that might be more blended or dissonant. The model is firmly grounded in social science theory and research. A particular strength of the work is the emphasis placed on the clinical implications of the model on the ways that different types of grievers might best be supported through individual counseling or group support.

Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, is known through her nationally syndicated column on WebMD.com as "The Recipe Doctor." She is the author of 25 books on nutrition and health cooking, including the revolutionary Food Synergy, as well as other bestselling titles in the Tell Me What to Eat series, covering type-2 diabetes, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, and other important health issues. We discuss her new book, "Tell Me What to Eat If I Suffer From Heart Disease"

Melissa Febos came to New York city as a college freshman to attend New School. She found herself two years later juggling her 4.0 GPA along with her job as a dominatrix in Midtown. “Whip Smart” is the story of this double life and the journey she underwent. She offers keen insights about the motivations of her coworkers, clients, and even herself. She holds a MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and teaches at SUNY Purchase college.

Alsop, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, explores the emergence of the 80 million strong millennial generation into the workplace and the resulting ramifications in this insightful and in-depth look at Generation Y. Born between 1980 and 2001, millennials are a new breed of student, worker and global citizen, with distinctly different—often paradoxical—values and motivations. Millennials have a high sense of entitlement but are also philanthropic and community-minded; they set a high premium on career success but are incorrigible job-hoppers and rarely exhibit loyalty to any particular place of employment; their commitment is to self-determination and to garnering as many skills as possible before moving on in pursuit of their dream job. Based on data collected from interviews with student recruiters, particularly in management consulting, and at accounting and investment banking firms, Alsop explains how companies can take the lead in understanding and reaching out to Generation Y and what organizations can expect in their new hires.

We discuss the cultural background of the TV show "Mad Men." This is set in the 1960s world of Madison Avenue advertising executives. Embedded in the show's three seasons there are hundreds of cultural nuggets that capture the historical themes of the mid-century - like the diminution of social order to the giant consumerist boom. Journalist and obsessive "Mad Men" fan Natasha Vargas-Cooper has collected and analyzed these nuggets reagrding the social mores of the mid-century. The book will take the richest references in the show and regard each as a cultural artifact - like the famous 1962 "Lucky Strike Ad", a reference to ad-dynamo Julian Keonig, or an Edo era painting that adorns a wall in Sterling Cooper headquarters. Each entry will highlight the cultural context and social history around each artifact. The book serves as a reader's companion to the show, and a discursive look at American history during the mid century.

Join my guest Larry Tye to discuss his book “Satchel: The Life & Times of an American Legend.” This is the first biography on Satchel Paige, the premier pitcher of the Negro Leagues. Having interviewed more than 200 veteran fellow players of the Negro and Major Leagues, Tye is able to flesh out the Satchel Paige persona. Through the years in Jim Crow Alabama to his time with the all-black Monarchs, one of the powerhouses in segregated colored ball, Tye dissects Satchel's mastery of pitching, his accuracy, power and velocity, and signature pitch, the sizzler.

Join my guests Aaron Rochlen Ph.D., & Mark Stevens Ph.D., to discuss the upcoming 2nd "National Psychotherapy with Men Conference" at UT, Austin, June 5th, 2010. For brochure & Complete Schedule: http://www.apa.org/divisions/div51/downloads/ Conference_Brochure_6-8-09%5B1%5D.pdf

Join our guest Sheryl Paul M.A. author of the "The Conscious Bride." Stereotypically, women are encouraged to focus on the planning of the wedding; this may act to contain the normal feelings or fear, grief and confusion; on the other hand, men may be encouraged to distance or defer to the bride on all matters of importance. We discuss the importance of both bride and groom being conscious in the emotionally preparation for a wedding. http://www.consciousweddings.com/

Male Studies: A Consortium of Scholars. Leading scholars concerned about today's men and boys recently convened at Wagner College on Staten Island to plan for a new academic discipline at the university level: Male Studies. It encompassed a broad range of topics relevant to the study of boys and men in contemporary society ranging from their roles in the family and workforce, as well as their physical and emotional health. Join our guest Miles Groth Ph.D. for this discussion.

"When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don't Get Along." JOSH COLEMAN. Parenting and relationship expert Coleman points out that one can be a devoted parent and still have things run amok. Parents who have made mistakes and those who haven't can both be involved in a hurtful relationship with an older child; Coleman's focus is on helping the parent cope and carry on. Coleman provides strategies for managing the guilt and regret that can arise in parents as children grow into teens and young adults. He advises parents to take responsibility for their past actions, to make amends, to forgive both themselves and their children, and to move guilt and shame to the background and gratitude to the foreground.

Award-winning poet/author Flynn uses his daughter's imminent birth as a catalyst to examine personal and political precariousness. Flynn jumps back and forth in covering his rocky childhood (his parents: a distraught, hard-living single mother; an ex-con, mentally wrecked father who was largely absent from Flynn's childhood), his struggles with women and sobriety, and adjusting to his daughter's arrival. Flynn’s memoir is a swirl of introspection and anguish.

“Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Trauma and Violence in the Lives of Young Black Men” Dr. John Rich. The high level of violence in certain African American communities makes young men feel physically, psychologically, and socially unsafe. The statistics startle: homicide death rates are more than 17 times higher for young black men than their white counterparts. However, Rich observes, ironically, these violent young men seem to be looking for safety in a fierce world. Rich, is the Chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy at the Drexel University School of Public Health.