What does it mean to be a man in the twenty-first century? How can today's men lead a more fulfilling existence? Masculinity has reached a moment of crisis. From the erosion of unifying institutions such as marriage to a rise in male suicide rates, the last century and a half has been a particularly turbulent time to be a man. Increasing numbers of men are finding themselves anchorless, uprooted from the conventions and certainties of their forefathers. Today masculinity itself has come under attack, relentlessly maligned in the media. Now, more than ever, the long and perilous journey from infant to old age is fraught with strange complexities, moral dichotomies and maddening contradictions. Incisive and solution-driven, The Seven Ages of Man offers men of all ages, and the women who love them, a clear roadmap to a more meaningful life and a better future for all. Part practical guide and part call to arms, it encourages a return to decency, compassion, humility, understanding and forgiveness., ,

The Seventh Age of Man: Issues, Challenges, and Paradoxes is a collection of academic essays on Old Age. The contributors come from a wide range of fields of expertise, which accounts for the originality of the book. Depending on their respective disciplines, the authors resort to various methodological approaches, from sociological case studies to discourse analysis, and from historical and political theories to media criticism, but they often address similar questions – when are people to be considered as old, what does it mean to be old, how do we deal with ageing – and reach similar conclusions about the paradoxical representations of the elderly, whether in Renaissance Europe or in contemporary China. Although men and women are sometimes treated differently, in most societies, the older generation is alternately perceived as a threat and a burden, or as financial and moral support. If they are often criticized or ridiculed, especially when they try to retain their youthful looks long after their prime, the elderly also trigger a feeling of nostalgia as representatives of a past usually seen as more desirable than the present. Their resilience and independence are regularly emphasized, as well as their wisdom, as a result of their long experience, which helps them to contemplate their ends more serenely and which might turn them into models for their contemporaries.

In this luminous portrait of Paris, the celebrated historian gives us the history, culture, disasters, and triumphs of one of the world’s truly great cities. While Paris may be many things, it is never boring. From the rise of Philippe Auguste through the reigns of Henry IV and Louis XIV (who abandoned Paris for Versailles); Napoleon’s rise and fall; Baron Haussmann’s rebuilding of Paris (at the cost of much of the medieval city); the Belle Epoque and the Great War that brought it to an end; the Nazi Occupation, the Liberation, and the postwar period dominated by de Gaulle--Horne brings the city’s highs and lows, savagery and sophistication, and heroes and villains splendidly to life. With a keen eye for the telling anecdote and pivotal moment, he portrays an array of vivid incidents to show us how Paris endures through each age, is altered but always emerges more brilliant and beautiful than ever. The Seven Ages of Paris is a great historian’s tribute to a city he loves and has spent a lifetime learning to know. "Knowledgeable and colorful, written with gusto and love.... [An] ambitious and skillful narrative that covers the history of Paris with considerable brio and fervor." —LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Don’t trust your instincts—there is a better path to becoming a better man. It’s no secret: today’s men face a dilemma. Our culture tells them that their instincts are either toxic or salvific. Men are left with only two options: deconstruct and forfeit masculine identity or embrace it with wild abandon. They’re left to decide between ignoring their instincts or indulging them. Neither approach helps them actually understand their own masculine experiences nor how those experiences can lead them to become better men of God. The Bible doesn’t shy away from the reality of masculine instincts nor all of the ways those instincts can lead to destruction. Examining the lives of five men of the Bible, The 5 Masculine Instincts shows that these men aren’t masculine role models or heroes but are men who wrestled with their own desires and, by faith, matured them into something better. Through this book you’ll discover your own instincts are neither curse nor virtue. They are the experiences by which you develop a new and better instinct—an instinct of faith. By exploring sarcasm, adventure, ambition, reputation, and apathy, The 5 Masculine Instincts shows you how to better understand yourself and how your own instincts can be matured into something better. This is the path by which we become better men.