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Amazing Tales for Making Men Out Of Boys
Tales of brave and selfless deeds used to be part of every boy's education. We grew up sharing stories with our fathers, uncles and grandfathers of how other men had lived their lives, met their challenges, reached their goals and faced their deaths. This work features tales of courage, endurance and sacrifice.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2008
11 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
Neil Oliver
54 books288 followersNeil Oliver is a Scottish archaeologist, historian, broadcaster and writer who has become widely known as the presenter of BBC television's series A History of Scotland and Coast.
His first fiction novel, Master of Shadows, is published by Orion in September 2015.
He lives in Stirling with his wife and three children.
His first fiction novel, Master of Shadows, is published by Orion in September 2015.
He lives in Stirling with his wife and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 7, 2021
Spend a week or two on this diet of brave men dying well (well, they don't all die...no spoilers here). "Amazing Tales" was the most enjoyable nonfiction book I read in 2020. It would be a great read for older kids, or readaloud for Middle Grade kids (or a challenging read-alone book). Even with the more familiar stories in this volume (such as the Alamo, flight of the Nez Perce) Oliver includes backstory reframing each story, and many stories I had never read: the Birkenhead drill's "women and children first", the real-life "Man who would be king", the Penlee Lifeboatmen, and more... Oliver writes with real conviction and ability, meaning this is not some dry recasting of wikipedia entries. It's structured around the tale of Robert Falcon Scott's "Terra Nova" expedition to be the first reach the South Pole, and the organizing perspective is that of Scott's wife Kathleen. The book ends with Scott's letter to his infant son, which will be a challenge to read out loud if you have sons of your own (don't google it...let the book do the telling).
May 30, 2016
Great stories of valour well told, but the frankly sexist framing detracted from the charm. The idea that girls wouldn't be interested in heroics or that "manly men" behave in a certain way was quite off-putting and retrograde.
August 29, 2014
When this title popped up while I was searching for something else, I had to investigate. My 12YO son could use some inspiring stories.
So I finished this: well, mostly. The writing style is very, very confusing and the structure does not help at all, with each main story tacked into an introduction which often includes another story and then all that within the framework broken up story of Antarctic exploration as well.
I kept reading mostly out of a desire to know some of the historical info about these accounts that probably have, as Oliver claims, influenced (coerced, brainwashed) generations of western males into testosterone-driven "service" to benefit a country or cause significantly more than it benefited any of the individuals. They mostly died or suffered severe damage, with the occasional instance of varying fame/fortune.
My son couldn't get though it at all and I really had to sigh and roll my eyes way too often at the "manly men" language. Oliver kind of hits you over the head with absurd opinions about masculinity: literally so many stories about battles wherein men "bravely" and "heroically" sacrifice their lives for a cause "bigger than themselves." The problem is that some of these were mistakes-- unclear military orders, mistaken intelligence, rescues of foolish civilians, obscene amounts of pride and "stoicism" at the front, etc.
I was hoping for something much more substantial. A couple clearly-told stories of peacekeepers or individual bravery in the face of oppression or a cause deeply felt and understood would have gone a long way.
Saving grace: Oliver's account of the Birkenhead Drill, with which I was completely unfamiliar. Wow. I read that one twice, then excerpted to my husband and I will ask my son to read it too. Still massive death for no reason, but a very exciting story of true manliness and courage that makes me cry just thinking about it. Check out that one.
So I finished this: well, mostly. The writing style is very, very confusing and the structure does not help at all, with each main story tacked into an introduction which often includes another story and then all that within the framework broken up story of Antarctic exploration as well.
I kept reading mostly out of a desire to know some of the historical info about these accounts that probably have, as Oliver claims, influenced (coerced, brainwashed) generations of western males into testosterone-driven "service" to benefit a country or cause significantly more than it benefited any of the individuals. They mostly died or suffered severe damage, with the occasional instance of varying fame/fortune.
My son couldn't get though it at all and I really had to sigh and roll my eyes way too often at the "manly men" language. Oliver kind of hits you over the head with absurd opinions about masculinity: literally so many stories about battles wherein men "bravely" and "heroically" sacrifice their lives for a cause "bigger than themselves." The problem is that some of these were mistakes-- unclear military orders, mistaken intelligence, rescues of foolish civilians, obscene amounts of pride and "stoicism" at the front, etc.
I was hoping for something much more substantial. A couple clearly-told stories of peacekeepers or individual bravery in the face of oppression or a cause deeply felt and understood would have gone a long way.
Saving grace: Oliver's account of the Birkenhead Drill, with which I was completely unfamiliar. Wow. I read that one twice, then excerpted to my husband and I will ask my son to read it too. Still massive death for no reason, but a very exciting story of true manliness and courage that makes me cry just thinking about it. Check out that one.
March 10, 2020
A well-rounded collection of short stories recounting tales of when men acted (mostly) like men. These are not all victory stories but a mix of winners and losers, successes and tragic mistakes. Men need examples to follow and this book is full of great case studies that inspire courage, the need for discernment, and the good that comes when men stand up for what's right. I'll ponder some of these stories for years to come. The author falls short on his concluding inspirations because he doesn't offer what is needed for true manhood to exist. Men need to deal with the pride in their hearts that drags them off the path of wisdom and onto the path of hardheaded foolishness. Men need to fight and live for the glory that exits beyond king and country. The author writes without providing a solution for how boys become men. Manhood is not about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps or taking on manly adventures but following the only true example that exists in the life of Jesus Christ - a life of fidelity, sacrifice, and steadfast faithfulness to God's way. The title is deceiving. This book is written for adults, possibly some older teenagers. I'll be reading this with my son when he's older and I'll recommend it to men who need a bit of a push to do hard things that matter for eternity.
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October 24, 2024This looks like fun, boys-own daring-do adventures. Picked up at today's Ipswich meet-up with friendly faces and a 'newbie' :)
I don't really know Neil Oliver and was less worried about the fanboy idiolisation of Scott than @beeofgoodcheer (ed. previous owner/reviewer), but I did find other things annoying. Ferinstance, the constant reference to 'manly men', even if this is meant to be ironic it wore a bit, and the contrived links from each separate story back to Scott's progress to stardom ... and eventual heroic failure it has to be said. I did however really love the potted retelling of each amazing tale, ranging from the Ancient Greeks (Thermopylae/300) to the Battle of Britain, although strangely light on WW1? A lot of the familiar British Empire classics are here, including stunning against-the-odds victories and one-sided routs, but also many different non-war related tales from around the world which loosely fit Oliver's heroic criteria. I particularly liked The Birkenhead Drill explaining the first use of the phrase, women and children first (or more correctly, 'First women and children'.)
I don't really know Neil Oliver and was less worried about the fanboy idiolisation of Scott than @beeofgoodcheer (ed. previous owner/reviewer), but I did find other things annoying. Ferinstance, the constant reference to 'manly men', even if this is meant to be ironic it wore a bit, and the contrived links from each separate story back to Scott's progress to stardom ... and eventual heroic failure it has to be said. I did however really love the potted retelling of each amazing tale, ranging from the Ancient Greeks (Thermopylae/300) to the Battle of Britain, although strangely light on WW1? A lot of the familiar British Empire classics are here, including stunning against-the-odds victories and one-sided routs, but also many different non-war related tales from around the world which loosely fit Oliver's heroic criteria. I particularly liked The Birkenhead Drill explaining the first use of the phrase, women and children first (or more correctly, 'First women and children'.)
May 6, 2023
A most enjoyable read indeed. Packed full of stories of bravery and heroism from civilian, emergency services and armed forces. They’re in their book from those who’ve paid the ultimate price for their bravery to those lucky to come away with their life.
March 2, 2025
A disappointing read.
A lot of talk about "manly men", when really the stories are about unlucky men.
Of the 17 tales told herein, only four are not about battle in some way.
At least it has a decent list in the back for further reading.
A lot of talk about "manly men", when really the stories are about unlucky men.
Of the 17 tales told herein, only four are not about battle in some way.
At least it has a decent list in the back for further reading.
May 21, 2018
While it's marketed for kids, this book is an excellent collection of tales of heroic deeds.
August 6, 2024
Inspiring snippets of history that make you think of the missed and often underrated heros of history.
May 16, 2012
The concept behind the book is great. We need to teach our boys to become real men with a sense of duty and honor. My problem with the book is the author's choice of heroes. Don't the British have any heroes that didn't uselessly waste their lives? Oliver's focus in the book are heroes who died without giving up or surrendering. The RAF pilots of WWII and the crew of Apollo 13 were fine examples of heroes, but the French soldiers at Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam? or The Charge of the Light Brigade? Really? The light brigade is a great example of my problem with the book. They were sent directly into harms way due to unclear and mistaken orders and were pretty much wiped out but kept going. It accomplished nothing toward winning the battle and was a total waste, yet they're held up as being heroic. Purposelessness to me isn't heroic. The Spartans were heroic. They were defending their land against the Persians. Far too many of the examples in the book had a stupidity side to their heroism which really took away from any stiff upper lip thing or heroic action they might have done.
I could go on but I won't. Again, the concept of providing heroic stories to shape and mold our boys is a good one. I just would have picked better stories.
I could go on but I won't. Again, the concept of providing heroic stories to shape and mold our boys is a good one. I just would have picked better stories.
July 9, 2009
What an interesting book!
I love how it provides heroes for our boys to look up to. Hero’s that were ordinary men; who didn’t even know they were heroes.
amazingtalesAmazing Tales For Making Men out of Boys by Neil Oliver is full of chapters of history, and amazing examples of people who have overcome trials. It was encouraging and delightful to read this book. I like that he uses real heros, and real places. It’s the kind of book that boys can really get into! Oliver creates wonderful imagery and is a good storyteller. It has just what my son enjoys.. tales of war and rights, and astronauts to name a few. I think it is for probably 6-14 year olds, but honestly my son (who is 5) enjoyed a lot of these stories! (depends on how well they like to listen and sit!) I like that it is based on kids, and the language and attitude is kept as such. Oliver’s writing is clean and yet stimulating; it cultivates a lot of imagery and inspires!
I think this would be a great gift for any boy who is looking for a good hero! It would be good for perhaps homeschooling middle school-aged as well because it gives history in an understandable way!
I love how it provides heroes for our boys to look up to. Hero’s that were ordinary men; who didn’t even know they were heroes.
amazingtalesAmazing Tales For Making Men out of Boys by Neil Oliver is full of chapters of history, and amazing examples of people who have overcome trials. It was encouraging and delightful to read this book. I like that he uses real heros, and real places. It’s the kind of book that boys can really get into! Oliver creates wonderful imagery and is a good storyteller. It has just what my son enjoys.. tales of war and rights, and astronauts to name a few. I think it is for probably 6-14 year olds, but honestly my son (who is 5) enjoyed a lot of these stories! (depends on how well they like to listen and sit!) I like that it is based on kids, and the language and attitude is kept as such. Oliver’s writing is clean and yet stimulating; it cultivates a lot of imagery and inspires!
I think this would be a great gift for any boy who is looking for a good hero! It would be good for perhaps homeschooling middle school-aged as well because it gives history in an understandable way!
June 5, 2008
I bought this so that my sons could learn about manly things like duty and self-sacrifice. Oliver ties the various familiar and some less familiar (to me) tales together by means of comparing the chapters' subject with the particular difficulties that Scott faced in the Antarctic. He gives a sound summary of some heroic deeds without ever going into huge detail which will help those with a short attention span and I hope that it will inspire youngsters to want to find out more about some truly inspirational characters. By the way I thought Ankara was the capital of Turkey, not Istanbul (p.281).
July 11, 2010
I really liked this book. The stories in it are great and the men a certainly ones to look up to and admire, at the very least for their sense of duty and courage in the face of death.
I understand why he choose to break up the story of Scott's trip to Antarctica but it made it a little difficult to follow if you don't read the book continuously.
If I was to make any complaint, it would be about the writing and telling of the stories. It is sometimes hard to follow the core as it gets lost in the historic details Mr. Oliver presents throughout the telling.
I understand why he choose to break up the story of Scott's trip to Antarctica but it made it a little difficult to follow if you don't read the book continuously.
If I was to make any complaint, it would be about the writing and telling of the stories. It is sometimes hard to follow the core as it gets lost in the historic details Mr. Oliver presents throughout the telling.
June 11, 2011
I'm a big fan of Neil Oliver.... whether it be from his wonderful TV shows or books....
This book was great, from the first page to the last. I liked the concept of a single story being punctuated by other tales of heroic & brave acts from all ages of mankind, each told in Oliver's easy-going style. Some of the stories I was familiar with, others not so much, however every single one spurred me into reading more about that particular event.
I hope Mr Oliver will write more of this sort of thing in the future... I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
This book was great, from the first page to the last. I liked the concept of a single story being punctuated by other tales of heroic & brave acts from all ages of mankind, each told in Oliver's easy-going style. Some of the stories I was familiar with, others not so much, however every single one spurred me into reading more about that particular event.
I hope Mr Oliver will write more of this sort of thing in the future... I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
May 18, 2009
Great if you like short amazing tales written for boys historically true and all related to warfare or polar exploration, not so great otherwise. I enjoyed it just for reading about the Birkenhead drill which it turns out was not stolen from B&Q
Finished it at last.
Finished it at last.
July 24, 2010
Great book looking at how men used to be men and what made then seen as such. Stories of adventure, exploration and courage. All still around today but demonstrated in so many different ways. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any bloke.
February 3, 2013
A true History Munchie. Delectable enjoyment for history enthusiasts and children alike. It is a great introduction to History for older children and a refreshingly fun recap for adults. I love Oliver's engaging style of writing.
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May 21, 2008Contemplating this for my brother (who isn't on Goodreads, heh).
August 14, 2012
Good book. Good Stories. Some of the stories are a little slow but overall pretty good.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews