Iron John: A Book about Men

This is a must read for all men, and women who want to better understand men. It is a book about emotional balance and maturity. Don’t let the title confuse you into not reading it.

I have bought this book so many times and given it away, only to re-buy it again a week later. Iron John is a book that I recommend as a counselor for both men, and woman read. It is a wonderfully written, and very poignant tome about the critical journey that all men must become aware of if they are to be successful in their world. I think the most vital part of the book is the "Iron John story" that is in the BACK of the book. I always recommend you read the story FIRST and then learn what Robert Bly says about the story reading than from the front to back. When you have a full understanding of the story and then read what Robert has to say about the symbolism from the story, it makes a lot more sense with the process. I love this book, and so many men have thanked me profusely for referring it to them. They love it too.

Great book for anyone looking to find out what makes a man. For the past 30 years mens roles have been downplayed and muddled. This book gives insight as to what manhood truly means. It is a bit of a slow read and its the type of read that allows you to skip around a bit without getting lost of "ruining" the story. I would recommend this for any middle aged man that is feeling "lost" or unsure of what the male relationship should or should not be in our society.

The book that got me into reading. Special thanks to my friend Elisha Long from YouTube for recommending it. I started reading it when I was lost, looking for some guidance. This book did just that. It is for those who need to turn that spark on to get their life started, to start their adventure. This is a fantasy. But a fantasy that will apply to your life and to your journey.The book goes from telling the story of Iron John and then moves to explaining it and how it applies to the real world. There are also examples of other fantasy stories such as Peter Pan, and once again, how they apply to the real world. The use of many metaphors, such as the "Poisoned King" to express the evil side of the masculine, or the "Sacred King" to express the good of the masculine.A beautiful book that gave me hope. I completely recommend it. I now love to read and am working on myself every day.

As far as "books about men" go, this is about as good as it gets. The whole book is about the wealth of metaphor packed into a six page Grimm fairytale called "Iron John". The author, Bly, is a Jungian analyst and a poet. This is his first book of prose. He's a great storyteller.One doesn't necessarily need to be well read on Jung's ideas to grasp the power in this book. Boy is pretty good at laying it all out. This is not some corny "Way of Men" book nor is it some ignorant anti-masculine SJW nonsense. It's about as real and reliable as it gets. A great book for a man in their 30's or 40's that's fallen into the abyss. Much like reading Jung, however, this book is not for the small-minded skeptics who've lost any and all imaginative ability. This book is one long class in symbolism and metaphor.

There are so many issues underlying men today that this book touches upon. Read it slow & take notes. You'll see things described in this book that play out in the world around you that make you go "ahh there it is."

Every person's experience with this book is unique and personal to them. It's largely influenced by the experiences of their life up to date and in particular at that moment.In a world where people just want the self-help formula and for a personal development guru to tell them what to do, we need more books like this. We need more men who can look at art and poetry and see them as reflections of ourselves. This book contributions to that noble cause. While some people may read this and see nothing at all, many will ready this book and embark on their journey into a greater, more whole version of themselves.This book changed my life, and I've probably recommended it to 50 other people since I read it three years ago. It tends to find people when they're ready for it and need it most.