Don't Be a Jerk: 52 Lessons for Boys Becoming Men

by Craig J. Heimbuch, Peter Raber (Illustrator)

It’s easy to be a jerk, because you don’t have to think about much in order to be one. You don’t have to think about other people and their feelings. You don’t have to think about your parents, siblings or friends. You don’t have to think about your teammates or coaches or teachers. You only have to think about yourself and what you want in that moment. You don’t have to think about the past or the future or the consequences of your actions.
To a jerk, there are no consequences.
In this short book, author and father (of three boys and a girl) Craig Heimbuch shares some of the lessons he's learned about the things jerks do and men avoid. As boys grow up, the pressure to be a jerk mounts, but so too do the consequences. Don't Be a Jerk is 52 short, insightful lessons he hopes his boys will learn before they grow up and learning gets hard. Real-world insights - Love Your Mom - are combined with small behaviors - Make Your Bed - and advice rooted in sports - Control Your Hustle to create easy-to-digest, easy-to-learn lessons every boy needs to learn.

130 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 22, 2019

Reviews

[Lisa Visser]

We read the book as a family at the dinner table. The content is 5 stars and we will likely reread it as a family. However the book is filled with grammatical errors and blank pages - hence the 4 star rating.

[Brichimt]

This is a self published book that was produced from beginning to end by the author. I really think there's nothing like it out here that speaks to the male adolescent the way this book does...in terms of behavioral self-control and manners. When I was raising my son, I had no male relatives around me...let alone female family members who I could turn to. I didn't understand how to talk to my son about how to turn off the pranks and non-stop joking. This book speaks to the crazies that the male child goes through and needs to get under control because in the beginning, like my son, they think it's funny, but it ends up turning them into jerks. Thankfully by son pulled out of this phase, but I honestly think, had I had this book it would have been fodder for some great conversations between me and him. I recommend this title for young male readers in the middle grades. It's perfect for that age group.

[Lisa]

I read this with my 12 year old son. We read a chapter a day in our car rides to school. Priceless advice on an array of important topics for growing boys. Really sparked conversation and learning. We both loved it... I highly recommend!