What makes a man? This is a question many men in our society today do not feel equipped to answer, because they were never initiated into manhood themselves. They do not know how to pass on authentic manliness to their sons, so boys get stuck in unending adolescence. Everyone suffers from the resulting crisis of male immaturity, and we see its effects everywhere in our society. Leaving Boyhood Behind shows how we can actually do something to address this crisis. Author Jason Craig, cofounder of Fraternus, a Catholic mentoring program for boys, walks through each stage of initiation into manhood, helping readers understand: • What rites of passage are and why they are necessary for men • Christ’s own rites of passage and initiation • What it means for a young man to put away childhood • The importance of belonging vs. isolation in the life of men • The important role both mothers and fathers place in initiation • Discipline and the masculine identity • Living the ultimate rite of passage, and much more “This book is an invaluable resource for all Catholics who care about the intellectual, physical, and spiritual development of the next generation of men.” — Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, author of Behold the Man: A Catholic Vision of Male Spirituality

A coming-of-age memoir about life in a Sydney boarding school during the 1960s from the bestselling author of PRECIOUS BODILY FLUIDS. It's 1966. Sydneysiders are whipping themselves into a frenzy, determined to outdo Melbourne in their preparations for the four-hour visit of the US President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Miles of Bunting, tickertape parades - and an official slogan, 'Make Sydney Gay for LBJ'. And this time Charles, the hero of Precious Bodily Fluids, is a not-so-sweet sixteen. The hormones are pumping and he is desperately trying to join the sexual revolution from the frustrating confines of a Catholic boarding school for boys. Will Charlie exchange strap marks for love bites? Will he double up and die from lover's balls? Life is one long muck-up day for Charlie and his mates as they repeat the leaving certificate. But the Brothers haven't warned him that some of life's pleasures are gained under penalty of pain.

Born just prior to the outbreak of World War II and inspired by his hero, a Captain of a firefighting vessel, the author joined the Royal Navy at 15 years of age, purely to experience the life at sea as told by his hero and the great wide mysterious world depicted in the Encyclopaedia. Hugh shares the rigours of the training ship “Ganges”, the excitement of his first war ship in the Mediterranean and several other drafts including being present at the Cyprus Emergency and the infamous Suez Crisis. This was also the time of his coming of age, the pain of unrequited love and the bewildering initiation by an older woman who should have known better. Life as a merchant seaman followed, expanding his horizons even further, eventually merging with the diaspora of eager sunseekers to Australia in 1963. Worked in a copper mine in Queensland before the sea beckoned once more. Then south to Tasmania and enjoyed a different sea life as a lobster fisherman. The author shared many unexpected encounters with colourful characters and events which taught him life lessons in an entertaining, humorous and honest manner. A lusty account of a young recalcitrant, desperate to become a worthy human.