Review: Captivating - What if?! - Celebration of Masculinity
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 21, 2013
A well deserved 5-Star rating for Rigby Taylor's Jarek. Of the three Rigby Taylor books I have read, this is my favorite. I am going to read another!Having been a teacher and counselor and looking back with the vantage point of being a 60 white gay male, I found myself reveling in this exciting storyline and characters.  Jarek explores what it means to be male and what is happening to young males in our social structure.  Is competition, survival of the fittest, bullying the weak, celebrating the strongest what we want boys to strive for?Jarek takes a serious look at showing young men a different way and a different set of values than what we see currently valued and taught.  Though the portrayal of the women antagonists are over the top, I believe this is done to bring out the contrast by pushing the extremes.I found myself sharing many of the values and viewpoints with the author and particularly enjoyed the author's ability to say what I have been thinking for many years. As a non-competitive person, in high school, I participated in track and cross-country as I wanted to compete against myself.  Winning or losing was not important to me.  I believe that all of us are important and our differences are our strengths. We are all equals.  Working together for the benefit of all and with mutual support... what a concept. I don't want to seem like I am against competition, but society has been too focused on winning. Now we are losing our ability to survive as a planet.I recommend this excellent book to those readers who are particularly frustrated with the socialization of men and conversely young girls. Men may get more from this book than  women.  That said, mothers, sisters, wives and fiancés may find the insights into the male dilemma helpful. Women readers may be upset with the sharp contrast being made with the female antagonist in the story.  There are are only a couple of great women characters in the novel.Those who enjoy a provocative storyline with many twists and turns keeping the reader guessing will also find this book enjoyable.  The reader will be stimulated to think outside the box and challenged to look at our laws, values and, if open minded, question just how healthy are we as a society. Can we keep going in the same mutually destructive direction?I don't recommend reading this book to those who do not want to scratch your head, think, question and smile.