The Good Men Project

1) The conversation is important. Thirty-one guys have shared their stories with the world. Stories about war and sex and sexuality and infidelity and redemption and death and marriage. There are stories about men trying to be good fathers and men trying to be good sons. Are they all “good” men? You tell us. This is the conversation we want to have.

2) The reviews are as good as it gets. Ok, don’t believe everything you hear. Forget the hype for a minute. Pay no attention to the fact that out of 57 reviews of The Good Men Project, it’s nearly impossible to find one that’s critical. Maybe, instead, look at the words of a reviewer that validates what we set out to do in the first place: “Each man’s story shed light on my own.”

3) The stories will surprise you. Do you really know what it’s like to be a photojournalist in Iraq, one who thinks he might want to come back to the US, live a normal life, but finds himself inexplicitly drawn back to the foxholes again and again? Have you struggled with being a reluctant stay at home dad, envious of men who go off to work? Have you had a moment with your wife when you stormed out of the house, and in retrospect said, “Truth be told, I was leaving her.” The stories are varied, and rich, and interesting. For example, read Michael Kamber’s story here.

4) How often do you the get the chance to meet and talk to every character in a book?
You can friend Tom Matlack, Jesse Kornluth, Julio Medina on Facebook. Follow Perry Glasser and Andre Tippet on Twitter. Visit Mark St. Amant’s or Rick Federico’s blog. Comment on an interview with Christopher Koehler. Take a yoga class with Rolf Gates. They’re real people. Every one of them. You can talk to them.

5) It sure beats a hammer or a tie. Have you shopped for a Father’s Day gift lately? Not such a bad thing, to let your father know you think he’s a good man.

6) Not surprisingly, girls believe in The Good Men Project, too. Well, sure. Here’s a review from a site for girls: “…with everything from Tiger Woods, to Chris Brown, to the dozens of politicians having affairs, to all the kidnapping stories of young girls, to the kind of men we have experienced in our own lives… sometimes it’s hard for girls to have any kind of faith that there are good boys and men in the world. “The Good Men Project” is finally a group of men stepping up and saying that they want to be people we can believe in.” From THIS review.

7) Proceeds help at-risk boys and men. The Good Men Foundation is a registered New York State 501(c)(3) charitable corporation dedicated to helping organizations that provide educational, social, financial or legal support to men and boys at risk. A part of every sale goes back to the Foundation. What exactly does that mean? It means that when the Foundation gives $50 to The Big Brothers and Big Sisters, they can introduce a boy to a potential Big Brother. It means when the Foundation gives $25 to the Trinity Street Potential, that organization will have funds to buy art supplies for another week. It means that when the Boys and Girls Club gets $100, they can buy a violin for their music class. Money buys tangible things that help at-risk boys. That’s why we donate it.

You can buy The Good Men Project book on the website, here. It’s also on Amazon. Soon to be in stores such as Barnes & Noble. As a Kindle book. And don’t forget the DVD.